Diversity and Inclusion
Fostering Inclusion

Diversity and Inclusion at Goldman Sachs

Sustaining a work environment where our people feel comfortable bringing their full selves to work and are empowered to reach their full potential continues to be a priority. As a firm, we believe that having the best team positions us to meet the needs of our clients – and to have the best team, our people must bring a range of perspectives to the table and reflect the diversity of the communities where we live and work.

Over the years, the firm’s diversity efforts have evolved from raising broader awareness and delivering an array of programs to a more deliberate, data-driven and targeted approach. We have made some progress, but we have significant work to do. To drive progress for our firm towards our aspirational goals, we have a range of initiatives in place to increase diverse representation at all levels and foster inclusion, including:

Recruiting the best, most diverse talent

We continue to search for talent in new places and in new ways, from leveraging technology (e.g., HireVue video interviews and Virtual Insight Webinar Series for students to learn about financial services and to prepare for interviews) engaging with a broader range of candidates and offering early-pipeline programs designed to engage and attract people who may not otherwise look to pursue a career in financial services (e.g., Africa Recruiting Initiative, Diverse Abilities) – to partnering with numerous external organizations to help us improve our diversity recruiting efforts. Established programs like our Veterans Integration Program and the Returnship® program, now celebrating its 10th anniversary, are also examples of initiatives that have become a practice adopted across many industries.

Contributing to an inclusive environment

Attracting and hiring diverse talent is essential, but it is only one component of our approach. We offer a number of programs designed to help our people contribute to an inclusive environment, including learning opportunities such as Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People, a program that helps our vice presidents and above explore unconscious thinking and its impact on decision-making, and Subtle & Significant, which explores how everyday actions can send “micro-messages” and reinforce, or erode, meritocracy in the workplace.

Focusing on retention

Programs such as our Black Analyst and Associate Initiative, the Hispanic/Latino Analyst Initiative and the Women’s Career Strategies Initiative are examples of the firm’s efforts to support the advancement and retention of diverse talent. Diversity committees and governance councils exist in every region to help ensure top-down support of our efforts while also driving accountability for important people processes and decisions.