grow in their current roles and build new skills. During 2022, we continued our focus on development by holding all managers accountable for setting goals, having frequent career development conversations, providing regular coaching and feedback, and recognizing accomplishments of all employees. We introduced resources that allow managers to conduct career conversations based on the desires of the employees and create development opportunities to take on new roles and assignments across the bank. We continued our investment in both leader and manager development in 2022 with a new management program and will continue to invest in these programs in 2023 and beyond.
The 2022 performance management process included the addition of four behavioral competencies expected of all Byline employees that are aligned with our values and our strategic plan: Valuing Differences, Collaborating for Results, Delivering Customer Focused Solutions, and Continuous Improvement. Each employee received feedback and education on these competencies throughout our performance management process and we will create greater accountability in 2023 and beyond.
We strive to optimally deploy existing talent across Byline by focusing on where our employees excel and helping them find their best roles. We believe one example of our success in this effort is our ability to fill vacancies from within. During 2022, 20% of our job postings were filled internally.
We encourage our team members to pursue educational opportunities that will help improve job performance and professional development. Our tuition reimbursement and student loan repayment programs have helped to further this goal for many of our employees. We also support employees in obtaining certifications and taking approved educational courses to support their job and expand their skills.
Talent development is also a key part of our succession planning for executive management. Our Board of Directors oversees the succession planning for executive management on an annual basis. Key development needs are identified through formalized assessments for leadership, business, and executive role-based skills, and collaborative talent review and feedback sessions.
Employee recognition and engagement are important for us. We conducted an annual employee engagement survey with over 90% participation and have continued to see strong improvements in employee engagement year over year. In order to drive engagement, we focus on the following areas:
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Communication with employees and managers through monthly manager forums, quarterly all employee calls, and business unit town hall meetings. These meetings focus on delivering information on business metrics, but also key information for operating, recognition, and engagement.
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Work-life balance and flexibility with over 60% of our non-Retail branch employees on a hybrid work schedule and over 36% working fully remote.
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We provide everyday recognition that celebrates employees living our core values, or “Things That Matter”.
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Our annual CEO Circle Awards highlight our employees who have demonstrated extraordinary performance during the year and exemplify our values.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
To facilitate talent attraction, development, and retention across our franchise, we strive to make Byline a diverse, inclusive, safe, and healthy workplace, with opportunities for our employees to grow and develop in their careers, supported by strong compensation, benefits, health and welfare programs.
The DEI Council, made up of three senior executives and 16 employees with representation across all business units, is the foundation and catalyst for honoring our employees, engaging our customers and community, creating a great place to work, and ultimately driving business success led by our executive team.
We pledge to create an environment where every employee can bring their authentic self to work and know that their unique background, ethnicity, experiences, perspective, and contributions serve to strengthen us and where growth opportunities exist at all levels.
For our customers and community, we seek to demonstrate through our actions our commitment to being better together through community development loans and investments, community service, grants, donations, and sponsorships.
We seek to leverage our current diverse workforce and prominent community outreach efforts to further define and enhance our DEI focus in four key areas: