Diverse and inclusive working environment

Inclusive culture

In 2019, we continued to support inclusive behaviors across all our activities. To tackle unconscious bias, we have embedded objective assessment criteria in recruitment, talent, and performance management to remove potential procedural and personal “blind spots.” In recruitment, for instance, we are focused on crafting gender-neutral job descriptions, as well as gender-balanced short lists and hiring panels.

To help employees thrive at work and at home, we continue to support our Parents@PMI employee resource groups in Switzerland. We also provide affiliate HR teams around the world with support to set up parents’ groups and run pre- and post‑maternity and new fathers’ workshops. 
We have encouraged inclusivity by expanding employee resource groups. PMI now has 27 LGBTQ+ employee networks around the world. During 2019, we became a Global Diversity Champions member of Stonewall, Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ network. We also support individuals with a range of disabilities to actively participate in the PMI workplace with appropriate accessibility accommodations. We include options for job candidates to self-identify disabilities in hiring and onboarding, so reasonable workplace adjustments and accommodations can be made. 

Building relationships that support diversity

Relationships are an important part of any work culture. Mentoring relationships occur in all business environments, but research suggests that unconscious bias leads people to favor those who are like themselves. And this can mean we overlook talent and learning opportunities. 

In Austria in 2019, we piloted an internship program designed to integrate refugees within local businesses, working in collaboration with an expert NGO. This program also aimed at overcoming bias in the hiring process. During their 10-week internships, participants had the opportunity to learn how our business works, apply their expertise, and develop their skills. The pilot proved effective in building the self-confidence of the interns while further developing the leadership skills of our employees. We plan to replicate and upgrade the program in 2020. 
Also in 2019, in Germany and the Czech Republic, we successfully piloted reverse-mentoring programs that paired a junior member of a team with a more senior member. The objective was to break down hierarchies and facilitate two-way sharing and learning. Participants agreed that both parties learned equally from the mentoring. Other benefits cited by participants included insights into what more junior employees value and expect from a leader, as well as exposure to new perspectives and different parts of the business.

Gender balance

We are committed to building a gender-balanced organization, recognizing that a gender gap is a talent gap. Among other advantages, an improved workforce gender balance provides a better understanding of the influence women wield on consumer spend – an important insight for our business-to-consumer business model. Moreover, a skewed gender representation poses a risk to innovation. 

Further, many studies have shown that when a company achieves a better gender balance in management, it also reaps the benefits of a culture that is more open and accepting of differences generally – thereby allowing all dimensions of diversity to thrive. 

There is no single silver bullet to closing the gender gap; rather, success requires an ecosystem of interrelated actions focused across the entire employee life cycle. Critical actions include a commitment on gender balance from the top, personalized career and development plans for female leaders, celebrating female talent as role models, and providing female talent with opportunities to build connections and gain support through networking events and leadership forums.

During 2019, we increased the number of women in management roles to 36.1 percent. Within the gender split at various managerial levels, women currently make up 37.5 percent of managers at PMI, 31.2 percent of directors, and 17.4 percent of senior leaders. Among our new recruits in 2019, 40.7 percent of those hired into managerial positions were women, as were 43.8 percent at more junior levels.

Recognizing the importance of creating networking opportunities for women and promoting women as leadership role models, throughout 2019 we hosted a number of events focused on deepening awareness of differences that can arise between men and women in the workplace, hearing from female role models and thought leaders from inside and outside PMI, and creating networking opportunities. Affiliates around the world also have active women’s and inclusion networks.

We also highlighted stories of women leaders from a cross section of functions and levels of seniority through an employee crowdsourcing initiative that coincided with International Women’s Day 2019. Employees were asked to nominate women at PMI who inspire them. We received over 700 nominations of women who inspire their coworkers by being courageous and kind; juggling work, family, and other passions and interests; and having a positive impact on the world around them. We published a selection of these stories on PMI social media. 

Equal pay for equal work 

A foundational building block to deliver gender balance is PMI’s global EQUAL-SALARY certification. 
In 2019, we were the first company to receive the global EQUAL-SALARY certification certifying that we pay men and women equally for equal work everywhere PMI operates in the world, covering more than 90 countries. The EQUAL-SALARY certification process extended beyond a simple comparison of pay data to include an in-depth qualitative audit of PMI affiliates around the world. During that audit, PwC (the EQUAL-SALARY Foundation’s accredited audit partner) interviewed around 50 senior leaders and more than 150 managers about their commitment to gender equality, held focus groups in which over 700 female employees shared their perceptions of the company’s commitment to gender equity, and reviewed HR policies and practices to identify potential gender blind spots. Where such blind spots were identified, PwC recommended actions to mitigate them, and improvement plans were put in place. The certificate is valid for three years, during which there are follow-up audits to check that these recommended improvements are being implemented.

The global EQUAL-SALARY certification is a solid proof point of PMI’s commitment to gender equality and a building block toward our bigger goals of closing our gender leadership gap and creating an inclusive workplace for all. Our progress in this area was recognized at the Golden Bridge Business and Innovation Awards in the U.S. in October 2019. PMI was honored with four top awards, including three Gold Awards recognizing our commitment to equal pay and employment practices. PMI hopes that recognition of this nature will encourage other organizations to seek independent equal-pay certification as part of their commitment to gender equality.