At Invitation Homes, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is about creating an inclusive environment where all our team members feel they belong, thrive, and have a purpose. This starts with deepening recruitment efforts, continues with education, and is reinforced through engagement opportunities. Ultimately, successful DEI efforts should create a space where people feel they have a voice, and that they can speak up and show up to work unapologetically and authentically as who they are.
The most diverse companies are also more likely than ever to outperform less diverse peers, according to McKinsey & Company’s latest report on the topic . For example, companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 25 percent more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile. That’s why Invitation Homes continues to advance its strategic efforts around DEI – to improve employee development and our business by building a team of associates that better represents the residents we serve.
Our efforts to create a diverse and inclusive company starts with recruitment. Invitation Homes’ DEI team partners with our talent acquisition team to ensure that recruitment focuses on attracting, hiring, and onboarding a diverse pipeline of candidates from across the country. Our efforts include partnerships and outreach at historically black colleges and universities and Hispanic-serving institutions, among others. We’re also continuously thinking about how we can build new relationships to broaden our reach of diverse talent and explore how we can strengthen our engagement at key diverse recruiting conferences.
Once on board, Invitation Homes associates are introduced to the iBelong, youBelong Commitment. This two-part initiative unifies our approach to creating a greater sense of belonging for all associates through both a company and an associate commitment. Invitation Homes’ commitment signifies the priority the company places on creating a genuinely diverse and inclusive culture and is something we’re advancing every day. The associate commitment follows our DEI training and is offered to all associates as a way to lean in and become an engaged stakeholder in Invitation Homes’ initiatives. We’re proud to say that 80 percent of associates have voluntarily signed on to help advance our DEI efforts, and we expect that number to grow.
An integral foundation of DEI is education. Invitation Homes conducts a Leadership Essentials program that engages team leaders on a variety of leadership expectations, including DEI, and requires that all associates complete DEI training. Through this education we’re actively discussing fundamental ways we can create a more inclusive workplace by identifying and tackling unconscious bias and microaggressions, as well as how to further allyship as teammates and leaders. We also communicate to all associates through an iBelong, youBelong podcast to make learning as accessible as possible, so team members like our maintenance technicians can listen to episodes as they drive from one resident’s home to the next.
All associates also have the opportunity and are welcome to join any number of our employee resource groups (ERGs). We currently have six ERGs and are open to launching additional groups in the future in response to associate requests and interest. These affinity groups are safe spaces where associates with similar experiences can network, socialize, learn, and advance professional development. ERGs are also instrumental in helping shape the way we interact with residents by ensuring that communication and outreach resonate in a positive way. This is just one way that our steps to create a greater sense of belonging for associates leads to a better experience for residents.
The steps Invitation Homes has taken so far to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion are just the start. As we move ahead, we look forward to building out the second phase of DEI training to meet associate appetite for further education on microaggression and allyship. Our ongoing goal is to not just attract the best talent but to also retain it by ensuring our diverse workforce feels appreciated and valued. Invitation Homes prides itself on being best-in-class in the single-family rental industry – we look forward to meeting that same standard when it comes to DEI.