FSB HR Manager Harvinder Badala: “We’ve Shone a Torch on the Path forward with Rubik Talent”

FSB and Rubik Talent have embarked on an equality quest in the iGaming industry. The pair has shortlisted four candidates from underrepresented groups who are joining the industry for an opportunity to hone their skills and advance their knowledge of key operations.

FSB will allow the candidates to develop their expertise over the course of the next two years with the potential for them to progress to permanent employment at the end of the 2-year program. Both Rubik Talent and FSB have responded readily to the project which, they say, resonates with their corporate values.

As the program is about to start this fall, we approached FSB to inquire about their motivation in participating in this initiative as well as speak about diversity or lack thereof in the iGaming and sports betting industry.

Q: Why teaming up with Rubik Talent and why now?

A: At FSB we get contacted by a lot of recruiters, but this felt like a different kind of proposition. Robin MacDonald, co-founder of Rubik Talent, and I worked closely and based on the vision Rubik presented, the project made sense to us on a number of levels. The key selling point was this merging of talent and diversity and the benefits of that.

There’s no doubt that diversity helps enrich an organization in many ways, including productivity and creativity in the workplace, so it made sense for us to embrace this to further blossom our workplace culture. Secondly, we’re going through rapid growth at the moment so building for the future and helping to craft required individual and corporate skillsets is something we think will benefit us in the long term.

And finally, we’ve always strived to have a diverse workforce at FSB, not just as a tick box exercise but as a genuine approach from our HR perspective, so this project really did fit within our corporate values.

Q: The iGaming and sports betting industries have been known as rather liberal places to work. Are there still gaps that need to be bridged by setting good practices and examples?

A: I think it is incumbent on any organization in this category to build an aspirational and responsible place of work. There is a negative perception about our industry in certain places due to a general lack of understanding, so it’s important we’re more transparent in the way we operate and communicate internally as well as externally.

Q: What factors determined the choice of the candidates who are starting at FSB this fall?

We needed people who fitted our company values. While technical skills were crucial, we also put teamwork, communication, and a willingness to learn at the forefront of what we required from the Rubik Talent candidates. Attitude and culture were just as important as raw technology skills and Sammi, Yan, Nafisa, and Benjamin fitted this blend perfectly.

Q: What is the area in gaming and betting where the industries must make a conscious effort to improve?

A: Naturally, building a Responsible Gambling culture is an area where there’s always room for improvement and FSB continues to strive to offer more RG-focused tools for our partners and their end-users whilst making sure we don’t rest on our laurels. A lack of representation by employers from a Diversity and Inclusion perspective is the elephant in the room at the moment industry-wide, so there’s plenty of room for thought there. Hopefully, our partnership with Rubik Talent can start more conversations on this.

Q: Are there challenges to leveling the industry job market for all?

A: Absolutely. This won’t be an overnight fix for the industry but it’s about finding those small incremental gains and chipping away at it. We’re working in a fast-paced industry where pausing to reflect is a luxury so small but effective steps look the way forward and again we hope we’ve shone a torch on the path forward with Rubik Talent.

Q:  Is FSB confident in the success of the shortlisted candidates?

A: The four trainees have started very well and are incredibly enthusiastic about what’s in front of them which we are really excited to see. We’ll continue to invest in them and offer them a challenging and richly rewarding program in the months and years ahead.