Our Commitment to Inclusion
We believe that cultivating an inclusive culture, where employees feel valued for their diversity and contributions, is vital for our continued success and innovation.
We are committed to maintaining a work environment that is professional, inclusive, and free from discrimination and harassment. That includes ensuring equal opportunity in our hiring practices and treatment of employees regardless of their race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, age, or other characteristic protected by law. Our Code of Business Conduct & Ethics lays out guidelines to maintain a fair and safe workplace in our Ethical Employment Practices, Harassment, and Non-discrimination Policy and does not tolerate harassment or any behavior that creates an intimidating, offensive, or demeaning environment related to a person’s protected characteristics. To help educate our workforce on the benefits of an inclusive environment, and drive awareness, we have invested in training across the organization on topics such as unconscious bias and harassment prevention.
We strive to build teams that fully leverage individuals’ capabilities and actively value the diverse perspectives and backgrounds of all our colleagues. Two of our most critical leadership competencies are “building and managing collaborative relationships” and “attracting, developing and retaining talent”. Developing leaders who model these competencies in their daily behavior by demonstrating the value of diversity is critical to our success.
Building and maintaining employee engagement, satisfaction, and retention are also important elements of our inclusive culture. To that end, many of our operating companies have employee resource groups that promote a work environment that welcomes diversity and further our talent development strategy. These groups allow for collaboration and serve as an open forum for networking, professional development, and mentoring. While our operating companies are the hubs of these activities – an effective model that puts ownership in the units and cultures that are the source of opportunities for group members – we are providing greater support for these efforts from the corporate center, to give momentum to the groups’ activities, facilitate the creation of additional groups within our enterprise, and spur cross-company communication and coordination.