Herman Miller President and Chief Executive Officer, Andi Owen, recently signed the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion™ (CEO Action) pledge, joining more than 1,100 other leaders across 85 industries committed to advancing diversity and inclusion goals.
The company also released a series of commitments related to diversity, equity, and inclusion across three key areas: company, industry, and communities.
"We've always believed in the power of diversity and aspire to be an inclusive community at Herman Miller. With racial inequities and social justice coming into focus across societies and corporations around the world, we took a hard look at how we're putting our beliefs about diversity, equity, and inclusion into practice," said Owen. "The CEO Action pledge, along with our series of company commitments, will push us forward in our journey toward positive change."
The CEO Action pledge centers around four commitments: cultivating trusting workplaces; implementing and/or expanding unconscious bias education; sharing best—and unsuccessful—practices; and creating and sharing strategic inclusion and diversity plans with the Board of Directors (or equivalent governing bodies). The coalition is the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion within the workplace.
Herman Miller has already made progress in these main commitment categories. With support and engagement from its Board of Directors, Herman Miller will use these commitments as it works to become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
The company recently introduced a 12-week internal online educational series for its employees called, This Is the LENS: Redesigning Our Future through Listening, Empowering Narratives, and Speaking Up. The goal of this series is to provide an opportunity to open up dialogue about racial injustices, educate one another, ask questions, gain new perspectives, and grow through listening.
The company also recently announced that beginning November 3, 2020, Election Day will be a paid company holiday for its US-based employees. Outside of the US, this day will be recognized as a global day of community service. This decision empowers its employees to stand up for what they believe in and use their voice to create change through voting.
"We are working to create an equitable environment that creates greater opportunities for the Black community and other underrepresented groups," Owen continued. "These commitments will drive us forward as we look to redesign our future."