Unleashing the Power to Do What’s Right (And Do It Now)!

Since joining AmTrust six months ago, I’ve had many one-on-one and group discussions with amazing employees across the business. In those conversations, I’ve transparently shared that while diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEI&B) are in my role description, our success in those areas requires that we see them as shared responsibilities. Inclusive cultures don’t simply exist; they are co-created by leaders, people managers, and employees across the company. DEI&B are not voluntary actions – they are an expectation based on our company’s core values, particularly teamwork and inclusion. DEI&B are ever-present aspects of corporate culture that require intentional, ongoing commitment and focus.  

Every employee has a role in fostering a culture where everyone enjoys a sense of belonging.  

In 2020, AmTrust turned up our focus on making sure we are as diverse, equitable, and inclusive as possible, both within the organization and in the communities we serve, since this is how we will achieve our best results together. We formed an Executive Diversity Council. I was hired as VP of D&I and immediately began focusing on creating common definitions for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging and aligning those elements with our strategic imperatives. We introduced the diversity wheel, which shares elements of our social identities and invited employees to take the wheel for a spin by bravely sharing an aspect of their uniqueness with their peers. We started monthly D&I Well-being Wednesday sessions because we know how important aspects of our social identities are to fostering psychological safety and allowing us to flourish in our roles. I joined our Chief People and Communications Officer and SVP of HR on Virtual Listening Tours to hear directly from our employees about what is and isn’t working. We’ve made great progress with operationalizing aspects of our diversity strategy thus far, and yet, there is more work to be done.

“Do it now. Sometimes later becomes never.”

Our company began 2021 with a theme of AmTrust Now. We believe there has never been a better time than right now to do business with AmTrust or to be an employee of AmTrust.  I am so very proud to share that the theme was suggested by two employees via a company-wide contest and was supported by our most senior leaders – a perfect example of inclusion in action! As we move forward through the year, we will continue individual and group dialogues, employee surveys, focus groups, and DEI&B education. We are also launching employee networks as a resource for our most trusted resources to build relationships and develop allyship while educating, empowering, and engaging one another.  

Unleashing the Power to Do What’s Right (And Do It Now)!

At the individual level, I’m challenging all employees and partners at AmTrust to own their role in shaping DEI&B at AmTrust by focusing on unleashing the power to do what’s right and do it now!  What this means is intentionally and bravely investing the time and effort to:

• Develop self-awareness around our respective identities, privileges, and biases.
• Develop understanding of and appreciation for others.
• Learn more about the systems of inequity that exist in the world around us.
• Practice inclusion in our interactions with others to build a habit of living inclusively.

This work requires skill and will, but commitment and genuine effort from every employee will make a powerful difference! One measure we introduced to facilitate DEI&B awareness, appreciation, action, and accountability was a month-long challenge in February that provided employees with choices to learn through a variety of DEI&B activities and resources. Rather than waiting for someone else to drop off the perfect culture, we are all invited and expected to co-create it together!