Diversity and inclusivity in the workplace is currently a key issue for many organisations – from Government and State institutions to corporations and smaller businesses, there are moves to provide workplaces that are more accessible and egalitarian. But implementing a D&I policy isn’t just down to making changes at the recruitment phase – a core strategy of many organisations which seek to promote diversity in the workplace is a model of business that seeks to be transformative at multiple levels.
Global biopharmaceutical firm Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) has been recognised internationally for its inclusive workplace policies, and was last year named one of Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies. The accolade stands alongside multiple other awards including being recognised as a best place to work by leading LGBT organisations, disability networks, and advocate groups for working mothers.
BMS began operating in Ireland in 1964 and employ more than 650 people. It has received multiple Great Place to Work awards, including specific awards for its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Cruiserath, Dublin 15.
"If you look at how rapidly the world is changing in all its forms – technology, healthcare, society – organisations must move and adapt to ensure the talent pool and workforce is a true representation of this change," says Seán Kelly,engineering director, Cruiserath Biologics. Kelly is also a global diversity and inclusion council member with BMS. "We have truly focused on D&I within the last five years," he says, pointing out that "our strategy is to attract, develop and retain a powerfully diverse workforce while nurturing a broadly inclusive culture that brings out the best in every person and advances our company mission to deliver innovative medicines to patients".
Part of the transformative model adopted by BMS included establishing a forum for employees to engage and provide ideas and feedback on the structure of the business. “We do a lot of work internally with regards to D&I,” says Kelly, “and we recognised in order to be fully inclusive, these programmes also needed to represent how we engage as a business and within the community. We facilitate ‘global cafes’ where we elicit employee feedback on all D&I topics and take action based on the feedback”
This has led to multiple updates of policy at BMS’s Cruiserath site, according to Kelly, including a flexible work policy that facilitates flexible start times and gives employees the ability to work from home. “We have an open-plan office with collaboration areas,” says Kelly. “We have focused on being able to support differently abled individuals on the site, and also set up mothers’ rooms, genderless bathrooms, and a casual dress code to accommodate different nationalities.”
Implementing and encouraging the changes has had a positive effect on employees, suggests Kelly. “It has impacted our culture and engagement immensely. We want employees to bring their authentic selves to work and to use their perspectives to contribute in a unique and meaningful way to our mission at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Further on from this, and part of the diversity and inclusion engagement team, we have a number of people and business resource groups which are an important part of the wellbeing and engagement fabric at BMS.”
Globally, BMS has people and business resource groups in 45 countries, which serve to support the career advancement and development needs of employees. “Over 17,000 employees worldwide are engaged in these groups, such as B-NOW: Bristol-Myers Squibb Network of Women and CLIMB: Cultivating Leadership and Innovation for Millennials and Beyond,” says Kelly.
‘An employer of choice’
“Our D&I engagement team have recently announced plans to engage in the reverse mentoring programme,” says Kelly. The programme offers an alternative to the traditional mentoring model, allowing younger workers to share knowledge, thoughts and experience with older colleagues. “We want to be an employer of choice and in less than 10 years, millennials will represent 75 per cent of the global workforce. Presently, 80 per cent of our workforce on the Cruiserath site fit into this group, so we are focused on talent development, connectivity, and innovation by promoting inter-generational relationship-building, and leveraging the energy and influence of this and the next-generation workforce” he says.
As well as having a positive impact on employees, implementing a robust and transformative D&I policy has a palpable interest on brand and business, suggests Kelly. “It is is hugely influential on employer brand and value proposition – we can see this reputation impact when we visit career fairs, or speak to peers in the network. Our employees are our most valuable ambassadors and their word of mouth drives the reputation of our inclusive culture and work policies at BMS. Not only will diversity and inclusion strengthen your relationship with current employees as it impacts how the internal workforce thinks about an organisation, but also what external audiences perceive.
“Ultimately, when we think of business performance, our focus is on how a world-class diverse workforce will help us innovate and generate new ideas or ways of working, to improve how we serve our patients,” says Kelly, who suggests that a transformational model needs to be systemic in order to facilitate deep-rooted organisational and individual change.
“Diversity and inclusion have become increasingly important to organisational success and can impact corporate reputation, internal culture, community development and competitive advantage,” he says.
“These behaviours encourage us to eradicate unconscious bias and drive inclusivity as a habit, and I think this has really impacted us as a company in driving morale of our people – encouraging participation and thus business performance.”