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The Talent Economy Podcast

Prioritizing Education

Season 2, Ep. 10
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The year 2020 offered innumerable lessons about our individual communities and even society as a whole. As we begin to wind down from a tumultuous year, many corporations are looking to their workforce to see what they can do to elevate them. In this episode, we speak with DJ Casto, Executive Vice President and CHRO of Synchrony, one of the nation’s premier consumer financial services companies, about the initiatives companies can take to help build up their employees. 

At Synchrony, Casto is responsible for engaging employees in the company’s strategic business imperatives and building people-led development programs that strengthen culture, drive business growth, and nurture the company’s talent as a competitive advantage. He began his career at PepsiCo in human resources field operations, advancing to lead labor and employee relations for the North American beverages business, where he managed union awareness strategies before advancing to the role of Senior Director of Global Organization Development. He holds a master’s degree in industrial relations and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from West Virginia University. Casto serves on the boards of Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG), buildOn, and West Virginia University MSIR Executive Alumni.

In this episode, Casto provides an in-depth look at Synchrony’s Education as an Equalizer program, and how important education is in creating an ecosystem for success. He also discusses how remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic has helped the company align business goals, and how it has affected the way Synchrony employees work, including insight into the three different “hubs” the company has put into place—and what that means for the future of their working environment.

Some Questions Asked:

  • How did you arrive at your job with Synchrony?
  • What are the specific goals for the Education as an Equalizer initiative?
  • What are you doing to continue to instill Synchrony culture to those employees who are now 100% virtual?

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

  • About the implementation of Synchrony’s five-year, $50 million Education as an Equalizer initiative and how the concept came about. 
  • About Synchrony’s 100 Days of Wellness initiative and how the company is committed to helping its employees refuel after a difficult year. 
  • What the pandemic taught Synchrony about employees’ desire to work from home.

Links:


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