'If we’re trying to create an inclusive culture, people should have a say in what that looks like': Jessica Tonczynski, OMS

FR: You joined OMS earlier this year in a role covering both customer relationships and diversity and inclusion. How have you found it so far?

It’s been really positive. I’ve worked in financial services for more than 10 years across customer experience, digital change, investments and diversity and inclusion, so the role brings together several areas that I’m passionate about.

There is also more crossover between the two sides of my role than you might initially think. A big part of my customer relationship work is understanding how brokers use OMS, where we can support them and making sure their feedback reaches the right people within the business.

With D&I, my focus is on helping create an environment where people feel comfortable contributing and know their views are valued. Both require businesses to be open to feedback and prepared to act on it.

FR: How have attitudes towards D&I within financial services changed during your career?

When I first started working in financial services, D&I simply wasn’t part of the conversation in the way it is today. There is now far greater awareness of representation and the importance of creating workplaces where different people be their genuine selves.

Some of my own experiences early in my career weren’t particularly great, and that has influenced why this area matters so much to me. They showed me the type of workplace experience I wouldn’t want somebody else to have.

We can’t change those past experiences, but we can learn from them. People who have been in the industry for a while have an opportunity to help create better working environments for those coming through now.

FR: What do you think businesses sometimes get wrong when approaching D&I?

There can be a tendency to start with the D&I calendar. Businesses identify the main awareness days and events, plan activity around them and feel they have covered the subject.

Those dates are important as they can help educate people, recognise different communities and open up useful discussions, but they shouldn’t define everything a business does.

I think there is value in asking employees what they would like to see. There may be charities they want to support, issues they want to understand better or communities and causes that mean something personally to them.

You may find that the things your people care most about aren't necessarily the things you would have chosen on their behalf. Giving them an opportunity to contribute can lead to activity that feels much more relevant to the people taking part.

FR: Is there a lesson in that for the mortgage industry more widely?

Most definitely. Mortgage brokers spend their working lives asking questions because every client is different. They need to understand somebody’s circumstances and what they are trying to achieve before they can properly help them.

Perhaps businesses could apply more of that thinking to their own people. We work in an industry made up of individuals with different backgrounds, experiences and priorities, so it makes sense to understand those differences rather than deciding what people need without involving them.

There is also a wider commercial point here. Firms regularly ask customers what they think of their service and what could be improved. Employee feedback deserves similar attention because the people working within a business will often spot things that those making decisions may not see.

FR: Does D&I risk becoming the responsibility of one person or department?

It can, and I think that limits what businesses can achieve.

There needs to be somebody taking responsibility for keeping the subject moving, creating opportunities and making sure commitments lead to action. But that person cannot create an inclusive workplace on their own.

Much of inclusion comes down to the way people behave towards each other. It’s whether someone feels able to offer a different opinion in a meeting, whether colleagues take the time to understand another person's perspective and whether people feel happy at work.

My job is to help provide the structure and opportunities for people to get involved, but the culture itself belongs to everyone.

FR: What would you like to see happen next when it comes to D&I across financial services?

I’d like us to keep moving away from treating D&I as a separate workplace initiative and towards seeing inclusion as part of how a good business operates.

One quote I often come back to is: “Diversity gets people through the door. Inclusion makes them want to stay.”

Recruiting from a wider range of backgrounds is important, but what happens afterwards matters just as much. People need the opportunity to contribute, progress and feel comfortable within the organisation they have joined.

Financial services has made progress during my career and there is much more openness around these conversations than there once was. The next step is making sure that progress translates into what people actually experience when they come to work each day.