Employee Representation Goals: Mirroring the Markets We Serve

We believe our company’s diversity should mirror the markets we serve.  

After reflecting on where we’ve been, where we are and where we need to be, it became clear that we need to do more to improve our diversity representation, particularly representation in leadership roles.  

To that end, our company has announced representation goals that reflect the diversity of all people of color in the United States. By 2030, our employee population across all job levels will align with U.S. census data by race/ethnicity:

• Black: 13%
• Hispanic: 18%
• Asian: 6%

In the U.S. currently, 19% of our company’s employee population (salaried and hourly associates) and 8% of senior leaders are Black; 14% of our employee population and 11% of senior leaders are Hispanic; and 7% of our employee population, and 9% of senior leaders, are Asian (as of Dec. 31, 2020).

In 2021, we will report on our ongoing progress against these aspirational goals beginning with our Business and Sustainability Report, which will include data submitted to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

“What matters gets measured, and what’s measured becomes top priority,” said Lori George Billingsley, global chief diversity and inclusion officer, The Coca‑Cola Company."

“We’re ensuring we have the right metrics in place – with the right visibility and supporting communication routines – to track and share our progress in a transparent, actionable way. It’s critically important that we treat this work as we would any other core business strategy.”
 

We want our workforce to mirror the markets that we serve. That’s why we developed our 2030 aspirational goals to be 50% led by women globally and reflect the census data at all job levels in the U.S. We will make progress in this area by development of multi-year strategies, action plans and investments. 

We’ll enhance our recruitment strategy by ensuring equity in all decisions through the robust use of strong tools and data, including interview panels that are made up of diverse colleagues. We’ll consider candidates from the most diverse applicant pool possible and continue to source diversity in the applicant pool before making hiring decisions. We’ll also hire a full-time position focused on diversity, equity and inclusion education, awareness and leadership development. The key focus of this role will be to develop an aspirational strategy aligned to our goals.

Compensation is another critical component to recruiting talent. Our approach to compensation is grounded in principles of fairness and equality for all employees. 

We will conduct a third-party pay equity audit in the U.S. for hourly and salaried employees to ensure associates in equal or similar roles are compensated fairly for their work without regard to gender or race/ethnicity. Results will be shared internally with employees and externally through our company’s annual Business and Sustainability Report.

“Pay equity is just one measure of an inclusive culture,” Billingsley said. “We have a mandate to ensure that every employee is treated equitably and fairly, regardless of gender, race or ethnicity.”

The actions the company is taking to improve diverse representation are intended to create lasting change and greater equity for everyone within the company.

“Our goals will drive both accountability and longevity,” Billingsley said, “by ultimately moving the needle with results we can be proud of five to 10 years from now.”