“Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.”

These powerful words from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reflect what we at Philips know and are committed to: that inclusion and diversity aren’t just programs or initiatives, but they must be ingrained in everything we do so all are heard, all valued and all feel a sense of belonging.

As part of our work in 2020, we took a deep look into the Philips community in North America. We committed to build and foster a culture where our people feel valued, cared for, safe and supported to be their authentic selves.

Our efforts couldn’t have been more timely, as 2020 was a year when the cry for racial justice in America was louder than ever. As Dr. King said: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Today, we want to reflect on our progress so far, and what is still left to do.

We added MLK as a paid holiday

In 2021, Martin Luther King Jr. Day became a paid holiday and day of service for Philips employees in North America. This was something our employees felt was important. Our leadership team listened and committed to this meaningful change. Many engaged in different acts of giving including donating to and volunteering at local charities in their communities.

We provided internal education about diversity

It’s important to us to create an environment where we all acknowledge and embrace our differences and listen to and value each other’s views. Improving our understanding is a big part of that, so we held an ongoing series of learning opportunities to tackle the issues that matter most.

To ensure that everyone was open to and accepting of diverse experiences, perspectives, and styles, we started with unconscious bias training to help people recognize the hidden biases that affect our behavior. To date, more than 1,000 employees have completed the training, and we look to reach even more colleagues in 2021.

One area where we still have work to do is to make sure that our talented and productive teams are also diverse. That’s why we required Affirmative Action Training for all managers to understand the role and responsibility they have in supporting, promoting and implementing equal employment opportunity.

Spotlight on racial justice

The murder of George Floyd ignited the largest racial justice movement since the Civil Rights uproar of the 1960s, spotlighting the injustice and disparities that affect Black people.

To support our Black employees experiencing a range of difficult emotions we ran a wellness workshop to provide tools and space to discuss the trauma of racism and the importance of self-care. Over 800 employees joined the session.

Of course, the wake-up call didn’t just affect our Black employees; it was a clarion call to everyone. Many employees wanted to know how they could support their colleagues from diverse backgrounds, so we ran several trainings on allyship to help everyone understand the importance of taking concrete action every day to actively fight racism and injustice.

Through our Employee Assistance Program, we were also able to offer a session on “Talking to Kids About Race and Racism.” It provided insights and language for parents to use when discussing racism and the injustices that were happening with their children.

We launched Philips Black Employee Resource Group

One of our proudest achievements was the formation of the Black Employee Resource Group (BERG) in February of 2020. The group now has over 600 members. The BERG plays a significant role in helping us turn our lens inward and examine our position in sustaining unjust systems and deciding the most urgent place to start our work to avoid this.

Through the leadership and vision of the BERG, Philips North America held their first Juneteenth celebration, executive leadership alignment sessions, and had a powerful platform to speak at our global town hall. Building on the work of 2020, there are more impactful actions to come.

We listened through employee and labor market research

We continued to listen, we asked our Black employees and Black professionals outside of our organization about their experiences in the workplace and what they are seeking from employers. To ensure that everyone felt free to speak plainly, we conducted the interviews through an external market research firm. The feedback and recommendations have been shared with the executive team and will help us to focus on 2021 and the future.

One issue that surfaced was the lack of visibility for internal promotion opportunities. One immediate way we’ve addressed that is linking Talent Acquisition recruiters with the BERG to promote open roles to consider and/or refer people in their network.

We are looking forward to the future

This work is only just beginning, but we are fully committed. Philips NA will continue to place inclusion at the forefront of all conversations and foster a system of fairness and equality. We will do our part in eliminating racial inequities and commit to holding ourselves and each other accountable.

We believe that the way we fight for racial justice and support our Black employees speaks directly to who we are as a company. A diverse and inclusive culture drives success and makes for a great place to work. And most importantly, it makes life better.