Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
We know Commerce Bank is only at its best when our people are. For over 155 years, we’ve built our organization and culture on a foundation of shared values—taking a long-term view, collaborating as one team, acting with integrity, being customer focused, and striving for excellence.
What does that mean? That we value our people. We’re firmly committed to engaging in the conversations necessary to make our team members feel safe, valued and respected, and truly listening so we can better understand how to serve our communities.
A message to our team members
Commerce Bancshares’s CEO, John Kemper, signed the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion™ pledge, which further shows our dedication to creating an environment that supports and grows diverse talent, and makes an impact on the communities where we live and work, and on society at large. But that’s not where it stops.
We say that Commerce is here to help you focus on what matters most. But at the end of the day, what matters most isn’t so different for most people. It’s feeling like you matter. It’s feeling safe in the space you’re in. We want to listen to what you’re telling us matters most, so we can continue to take action and make Commerce a better place for everyone who comes through our doors.
Building a Place to Thrive and Grow Professionally
We believe our differences make the difference. We’ve worked thoughtfully to establish a variety of programs and initiatives designed to embrace an inclusive and diverse culture. Here are just a few examples of how we continue to build awareness:
- Observance and celebration of cultural heritage months
- Mentorship programs to support professional development of diverse leaders and team members
- Unconscious bias and sensitivity training
- Community alliances to advance inclusive efforts
- Inclusion & Diversity Councils to help us better understand the evolving needs of our team members, customers and communities
- Feedback tools to hold us accountable and help us see if we’re trending in the right direction
We demonstrate our commitment to excellence by striving to be an employer of choice, as evidenced by being named Outstanding Employer 2019 by the Korn Ferry Hay Group. The award publicly recognizes employers that have achieved best-in-class levels of engagement and enablement, and Commerce is one of only three companies in the U.S. to receive this global award.
Helping You Be Your Best Self at Work
Our Employee Resource Groups were established to help our team members from diverse backgrounds feel a sense of belonging, make personal connections with others who share similar experiences and further their careers. Each Employee Resource Group is open to all team members and are made even stronger when our allies join.
RISE promotes the advancement, retention and recruitment of women at Commerce by creating networking forums, opportunities for women to leverage their skills, experience and potential to support their personal and professional growth, as well as fostering a mentorship environment within the organization.
EMERGE strives to support and promote a workplace culture at Commerce that attracts, develops, engages and ultimately retains young professionals. Our goal is to help Commerce build and grow highly motivated emerging talent through development, networking and communication.
VIBE aims to foster an environment where team members are valued, empowered and engaged to promote multi-cultural representation and retention. VIBE encourages the recognition and celebration of diversity through servant-leadership at Commerce Bank and in the communities, we live, serve and play.
PRIDE works to provide an open forum where LGBTQIA+ and allied teammates with a shared interest can aspire, develop and collaborate to reach their highest potential. PRIDE members represent Commerce in our communities and serve as a key resource for specific consumer and employee insights.
"When I see the different ERGs that we have, it shows me that Commerce is trying to create spaces for our team members to feel a sense of value and belonging. It helps people plug in and hit the ground running when they join us. The ERGs let people know that we see you, and we want you to benefit from being connected to our organization."
Derrick Nelson
Vice President
Inclusion and Diversity Manager
Attracting a Diverse Team
We’re committed to building a workforce that lets us see challenges from a wide variety of perspectives and is representative of the markets we serve.
"Commerce believes that our people are our most valuable resource and our greatest competitive advantage. Our commitment to fostering an inclusive culture where team members are valued for their diverse talents and perspectives is vital to the engagement, innovation and productivity that position us to anticipate and proactively adapt to our customers' changing needs. By honoring this commitment in how we work together and how we do business, we enable team members to reach their full potential, and in doing so maximize shareholder value."
Sara Foster
Executive Vice President
Talent and Corporate Administration
To reach this goal, we employ both traditional and non-traditional methods to attract qualified talent. Commerce Bank has built strong relationships with a variety of organizations to attract and retain the diverse talent we need. Here are a few of the organizations we collaborate with:
- Urban Financial Services Coalition
- National Association of Black Accountants, INC.
- Mid-America LGBT Chamber of Commerce
- Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan St. Louis
- National Black MBA Association, INC.
- Hiring Our Heroes – U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
- ESGR – Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve
- Show-Me Heroes –Missouri Hires its Veterans
Encouraging Supplier Diversity
We’re serious about promoting diversity both inside our own walls and throughout the community. That’s why we actively seek suppliers who are certified minority- and woman-owned business enterprises (MWOBE) as well as certified veteran, small business and Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) businesses. We are committed to helping advance the inclusion and diversity efforts within the communities we serve by establishing a diverse supplier chain as part of our ongoing procurement plans.
Learn more about our Supplier Diversity program
Making a Difference in the Communities We Serve
As a socially responsible corporate citizen, we continuously seek opportunities to make a difference. Our community involvement; diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives; and sustainability efforts are all products of a culture formed more than 155 years ago to be a force for good in our region and our industry.
Read our latest Corporate Responsibility Report
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