North Atlantic and the
“Ten Fingers Initiative”

Imagine Joey and Haley playing in the woods; they come upon a tall oak tree and Haley wants to climb its branches, but the lowest limb is just beyond her reach. She turns to Joey and says, “Hey, can you give me ten fingers?” Joey laces his fingers together to form a cup, which Haley steps into and reaches the limb. Before you know it, she’s among the branches, high in the tree – a feat she could not have accomplished without those “ten fingers”.

Not long ago, we took a long hard look at our appraisal panel and recognized that it did not reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. We knew this needed to change.

North Atlantic is now striving to provide that “ten fingers” boost in order to create an inclusive organization where everyone feels valued and respected because of their difference – a place where every employee and independent contractor can be themselves so they can reach their potential.

In April 2019, we began our “Ten Fingers Initiative” with new hiring strategies to help us achieve the goals of diversity and inclusivity. Why? Because we want our business to be innovative and productive so we can deliver the best products and services to our customers and we need diversity to help us achieve this. The more we collaborate and value difference, the closer we get to living in a truly inclusive community.

Appraisal trainees are limited by appraisal regulations to only three per certified appraiser supervisor. As such, the trainee “slots” are limited and valuable. Few established appraisers are willing to devote the time, energy, and liability in bringing on new appraiser trainees for several months.

At North Atlantic, we are committed to taking on trainees, employees, and new panel appraisers who are looking for the “ten fingers” boost; due to their minority status they may have experienced limitations on opportunities in the real estate appraisal field. It is our goal to provide a “leg up” to these people, and ultimately, the chance to begin and build their own businesses, potentially providing a new trajectory for their families in the process.

In recent months there has been some talk in the industry of “appraisal bias”. We believe that hiring appraisers who reflect the communities in which they live will go a long way in helping to prevent such biases.

North Atlantic’s Vision:

To have a respectful and supportive workplace that enables us to attract and retain a diverse workforce that represents our clients, employees, appraisers, and their communities.

Purpose:

This strategy is an ongoing plan to help us achieve our business and people goals. It provides a shared direction and commitment for the organization so we can work together to respect and value our diverse workforce and build a more inclusive workplace.

Goals:

  1. Workforce diversity – recruit from a diverse, qualified group of candidates to increase the diversity of thinking and perspective.
  2. Workplace inclusion – foster a culture that encourages collaboration, flexibility and fairness to enable all employees to contribute to their potential and increase retention
  3. Sustainability and accountability – identify and breakdown systemic barriers to full inclusion by embedding diversity and inclusion in policies and practices and equipping leaders with the ability to manage diversity and be accountable for the results