A core value for The Huntington National Bank ↗, American bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, is to create a more inclusive workplace environment that leverages diversity effectively by remaining intentional with how they attract, retain, and develop talent.
This value is the key driver behind Huntington’s decision to expand their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. After Louise Elliott, Senior Vice President and Information Technology (IT) Service Delivery Director, learned what was possible by working with CAI Neurodiverse Solutions through her network, she identified CAI as the right partner to help Huntington launch a program to integrate neurodiverse talent into their workforce and offer career mobility opportunities to neurodivergent individuals.
Neurodiverse talent bringing exceptional quality
The first team of neurodivergent associates began in a variety of roles within the company’s IT department. These roles all required meticulous attention to detail and discretion, as many of the responsibilities involve managing access to systems that contain sensitive customer financial information. Serena Shellenbarger, IT Service Delivery Manager at Huntington, was pleased to find that the quality of work completed by the CAI Neurodiverse Solutions team exceeded expectations rather quickly. The associates consistently earned high ratings on their Quality Assurance (QA) assessments, leading the banking organization to hire each associate as a full-time employee.
“Our program leverages the valuable skills of neurodivergent individuals, which includes focus on details, pattern recognition, and problem resolution. The [CAI Neurodiverse Solutions] program contributes to a continuous, diverse workforce bringing a variety of talents, skills, and experiences together to help The Huntington National Bank achieve our goals. The success of this program has positively impacted our teams and the communities we serve.”
Talent incubation and workforce enhancement
The success of the first team led to a second cohort of CAI Neurodiverse Solutions associates joining the IT organization in additional roles identified by Louise. After performing exceptionally well and exceeding expectations of their QA assessments, this group was also brought on as full-time employees at Huntington. As a next step, a third, and larger, cohort of neurodivergent individuals were onboarded into Huntington’s workforce. With the continued success of the neurodiversity employment program, and Huntington senior leadership’s encouragement to continue the partnership, CAI Neurodiverse Solutions has become a talent incubator for the company, enhancing their internal workforce and creating rewarding, long-lasting opportunities for neurodivergent individuals.
When asked about her experience working with CAI Neurodiverse Solutions associates, Serena shared, “When I was initially approached about adding a neurodivergent User Access Analyst to my team, I was immediately willing to try it, but had a bit of trepidation. I can tell you it was the best thing that ever happened to my team! I now have 3 neurodivergent User Access Analysts on my team full-time who are stellar at what they do. They are consistently viewed as highly efficient and effective performers. The relationships I have developed with our CAI Neurodiverse Solutions partners have been invaluable to me, and I am so proud to work with them.”
Based on the success of enhancing their internal workforce, Huntington has extended its engagement with CAI Neurodiverse Solutions by bringing on a fourth cohort of associates.
To learn more about building or expanding a neurodiversity employment program at your company, please contact us.
