American Airlines
“Our Pride group’s forward-looking focus for the coming year is to continue their work with company leaders and team members to ensure fairness, acceptance, and inclusion in all company policies, programs, business practices, and community and employee benefits.”
WHEN WAS YOUR LGBTQ ERG GROUP FIRST STARTED?
Our airline is the first to have a company-recognized LGBT employee business resource group, formed in 1994.
WHO IS THE CURRENT LEAD YOUR NATIONAL LGBTQ GROUPS?
The Office of Inclusion & Diversity oversees all employee business resources groups but each group has two Diversity Advisory Council (DAC) representatives, elected by the groups’ members, who manage the groups’ business/ community strategy. The DAC reps for our LGBT group are: Danielle Piergallini, Sr. Analyst Global Sales & Larry Boles, Coordinator Global Reservations Training.
WHY DO YOU THINK ACTIVE ERGS ARE IMPORTANT TO AN ORGANIZATION?
With more than 100,000 team members in 65 countries, our goal is to provide an inclusive environment for all those who work here and travel with us. Each Employee Business Resource Group provides unique cultural insight which helps us create a competitive edge for our organization as it relates to talent recruitment, team member retention and customer loyalty.
HOW DOES YOUR ORGANIZATION INTEGRATE LGBTQ INPUT INTO THE COMPANY’S OVERALL BUSINESS STRATEGY?
Our Pride Employee Business Resource Group has two very active Executive Sponsors, Patrick O’Keeffe, Sr. VP of People and Suzanne Boda, Sr. VP Los Angeles Hub. Together, with the EBRG’s leaders, these executive sponsors advocate for the Pride’s initiatives as they relate to employee benefits, professional development and legislative issues associated with the LGBT community and the possible impact of our business.
Our Pride Employee Business Resource Group
WHAT TYPE OF OUTCOMES DO YOU EXPECT FROM YOUR LGBTQ INITIATIVES?
The group works from a strategic business plan with the expectation that each initiative/event should have an impact on either connecting our team members to our customers, supplier, communities and shareholders, helping team members achieve their full professional potential, or creating an inclusive work environment to meet and exceed the needs of our diverse world.
WHAT ERG BUSINESS PRACTICE HAS BEEN MOST PRODUCTIVE IN 2017?
Our Pride EBRG is one of our stronger employee groups at American and each of their initiatives yield great success. One such enterprise, held during June Pride Month, was a “How to be an Ally” series open to all employees. This educational series helped define what is means to be an ally and provided participants with actionable measures with which to be a true ally to their LGBT team, family and community members.
WHAT IS YOUR ERG FOCUS FOR 2018?
Our Pride group’s forward-looking focus for the coming year is to continue their work with company leaders and team members to ensure fairness, acceptance, and inclusion in all company policies, programs, business practices, and community and employee benefits.
General Motors
“ERGs that are fully leveraged help attract and recruit talent, help develop that talent and ultimately provide the specific cultural competency to connect with the customer and win in the marketplace.”
WHEN WAS YOUR LGBTQ ERG GROUP FIRST STARTED?
GM PLUS started as a social group in 1993, and became one of GM’s first eight affinity groups in 2000.
WHO IS THE CURRENT LEAD YOUR NATIONAL LGBTQ GROUPS?
Adam Bernard, Associate Director, Competitor Intelligence; we are supported by our Executive Champion, Tony Cervone, Senior Vice President of Global Communications.
WHY DO YOU THINK ACTIVE ERGS ARE IMPORTANT TO AN ORGANIZATION?
Fundamentally all ERGs promote an inclusive workplace that empowers employees to bring ideas to the forefront to tackle business challenges. ERGs that are fully leveraged help attract and recruit talent, help develop that talent and ultimately provide the specific cultural competency to connect with the customer and win in the marketplace.
HOW DOES YOUR ORGANIZATION INTEGRATE LGBTQ INPUT INTO THE COMPANY’S OVERALL BUSINESS STRATEGY?
We work with Diversity Marketing on outreach to LGBT consumers and Talent Acquisition on LGBTQ-focused career fairs and conferences, and provide a mentoring program for ERG members to promote professional development.
WHAT TYPE OF OUTCOMES DO YOU EXPECT FROM YOUR LGBTQ INITIATIVES?
Internally, a fully inclusive workplace where all employees contribute to our success. Externally, a reputation for General Motors as a workplace of choice for all employees.
WHAT ERG BUSINESS PRACTICE HAS BEEN MOST PRODUCTIVE IN 2017?
Our mentoring program—which more than doubled from 2016—has been a great way to identify and engage new members.
WHAT IS YOUR ERG FOCUS FOR 2018?
Engaging allies.
— Adam Bernard | Associate Director, Competitor Intelligence
PepsiCo
“They provide an avenue for engaged employees to identify and act on opportunities to improve the culture within an organization.”
WHEN WAS YOUR LGBTQ ERG GROUP FIRST STARTED?
EQUAL was started in 2004.
WHO IS THE CURRENT LEAD YOUR NATIONAL LGBTQ GROUPS?
PepsiCo has a number of EQUAL chapters across the U.S. with their respective leaders. Tony West, PepsiCo’s General Counsel, is the Global Executive Sponsor of Equal with Cory Calvin, Strategy Director, Consumer Strategy & Insights; and Michael Aiello, PepsiCo IT Sr. Specialist serving as the Global Co-Chairs working closely with the U.S. chapters’ leaders.
WHY DO YOU THINK ACTIVE ERGS ARE IMPORTANT TO AN ORGANIZATION?
Active ERGs are a critical component of an organization because they demonstrate a visible and tangible commitment to diversity, inclusion and engagement. They provide an avenue for engaged employees to identify and act on opportunities to improve the culture within an organization. They also allow an organization to tap in to a microcosm of the communities that the ERGs represent in the marketplace for consumer insights and innovation.
HOW DOES YOUR ORGANIZATION INTEGRATE LGBTQ INPUT INTO THE COMPANY’S OVERALL BUSINESS STRATEGY?
Our leadership and business teams directly engage our ERG on initiatives. This engagement is a key driver of the success of our ERG and for PepsiCo. One example is the launch of Doritos Rainbows in Mexico. For that product, our ERG leaders provided input and support as part of the cross-functional team that brought the product to life. In other cases, our ERG will approach our diversity and engagement teams with initiatives like the creation of PepsiCo’s first ever Global Ally Day and the development of an LGBTQ inclusion training module for leaders throughout the organization.
WHAT TYPE OF OUTCOMES DO YOU EXPECT FROM YOUR LGBTQ INITIATIVES?
The outcomes we expect vary based on the initiative. They include:
- LGBTQ and Ally employee engagement and retention;
- A more diverse workforce that enables greater productivity and innovation;
- A more inclusive work environment;
- Leaders who better understand how to support and develop their LGBTQ talent;
and - Consumer awareness of our commitment to LGBTQ diversity and inclusion.
WHAT ERG BUSINESS PRACTICE HAS BEEN MOST PRODUCTIVE IN 2017?
Our PepsiCo Global Ally Day initiative continues to expand to new countries every year and has resulted in the launch of new international chapters.
WHAT IS YOUR ERG FOCUS FOR 2018?
Our ERG focus for 2018 is to create sustainability for all of our EQUAL chapters around the globe by leveraging the best practices of each PepsiCo division to accelerate their effectiveness.
— Ryan Dennis Curtis | Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
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