Martina Donaghy, HRCOE of Allstate NI

I started out in Allstate 7 years ago as a Senior HR Consultant and more recently have moved into a HR Centre Of Expertise (HRCOE) role. Both my roles within the company have always included Diversity education for Allstate NI. In my current role, I oversee HR projects which includes Engagement & Inclusion, Diversity & Equality.

Wednesday 26 January 2022

Please tell us about you and your role at Allstate NI?

I started out in Allstate 7 years ago as a Senior HR Consultant and more recently have moved into a HR Centre Of Expertise (HRCOE) role. Both my roles within the company have always included Diversity education for Allstate NI. In my current role, I oversee HR projects which includes Engagement & Inclusion, Diversity & Equality.

Would you tell us why you are so passionate about Diversity and Inclusion?

Diversity & Inclusion is vital for any business because if you ignore diversity & inclusion your company will not succeed in today’s competitive market.

New hires look into a company to see if that employer reflects their values and beliefs. People want to look into an organisation and see people like them, people from all groups, all backgrounds, and all areas of society. An employer who ignores diversity and inclusion, a company that hires teams of individuals who look the same, think the same, have the same backgrounds, education & interests will not truly reflect society or succeed.

By promoting an inclusive environment, you get the best out of people, by enabling an individual to bring their whole selves to work you get 100% input rather than them leaving 30% of themselves at the door as they try to fit into a culture where everyone is the same, and being different is frowned upon. Also by having an inclusive environment people will feel psychologically safe and will speak up & feel safe in challenging ideas. This is how great ideas happen, by exploring, sharing, challenging and listening.

Diverse teams help a business grow. They in turn attract better people to the business. They make better products and services and in return make the business more successful, which means everyone succeeds.

How does Allstate NI advocate for diversity and inclusion?

At Allstate we acknowledge that there are many different groups that are underrepresented within the tech sector and we work across a number of initiatives to encourage a more inclusive workforce.

At Allstate our employees have been empowered to form Employee Resource Groups, known as ERG’s. These groups bring people and groups that need more representation together, within the workplace, so that they have support and community within work. They also help to shape the company strategy and give input to policies, procedures, and day to day activities within the workplace.

WITA is our Women In Technology at Allstate group who have partnered closely with WIB over the years. Our mission is to engage, develop, advocate for and retain women in Technology, while showcasing Allstate as a Technology company.

Another initiative to help encourage underrepresented groups within Allstate is Embrace, which is the company’s LGBTQ+ ERG that provides education and support to our LGBTQ+ colleagues. From speaking with this group, it is obvious that there is still work to do in society in relation to LGBTQ+ and encouraging young people to study STEM subjects and work in the tech sector without the fear of prejudice or judgement.

Ausome is another Allstate ERG which is related to Autism, with a mission to educate and raise awareness about the autistic spectrum. The group offers support and inspiration to those affected by autism both internally and in their local communities.

There are other ERG’s and initiatives, including our Mental Health First Aiders and “Just Pause” menopause support group, and in 2022 Allstate aim to encourage more ERG’s and support groups for areas not currently represented.

What recent IDE initiatives have Allstate offered employees?

Allstate is always working on a culture of diversity, frequently adding to their list of initiatives to promote a more inclusive working force.

A recent initiative has been setting up a group of Inclusion Champions. This group of 40+ Allstate employees came together to build the 2021 Diversity Education. They came together from all corners of Allstate, as volunteers, and built a series of workshops called “Inclusion to Belonging”, that were delivered, by Inclusion Champions, in 3 bite sized workshops to all employees.

These workshops step through the importance of areas such as Cognitive Diversity, Empathy, Psychological Safety, Allies and how Diversity is infinite. The workshops explain how Diversity is not about tick boxes or only related to gender, race or ability, diversity goes much much further than that. They also explore the importance of inclusion for people such as introverts, or the single team member or perhaps the male parent seeking flexible working. The workshops are designed to challenge norms and provide gentle nudges that everyone can incorporate into their day to day lives to be more inclusive.

In Allstate NI these initiatives are supported by the Leadership Team and it reminds our employees that Inclusion, Diversity & Equity is not the role of HR, or Leaders. It is the role of every single person. With the support of our ERG’s, our Inclusion Champions and our Leaders we can ensure Inclusion Diversity & Equity is embedded in all our business decisions from the very beginning, not as an afterthought.

In 2022 Allstate NI are conducting a top to bottom Inclusion, Diversity & Equity (IDE) audit, of all our systems and processes, which will shape our Diversity Strategy.

Allstate NI was the first company in NI to be awarded silver status in the Diversity Mark, what does this mean to you and the IDE team

I am so proud that Allstate NI were the first company in NI to be awarded silver status in the Diversity Mark. The award is a credit to everyone involved in IDE across the business especially our WITA ERG members. Inclusive Diversity needs to be at the core of everything a business does & I feel that this award outlines that for Allstate NI.

Keep up to date with Martina on LinkedIn and check out allstateni.com

Wednesday 26 January 2022