A company that values diversity, broader opinions and inclusion is richer, healthier and more sustainable for it. I have witnessed this at ERM. Our strength and glue is our diversity and inclusion."
Mark Errington
CEO Asia Pacific, ERM
Racial & ethnic justice
Photo credit: Kim Marcus, United States
We are a signatory of the Race at Work Charter and committed to taking practical steps to tackle barriers that racial and ethnic minority people face in recruitment and progression, and to make ERM representative of the societies in which we operate.
An initiative driven by the organization Business in the Community, the Charter is composed of five calls to action for leaders and organizations across all sectors.
In June this year, ERM issued a statement outlining our position on systemic racism. ERM entities also supported local initiatives. For example, ERM is also signatory to the statement against Anti-Asian Hate Crimes put out by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group in Summer 2020.
We are listening to the voices of our racial and ethnic minority groups, evaluating the data we have available to us regarding race and ethnicity, as well as researching a suitable framework that connects with the type of progress we want to see within the business. The Race at Work Charter provides just that and we will be reporting our progress back to the business in the months to come.
What are the five actions within the Charter?
- Appoint an Executive Sponsor for race
We already have an Executive Sponsor for our overall diversity, equality and inclusion (DE&I) program (Tim Strawn), however, we are appointing an additional Executive Sponsor for race: Mark Errington. Mark is accountable for progress within the measures of this framework. - Capture ethnicity data and publicize progress
Currently, our approach to diversity data in general, including race and ethnicity data, is limited. In early 2021, we introduced a systematic approach to race and ethnicity data gathering and monitoring. Moving forward, we will report on our progress in this area in our annual Sustainability Reports. - Commit at board level to zero tolerance of harassment and bullying
ERM has a clear anti-harassment policy and requires all employees to subscribe to its code of conduct. We will review on an ongoing basis whether we need to make amendments. In addition, we will pursue the implementation of these policies and ensure action is being taken to combat harassment and bullying. - Make clear that supporting equality in the workplace is the responsibility of all leaders and managers
Through a series of policy, training and communication activities, we will help all employees understand their roles in creating a culture in which each member of an under-represented racial and ethnic group feels valued and has access to opportunity to build the career they want while they are with us. The same is true for all other under-represented groups. - Take action that supports ethnic minority career progression
We will implement measures to ensure employees from an under-represented racial and ethnic group have the access they need to development opportunity and career progression. This will be a combination of measures at the global level (e.g., standards in recruiting) and business unit-led measures (e.g., addressing local gaps in representation).
Since June 2020, a series of initiatives across the business have emerged that have supported ERM’s position on systemic racism. In addition to supporting an employee-led racial justice series in North America, we elevated the North American employee support group to be the formal global EmbRACE employee resource group for race, ethnicity and racial justice. We encourage our employees to join EmbRACE and support all actions that result from the Race at Work Charter implementation.