Diversity, equity and inclusion
Bring your authentic self
The ability to bring your authentic self to work. Being valued for your differences rather than wanting to hide them. A culture of not just accepting diverse values, opinions, experience and needs—but welcoming them. These are just some of the ways that recognizing, respecting and leveraging diversity are central to our company.
Inclusive practices lead to higher levels of engagement, performance, productivity and positive business results. Whether developing specialized training for teams or fostering organizational improvement through our CEO-led Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council, we're putting in the work to better reflect and serve our communities.
The company's CEO-led Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council was launched in early 2019, helping to bring into focus the considerable efforts already occurring across the company. We are part of the CEO Action Pledge for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. And, our focused, ongoing efforts have been recognized by organizations nationally and across our footprint.
Here are just a few of the areas we're focusing on to maintain and support inclusivity within our company and across our communities:
Recruiting practices
Our recruiting organization is fully AIRS Diversity Certified and held accountable to monthly recruitment outreach efforts to diverse organizations, including HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). We identify, participate in and sponsor recruitment events focused on diversity, including those for individuals with disabilities, LGBTQ+, veterans and more. We work with leading organizations and institutions—including Circa, Divergence Academy, Hispanic chambers of commerce, women's professional networks and others—that promote and support the development of talent from underrepresented groups.
Mentoring
Mentoring provides a powerful opportunity for our employees to learn from each other and further their career development in addition to our formal learning programs. We have created two distinct programs, Achieving More Together (AMT) and Retention, Inclusion, Support and Empowerment (RISE), to help our employees continue to develop their talents. AMT pairs employees with more than one year of employment with leaders from across the company. More than 215 employees have participated in the program in the past two years. RISE pairs new employees with a culture ambassador to help them successfully navigate the company.
Communities of practice
Communities of Practice (CoP) are groups of employees that share a concern or passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly. CoP at BOK Financial focus on sharing best practices and creating new knowledge to advance our strategic and business goals. CoP also offer an inclusive environment to encourage the engagement of employees at all levels to better harness the collective power of diverse skills, styles, strengths and experiences across the company. More than 1,500 employees are involved in 16 active CoPs.
Inclusive supply chain
Our focus on diversity extends well beyond our walls. We are working to ensure we have an inclusive supply chain comprised of diverse vendors, representing minority, women, veteran, LGBTQ+ and small businesses. Our goal is to support diverse businesses and promote innovation, creating economic impact by uplifting the communities where those businesses are located through job creation, increased wages and tax revenues.
