This research examines the roles, responsibilities, development, and compensation of corporate citizenship professionals.
Committed to Inclusion in STEM
This month's Member Spotlight is an excerpt from the report.
Corporate leaders who prioritize innovation, employee engagement, and recruiting and retention of employees understand the importance of developing an inclusive culture that welcomes people from diverse backgrounds.
Nearly half of executive respondents in the report ranked inclusion among the top five corporate citizenship objectives contributing to business success. Investments in inclusion are also likely to pay off over time. The report鈥檚 findings also conclude that the longer a company is committed to inclusion, the more likely executives are to report success in reducing employee turnover.
Arconic, which specializes in lightweight metals engineering and manufacturing, understands the role of inclusion in attracting, developing, and retaining talent. Just as the company strives to transform the ways that people fly, drive, build, and power, it turns that innovative energy inward to create a culture that embraces diversity, drives inclusion, and empowers and engages its employees. Arconic takes its commitment to inclusion seriously. In 2019, the company earned a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation鈥檚 Corporate Equality Index, reflecting that its corporate policies, benefits, and practices promote inclusion and a public commitment to LGBTQ+ equality.
Having initiated six employee resource groups (ERGs) that inform those company policies around inclusion and diversity and provide employees with opportunities for learning, development, networking, and collaborative working, Arconic takes feedback from these groups to inform its people policies and practices.
鈥淒iverse employees have a unique challenge in corporate America, something that you may not experience if you鈥檙e not a diverse employee,鈥 said Jason Miles, maintenance and reliability manager and member of the Arconic African Heritage Network ERG. 鈥淎rconic is ahead of its time to provide an atmosphere for people to learn, develop themselves, and grow.鈥
In addition to its ERGs, Arconic ensures that opportunities for mentorship exist throughout the organization鈥攆or more seasoned employees to mentor those newer to the workforce, veteran employees to support incoming veterans, and women to mentor other women. As a way to advance its ability to thoughtfully support all of its employees, Arconic has partnered with national associations such as the American Association of People with Disabilities, Women in Manufacturing庐, and the Manufacturing Institute, the latter of which celebrates women engaged in science, technology, engineering, and production roles through its annual 鈥淪TEP Ahead鈥 awards.
Arconic is committed to elevating its women employees and is doing its part to increase transparency around pay as a measure toward reducing the gender pay gap. In 2018, Arconic UK released its second 鈥淕ender Pay Gap Report鈥 revealing that the company narrowed the hourly wage gap between men and women at its locations in the U.K. by 2.4 percentage points. The company also reinforced its determination to increase the number of women and minority employees at all levels of the organization.
This commitment to engineering progress is embedded in the culture of Arconic and the strategic mission of the Arconic Foundation, whose areas of focus are to promote science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), workforce development, and access and diversity.
鈥淎t Arconic and Arconic Foundation, we value our people as much for who they are as for what they do,鈥 said Suzanne van de Raadt, former vice president, communications and program development at Arconic. 鈥淒iversity is a key sustainable advantage that drives innovation and helps advance industries.鈥
Arconic鈥檚 commitment to a disciplined process of cultivating a workforce that is diverse and a culture that is inclusive is sure to make it a leader in the industry.
This monthy's Member Spotlight is an excerpt from the report.
Related Content
The Environmental Protection Agency鈥檚 (EPA鈥檚) National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution is agency鈥檚 latest contribution to its 鈥淏uilding a Circular Economy for All鈥 initiative.
In a significant step towards harmonizing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) rating activities, the European Union formally adopted the EU Ratings Regulation.
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently overturned a 2019 ruling that allowed employers to make changes to employment terms without union input.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced its final Rule addressing deceptive pricing practices often used in live-event ticketing and short-term lodging.
The New York Clean Slate Act, which went into effect November 16, 2024, allows for automatic sealing of certain convictions after a prescribed waiting period.
Learn how to make your business and community more accessible for people with disabilities.
Read this piece to understand how prioritizing ESG investments has affected the Japanese economy.