Citi Encourages Employees to Use a Personal Day on Juneteenth
Citi Encourages Employees to Use a Personal Day on Juneteenth
(Bloomberg) -- Citigroup Inc. Chief Executive Officer Michael Corbat said employees who want to can use one of their personal days this Friday to commemorate Juneteenth, the day enslaved people discovered they were free in the U.S.
For those employees who plan to work, Corbat asked workers to help advance the commitments to change that the bank made during a companywide discussion last Friday, according to an internal memo to staff. Citigroup employees who take June 19 off will be required to use part of their paid time off.
“We encourage any U.S. colleague who wants to, to take a personal day this Friday,” Corbat said in the memo. For those working Friday, Corbat suggested taking time for “reaching out to colleagues to provide support, researching organizations you are considering donating to as part of our colleague fundraising efforts or learning more about some of the historical events that contributed to the inequality we continue to see today.”
Corporations are increasingly responding to public outcry over the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, which has led to nationwide protests in recent weeks, and growing awareness of systemic racism in America. Companies across finance, retail, technology, media and other industries, including Mastercard Inc., Nike Inc., Allstate Corp., Target Corp. and Twitter Inc., are giving their employees a paid day off on Juneteenth.
Citigroup is also creating a task force that will identify how the bank’s core businesses address racial inequality, and plans to update employees on those efforts soon, Corbat said in the memo. During the discussion last Friday, Citigroup also detailed ways it’s hoping to increase Black representation across the company.
“While a focus on diversity and inclusion isn’t new to Citi, this discussion was different than those we’ve had in the past -- more candid, direct and heartfelt, and filled with a sense of urgency to use this moment we’re in to create lasting change,” Corbat said in the memo.
Employees were also encouraged to fill out a confidential survey to share their reactions to the discussion on Friday, which included Chief Financial Officer Mark Mason; Terry Hogan, global head of diversity and talent management; and Jai Dorsey, interim data governance officer for the global consumer bank. Mary-Frances Winters, an equity and inclusion strategist, also participated.
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