“No one is safe until we are all safe, and we know there is no place in any community anywhere in the world for racism, bigotry or hate. We will not stand quietly or idly on the sidelines of this issue.” – Carol B. Tomé, UPS CEO
On her first day as CEO Carol B. Tomé stated clearly UPS will not stand on the sidelines in the face of racial inequality and injustice, reaffirming the company’s commitment to equity and inclusion.
Inspired to act, a cross functional team of UPSers formed the UPS Equity, Justice & Action (EJA) task force. Together, they identified the steps UPS could take to advance positive change both internally and externally to address systemic inequality. The task force, since its founding, has helped expedite solutions that have strengthened the organization, while also activating UPS’s size and scale to deliver meaningful change in the communities UPS serves around the world.
At the one-year mark of the task force, here are five things to know about the company’s goals, initiatives and accomplishments.
Unconscious bias training opens up company-wide discussions on race and culture
UPS invested in training for management employees on unconscious bias to ensure the company’s actions always match its values. Knowing what biases UPSers may bring to work and how they affect those around them is key to creating an inclusive, fair and welcoming environment for all. To date, more than 95% of management has completed the training.
Encouraging voter engagement and facilitating voter access to the polls
UPS has been working with state and federal legislators on a bipartisan basis to make it easier, and not harder, for every employee to vote. UPS is also engaging local trade associations and national level groups, such as the Business Roundtable and U.S. Chamber of Commerce, on continued advocacy and engagement efforts with the broader business community to address both perceived voter fraud and voter suppression efforts.
Leading advocacy efforts to ensure passage of hate crimes legislation in all 50 states
UPS Public Affairs continues to build on education and coalition efforts to enact hate crime legislation in all states. Hate crimes laws allow states to impose higher penalties on crimes committed on the basis of a victim’s race, religion, gender or sexual identity. To that end, the company led a business coalition that secured passage of a hate crimes bill in Georgia and supported similar legislation in the remaining three states: Arkansas, South Carolina and Wyoming. At the federal level, UPS also helped advance national legislation that condemned harmful rhetoric and violence against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
Working to grow Black-owned businesses through strategic investment and partnership
The company has launched The UPS Store Minority Incentive Program, offering a nearly 50% discount off the franchise fee for first-time minority owners. UPS is also committed to doubling its spend with Black-owned businesses by the end of 2021 and is making good progress toward that goal.
“Small and diverse suppliers are very often more innovative, more flexible and more efficient. We want the best suppliers to compete for our business, so it is worth a little extra effort to go find these companies and help them develop.” – Kris Oswold, vice president, supplier diversity, procurement
Advancing pay equity
Pay equity aims to resolve wage disparities across a range of identity markers, to ensure an environment of transparency and equitable opportunity. In support of this goal, the task force helped fast-track a pay equity study for all business units. An outside organization reviewed compensation and performance rating practices to ensure unbiased feedback, on which the company has since acted. The findings from the assessment of all 91,000 U.S. non-union employees showed we pay our employees fairly and there is no systemic pay inequity.
These five initiatives are just a few of the transformative steps the EJA task force has taken to drive sustainable institutional change at UPS. Learn more here.