Community and compassion reign at Fidelity

“Trust and integrity are Fidelity Canada’s guiding principles, and the bedrock upon which Fidelity’s culture and business practices are built,” explains Diana Godfrey, senior vice-president of human resources and corporate affairs. “We value authentic conversations and create programs that help our colleagues, their family and the community thrive.”

Over the years, Godfrey has worn a number of different hats – a testament to the fact that there are nearly endless possibilities for career development at Fidelity. “I always said yes to any opportunities that presented themselves, and there have been many,” she says. “I’ve moved laterally, up through promotions, and everything I’ve done, I learned from.”

Drawn in part by all the career possibilities, sustainable investment analyst Julianna Martino started her career at Fidelity as a co-op student while studying finance and economics. “I heard really great things about Fidelity’s culture, the atmosphere and the learning opportunities – and my experience was just that,” she says.

“The people were welcoming, the culture was embracing, and the work made me feel like a trusted member of the team, with a large amount of responsibility. It was clear I was making a meaningful impact at the firm and was valued for my efforts.”

That feeling of being trusted led Martino to apply for two more co-op terms before landing a full-time role at the company. “Since day one my colleagues have encouraged diverse thinking and new ways of doing things, which has empowered me to bring bold ideas to the table,” she adds. “I credit much of my growth at Fidelity to my colleagues and the culture we are a part of.”

Martino is a committee member of the Women’s Leadership Group, one of many employee resource groups at Fidelity. “It’s something I’m really passionate about,” she says. “Fidelity’s community is unparalleled.”

Amid the height of the pandemic, Fidelity’s response was true compassion in action. “We’re proud of how Fidelity shifted to remote work, and the commitment of our colleagues who maintained their exceptional work performance during unprecedented times,” says Godfrey. “The firm was quick to set up employees with necessary equipment, provide an allowance for home office equipment, establish flexible work hours to accommodate family and caregiving obligations and more.”

The company also enhanced its benefits package, introducing virtual health care and home delivery from pharmacies to help keep people safe. But Fidelity is always re-evaluating the support it provides to employees.

To address the growing need for psychology coverage for employees and their family members, the company doubled those benefits. They also introduced a peer group of employees who are trained to provide information about mental health services to other employees, and the company partnered with Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health on a turnkey mental health program for staff.

“If people can bring their whole selves to work, if they feel that the organization understands the issues that they’re facing, they can feel more comfortable at work and more supported at home,” says Godfrey. “It makes for a better environment everywhere.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada's Top 100 Employers winners, published November 18, 2022 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.

At Fidelity, adaptability keeps people motivated

After completing her bachelor’s degree, Chantal Hatton joined Fidelity Canada in 2018 as a customer service representative. Ten months later, she answered an internal job posting to become an administrative assistant in the company’s client services division.

In the new role, she supported her division and its senior executives, coordinating catering, booking travel arrangements, “doing different things all the time,” she says. She also started contributing to Fidelity’s employee resource groups (ERGs), assuming the role of co-chair of the Pride ERG. And then COVID-19 came along.

With headquarters in Toronto and offices in Montréal, Calgary and Vancouver, Fidelity Canada competes in a continually changing investment environment. As a leading provider of financial services, the company thrives on the adaptability of employees like Hatton to remain at the forefront of its industry.

“When I left to work from home in March,” says Diana Godfrey, senior vice president, human resources, “I said, ‘See you in a couple of weeks.’ Almost two years later, we’re still away.”

The company had contingency plans in place, but no one really anticipated putting them into action. Adaptability was key, says Godfrey.

“Our first priority was making sure that our employees were safe, and our clients’ money was protected,” she says.

Fidelity assisted employees working remotely, although Hatton had already taken advantage of the company’s remote working program.

As the pandemic continued, the company helped employees to adjust more permanently to their new work environments, reimbursing them for the cost of equipping their home offices. It also shipped state-of-the-art hardware to employees who needed to conduct daily meetings with their teams and make client webcasts from home.

The company has also sponsored online sessions on physical and mental health, ensuring that any fears related to the pandemic are addressed.

“We’ve always been dedicated to employee development, but now we’ve found new ways of doing it.”

Even in pre-pandemic times, adaptability helped the company to remain “at the front of investor minds,” says Godfrey. It also helps keep employees motivated. “If we’re not adaptable, employees won’t stick around,” she says.

