Diversity & Inclusion
Our global Code of Conduct explains our commitment to inclusive workplace behaviour and encourages employees to report inappropriate or unacceptable behaviour to their manager, human resources department or our Ethics Helpline.
The Group adopted a diversity & inclusion strategy in 2010 to support the recruitment, engagement and retention of talented employees from all backgrounds. It will help us to build a workforce that more closely reflects the diversity of the local population in each of our markets and will underpin the future sustainability of our business. Diversity and Inclusion is also part of the Executive Committee’s 2010 responsible behaviour Objective.
Our strategy also encompasses our education programmes, which focus on supporting the teaching of science-based subjects and encouraging greater numbers of young people to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This is designed to ensure the Group has the right skills to remain competitive and operate successfully over the next decade, into 2020 and beyond.
A Global Diversity & Inclusion Working Group launched in 2009, coordinates our approach to diversity and inclusion. A five-level Diversity & Inclusion Maturity Matrix (D&IMM) is used to measure progress. It establishes a consistent benchmark to help our businesses chart progress from legal compliance (level 1) to creating a culture that embraces diversity as a source of competitive advantage (level 5). The matrix provides sufficient flexibility within each home market for our business units to adapt their approach to meet operational characteristics and respect local cultures.
A communications plan was implemented to help employees understand the importance of diversity and inclusion and how it contributes to Total Performance. This included a series of features in our internal newsletters and intranet sites and a workshop at which senior leaders discussed and agreed the business benefits of diversity and inclusion.
We collect data on gender, ethnicity and age diversity to help us monitor our progress. Data is published in our 2010 Annual Report. Some of our Operating Groups have set quantitative recruitment and promotion targets for improving female and minority representation among senior management.
