Investing in our business by investing in our people

BlackRock’s strong performance over time is because of the investments we make in our talented employees.

Our employees are the foundation of our client-centric culture. They help deliver performance and innovation, serve our communities and ultimately drive returns for our shareholders. Our ability to continue delivering for all stakeholders hinges on our ability to attract, develop and retain dedicated and talented people who are inspired by our purpose and take emotional ownership of the work they do each and every day.

BlackRock’s growth over time means we can continuously enhance the programs and resources we provide employees to support their well-being and ongoing development. For example, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we increased the benefits we offer our employees by providing services such as company-paid COVID-19 diagnostic and antibody testing and free on-demand physical, mental and emotional healthcare programs. We also expanded the content available on BlackRock Academies, our platform for providing best-in-class resources and courses to our employees, so that they can continue learning and growing their careers even in a remote environment. Being a student is core to who we are at BlackRock and our capacity to learn helps us deliver the best of BlackRock to our clients, each other and ourselves.

Most importantly, BlackRock is committed to improving and maintaining a diverse, inclusive and equitable culture. It is central to our success and is what enables all 16,500 of BlackRock’s employees to drive our purpose of helping more and more people experience financial well-being. Our goal is to build, develop and retain a diverse talent pipeline, while fostering a culture where every employee feels comfortable, confident and empowered to make an impact. We believe that diverse groups make better decisions, which in turn leads to better outcomes for our clients. While we still have work to do, in 2020, we advanced our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in three key areas: 1) talent and culture; 2) our role as a fiduciary on behalf of our clients and 3) public policy and social impact in the communities where we operate. A respectful culture that values diversity in all its forms not only encourages employees to question our assumptions and consider the unique perspectives that each of us brings, but also serves the BlackRock purpose of helping more and more people experience financial well-being.

Helping families navigate a crisis

The stresses of working from home during COVID-19 hit families particularly hard, as parents have juggled their day jobs with childcare, eldercare and finding time for selfcare. And while all working parents are feeling these pressures, research shows that women are disproportionately carrying this increased burden and millions of women are leaving the workforce as a result.

BlackRock recognizes the strain on employee caregivers and we are leveraging both grassroots efforts and institutional expertise to support families financially, logistically and emotionally. For example, our global Benefits team extended the number of back-up care days where available and offered mental health workshops, one-on-one counseling and tools to support selfcare, manage stress and avoid burnout.

These and other solutions were shaped in collaboration with Families at BlackRock (FAB), an employee network with 16 chapters and 2,000-plus members in 30 countries. At the pandemic’s outset, FAB initiated a “Kids Chat,” where parents could crowd-source ideas and resources on issues like schooling, services for children with disabilities and talking about race. The Benefits team converted these tips into a searchable database that was shared across the chat rooms to make these insights more readily accessible.

In September 2020, when it became clear that a return to normal was still far off, the firm launched an innovative mentoring program that pairs new parents with more experienced colleagues. It’s yet another way BlackRock is helping employees thrive in an unimaginable year.

¹ Source: BlackRock’s Employee Opinion Survey conducted in September 2020.
² Source: BlackRock. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median number of years that wage and salary workers had been with their current employer was 4.1 years in January 2020.
³ Source: BlackRock
⁴ Source: BlackRock. As of March 30, 2021.