Bank of America Posts Update on Employee Benefits, Diversity Efforts

10/19/20

By Meredith Dockery, NC Biz News

Bank of America, the second-largest U.S. bank by assets, released its second annual Human Capital Management Report on Friday to show its progress on employee benefits and diversity.

“Last year, we introduced our Human Capital Management Report to provide greater clarity and transparency in how we make our company a great place to work and support our teammates and their families. This report has helped our shareholders and other stakeholders better understand our employee practices. It also serves as a baseline by which we can show the progress we continue to make in supporting our teammates who serve our clients and communities every day,” CEO Brian Moynihan wrote in a letter.

Moynihan added that since releasing the inaugural report last year, the firm has “taken extensive steps to care for the health and safety” of its employees during the COVID-19 pandemic by expanding benefits. The company added to its diversity initiatives to “ensure a diverse and inclusive workplace” and made a $1 billion, 4-year commitment to advance racial equity and create opportunities in communities of color.

Bank of America, which employees 200,000 people, highlights primary focus areas such as being a diverse and inclusive workplace, attracting and retaining exceptional talent, providing holistic benefits supporting teammates’ wellness, and recognizing and rewarding performance. The report includes its expanded support and services to employees during the pandemic and racial equality movements.

When the coronavirus pandemic broke out, the bank transitioned 85 percent of its employees to work from home while continuing to pay wages and salaries for those who couldn’t work remotely. The company also provided no-cost telehealth appointments to general doctors and mental health specialists and expanded its back-up child care.

Bank of America also boosted its minimum wage for all hourly workers to $20 during the first quarter, one year earlier than planned. Starting wages have moved from $11.30 per hour to $20 in the last decade, increasing 77 percent.

Elsewhere, the firm has focused on increasing diverse representation at all company levels, including the board of directors.

This year, the company saw its most diverse class of new campus hires, comprised of 45 percent women, 13 percent Black/African American and 14 percent Hispanic/Latino employees.

According to the report, 50 percent of the management team is diverse, and 32 percent of its members are women. Half of the bank’s global workforce is also made up of women, and 45 percent of the U.S.-based workforce consists of people of color.

Women now hold 34 percent of the executive and senior-level roles, up from 32 percent in 2015, while people of color have 19 percent of those roles compared to 15 percent in 2015. According to the report, 5 percent of those top roles are held by Black/African American employees and Hispanic/Latino employees have 4 percent of those roles.

This summer, Bank of America pledged $1 billion “in recognition of the broad and deep impact the humanitarian crisis is having on communities and people of color.”

“Our focus on being a great place to work has never been more important. While our teammates are focused on supporting our clients and communities, we’re focused on supporting them and their families, making sure they can be their best both at work and at home,” Chief Human Resources Officer Sheri Bronstein said in the release.

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