The Glass Hammer: Dania Shahzad, Business Manager, PGIM Fixed Income
Shahzad speaks to finding inspiration in her family, building confidence and how she lives her life steadfast in her conviction that women can do anything.
In the wake of racially charged events across the United States, people around the world are demanding justice. As conversations around racial and social equity become more common, so has the dialogue around how these inequities can negatively impact the mental health of individuals, especially in corporate workplaces. With this in mind, PGIM developed mental health resources designed to help its employees address racial trauma and other workplace stressors.
During an interview with FundFire, Pamela Sinclair, Chief Human Resources Officer, PGIM, discussed the resources PGIM has put in place to support employees coping with racial injustices, the challenges of being a working parent, and more.
>> Hi. I'm Dervedia Thomas, associate editor for FundFire. Today I'm here with Pamela Sinclair, PGIM's Global Head of Human Resources. Are any of your resources geared toward specific demographics, perhaps, you know, women or people of color?
>>
[ Inaudible ]
One was around working parents. So not -- not just women, but working parents, particularly those with young -- young children who aren't -- aren't of a school age, or who need to be supervised. We put resources specifically around that demographic. We're also running a session on racial trauma. You know, the racial equity issue has had the spotlight shone on it but, unfortunately, it's been an issue for many years, and we've got some resources together specifically to help our colleagues across all different racial backgrounds to address that topic. And then, more generically, we've put a mindfulness session on. I know a lot of companies have been doing it. And we've been doing it for a number of years now. But we are encouraging our employees of any age, any demographic, to take a mindfulness session because that really does help [inaudible] out your mental health. So, yes, we've been specific but we're also trying to -- to offer tools and resources for everybody.
>> Are you analyzing any data from, you know, these programs to determine if there needs to be, you know, additional programs or support for any demographic or group?
>> Yes. So when we started this -- this -- this -- this session in October, it was actually borne out of data we received early on in the year. So we put some quick and dirty touch points together to help employees get together virtually with a trained expert in mental health. And the feedback we got from that was overwhelming. People wanted more resources. Our opinion employee survey that we just conducted also showed that people wanted more resources. And then, obviously, we're gathering feedback from each of these sessions as they occur. And I think we will be continuing to do -- or to build onto these sessions over the next couple of months, if not the next year or so. You know, the -- the pandemic isn't going to go away overnight. Working from home is going to continue. You know, there are social equity issues, political equity issues. People are genuinely feeling a lot more angst, I think, than they have in the past. And so we will respond to that feedback and continue to offer products and services to help our employees.
>> In addition to your employees, you're also providing resources for their kids. Why have you decided to do that?
>> Yeah. Mental health, unfortunately, starts very young in age. It's not when you get to work and you've got a demanding career does mental health start to become an issue you should attend to. A lot of mental health issues start in teenage children, and so helping parents identify the signals, provide them with resources, give them some support for people who have got children at home, we thought, was a crucial way of helping not just to destigmatize, but also give parents practical support at this very trying time.
>> Great. Thank you very much.
>> You're welcome. Nice to talk to you.
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Shahzad speaks to finding inspiration in her family, building confidence and how she lives her life steadfast in her conviction that women can do anything.
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