Championing Flexibility and Inclusion in the Workplace

It’s that purpose that drives CHROs to overcome and navigate challenges, and never give up until a solution is found. Just like every other business imperative, this is the cost of doing business, and doing it the right way.

The HR Digest: Looking at the impact of Covid-19 on Synchrony, what positive changes are here to stay?

DJ Casto: For many companies, work will never look the same, and we believe that is a good thing. The pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we work and shown us that we can work just as effectively and efficiently, if not more so, when our employees utilize a hybrid or completely remote schedule. So, when we learned that 85% of our employees wanted some form of work from home option post-pandemic, we made it happen. Our people, including our hourly associates, can work from home or go into the office when they want or need to. Flexibility is the new currency. This model has allowed us to continue to nurture our culture and drive our business while giving our people the flexibility they need and the personal connections with their teammates that so many desire.  Synchrony also offers Flex Fridays, giving employees Friday afternoons to catch up on work or recharge. Throughout the pandemic we were actively listening to our employees, responding and adapting our policies and benefits in real time to best meet their needs, and we’re seeing strong results, including 30% increase in our applicant pools. In our latest Great Place to Work employee survey, 95% of our employees say that our new way of working gives them the flexibility they need.  This strong level of support is consistent across gender and race – including employees who are caregivers. This approach is helping us advance diversity, equity and inclusion in our workforce, which is critically important. The policies we put in place – including our work-from-anywhere model, childcare benefits and well-being resources – are here to stay, and we will continue to evolve all our benefits based on the employee feedback that we continually seek.

Can you tell our readers more about Synchrony’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and how they promote change within the company in practical terms?

Our eight Employee Resource Groups, or Diversity Networks, which represent 60 percent of our workforce, serve as strategic advisors to help ensure we are addressing specific employee needs. For example, based on employee input through our Diversity Networks, we added more diverse mental health counselors to our roster of support. Our Diversity Networks also help direct and support investments, such as our Education as an Equalizer initiative, a $50 million initiative to expand access to higher education, skills training and financial literacy for employees and underserved communities. Also, to ensure a strong pipeline of future talent and leaders at Synchrony, we have established and expanded partnerships through our Diversity Networks with national non-profits including the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA), ASCEND, American Indigenous Business Leaders, Disability:IN, Girls Who Code as well as Historically Black Colleges and Universities such as North Carolina A&T State University, Howard University and the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff.

What do you think most boards misunderstand or underestimate about human resources?

It’s becoming increasingly important for company leaders to ensure they are creating  an authentic and inclusive culture that attracts and retains the best talent. As HR leaders, it’s important that you turn to your Boards for support. In fact, according to PwC’s 2022 Annual Corporate Directors Survey, talent management is now the top area that needs more time and attention in the boardroom, beating out strategy and crisis management for the first time.  Luckily, at Synchrony we have a highly engaged Board that spends dedicated time discussing and engaging on talent, diversity and culture.  For example, our Board attends our annual Global Diversity Experience, participating in sessions with our employees and engaging with them through 1:1 conversations, group forums and panel discussions.  This allows our Board access to our talent and they serve as another set of role models for our employees. Attracting and retaining talent will continue to be a priority for organizations, so the focus on hybrid working, employee well-being, advancing diverse talent, training and education opportunities and more will remain top issues for company leaders in the months and years ahead. These are not just HR issues, they are everyone’s responsibility, and just like any other business imperative, they need to have board-level engagement.

What is the key lesson you want aspiring CHROs to take away from your work?

There has been a fundamental shift in corporate America, and change takes time, so give yourself grace. You won’t always get it right on the first try, which is why it’s so important to constantly listen to your employees, test new approaches and evolve your policies based on feedback. In my role at Synchrony, I’m motivated by the purpose-driven work we do every day to support and care for our people, and ultimately drive long-term progress. It’s that purpose that drives CHROs to overcome and navigate challenges, and never give up until a solution is found. Just like every other business imperative, this is the cost of doing business, and doing it the right way.

How are you going to shake things up next?

Synchrony has gone all in offering employees’ flexibility and choice to decide what works best for them on when and how they use our physical spaces and when they purposely come together. We’re also seeing some of the narrative start to form around quiet quitting and whether employees are really engaged and connected to their company. I want to pivot the discussion away from ‘when and how should you be in the office’ to doubling down on trusting employees, and giving them the flexibility and choice they need, while still ensuring that we are discussing outcomes, performance and accountability. I also want to focus more on the role of leaders and moving from managing to coaching and real-time feedback to ensure we execute and deliver on the outcomes that all our stakeholders need, while sustaining this new way of working that allows our employees to be their best.

DJ Casto,

Chief Human Resources Officer, Synchrony

DJ Casto is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Synchrony, a consumer financial services company. He is responsible for employee engagement and development programs that enhance the company’s culture and talent. DJ serves on the boards of Jobs for America’s Graduates and build on, a nonprofit focused on empowering urban youth. He holds a master’s and bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University.

Photo: Synchrony  

This profile was published in the January 2023 issue of The HR Digest.

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