Since the pandemic began, the company has hired hundreds of new employees. Like Hatton, these employees have been supported as they adjust and advance through the company, even as they work off-site.

“We also held weekly huddles with management,” says Hatton, “and more ad-hoc meetings that gave us a chance to say hi to each other”.

In her role with the Pride ERG, Hatton has helped to conduct several online awareness sessions about the usage of pronouns, why they’re important and how to use them, attracting hundreds of attendees.

“One person joined because a member of her family uses they/them, and she wanted to be a better ally,” says Hatton.

“We reassure people that the Pride ERG is a brave space,” she continues, “and we invite people to come forward with questions.

As long as you’re there with an open heart and an open mind, then there are no wrong questions.” Meanwhile, Fidelity finds occasions to bring employees together in other ways, just as it did before the pandemic.

“As a company, we celebrate everything,” says Godfrey. “But now, we do it virtually.”

At an end-of-year holiday party, Fidelity sent all employees food delivery vouchers to order meals for themselves and their loved ones. It held draws, handed out prizes and made live music available on request. “The feedback was unbelievable,” Godfrey says. “People were up dancing.”

As for Hatton, she has adjusted to the realities of COVID-19.

“I’ve had amazing support,” she says, “and I’ve enjoyed every new direction my role has taken me during these tumultuous times.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Greater Toronto's Top Employers winners, published December 3, 2021 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.

There’s always a chance to learn more at Fidelity

Whether it’s playing hockey in Kamloops, B.C., or working in Toronto for Fidelity Canada, Gontran Nzobonimpa likes a challenge. That’s what he found when he became Fidelity’s diversity & inclusion coordinator in September.

“I’m not afraid to take on new challenges,” says Nzobonimpa, who has held several roles since he joined Fidelity in 2018, most recently as a client experience manager. “And I have a passion for diversity and inclusion.”

Nzobonimpa began asking questions about Fidelity even before he joined the company. With a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, he moved to Toronto in 2017 with the intention of working “on Bay Street, in the financial district,” he says.

He was attracted to Fidelity because of its prominence worldwide as a provider of financial services, with products that he liked. In Canada it had offices in Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver as well as its head office in Toronto, on Bay Street.

“Young people always bring a sense of curiosity, excitement and enthusiasm to the company,” says Najma Pilgrim, vice president of human resources and inclusion, who joined Fidelity in 2006. “They bring a greater sense of accountability, as well. It keeps us on top of our game.”

Nzobonimpa joined the company on a four-month contract. “But within the first month I wanted to stay,” he says.

Fluent in French and English after growing up in Burundi, in East Africa, Nzobonimpa felt welcomed and was happy to use his language skills in his work. “I didn’t know much about mutual funds,” he says, “but I was happy to learn and got every opportunity to do it.”

Almost immediately, he started networking at the company. “I attended as many meetings as I could of our employee resource groups,” he says. “I met permanent staff who told me more about working at the company.”

After another four-month contract, Nzobonimpa became a permanent employee with Fidelity’s advisor centre. “I knew I was here to stay,” he says.

Nzobonimpa’s initiative and determination are qualities that Fidelity nurtures in all its employees. “We encourage people to take a proactive approach to development,” says Pilgrim. “Their career path is in their hands.”

In making their way through the company, individuals can participate in cross-functional project teams, for example. Like Nzobonimpa, they can take courses on Fidelity’s learning and development platform “to gain more knowledge and gain more skills in communication, writing, anything that helps in my work with clients.”

As a permanent employee, Nzobonimpa continued his involvement with Aspire, the company’s Black and Latino employee resource group. Aspire is one of five ERGs at the company, each based on a common interest relating to areas such as race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation.

Through networking, education, training, mentoring and career development activities, Fidelity’s ERGs support the professional development of participants like Nzobonimpa.

“They’re embedded in our culture,” says Pilgrim. “Whether you’re new or here for 20 years, there’s always an opportunity to learn more about each other.”

Organizing events and coordinating outreach activities through his involvement in Aspire, Nzobonimpa often crossed paths with more senior staff, including Pilgrim. “She had seen my work at so many events since 2018, she inspired me to take on my new role,” he says. “Now, three years later, I report to her.

“Fidelity gives me the opportunity to do something I’ve never done before,” Nzobonimpa adds. And as he told a reporter in Kamloops after playing hockey for the first time in his life, “I’m always looking into trying things that I haven’t done before.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada's Top Employers for Young People winners, published January 18, 2022 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.