This article originally appeared on LinkedIn in Portuguese and Spanish.
Avery Dennison has always had innovation at its core. Nowadays, in a scenario with unprecedented changes brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, it is a fundamental moment to rethink attitudes and achieve transformations. We are committed to building a different future, always looking at different perspectives, and one of our premises is to respect and value the differences and individuality of our employees.
In the last four years, the company has been rethinking its processes and increasing initiatives related to diversity and inclusion, covering gender, ethnicity, generations, people with disabilities, among others. I believe that the fundamental step was to establish Regional D&I Councils worldwide and also to encourage our employees to create ERGs (Employee Resource Groups) with different themes, based on their interests. Globally, more than 20 groups were formed and, here in Latin America, there are 06 already. This way, our employees are able to get together to share affinities and perspectives and, by including diversity, we positively impact the entire organizational culture in a very significant way.
In Latin America, the regional council has been working on several actions since 2018. We have subdivided our efforts into five workstreams: Talent Acquisition, Workplace Conditions, Communications & Marketing, Training & Development and Relationship with ERGs. For each workstream, we mapped the needs of each local company site, covering all countries in Latin America and reaching about 3,000 employees in more than 20 sites. In addition to these efforts, in 2020, we started intensive communications efforts in order to raise people's awareness through behavior change. In an open and encouraging way, we stimulate employees to talk about unconscious biases and how it influences our lives. I believe that, this way, we promote the opportunity to rethink attitudes and take the first steps to break the prejudices that exist in each one of us.
With the accelerated advance of the digital transformation promoted by the pandemic, thinking about people has become even more essential for the construction of a more human and transformative reality.
I am proud of our journey so far and we will continue to seek to build more diverse teams, strengthening our discussions and expanding the knowledge of our employees. Not only respecting but, mainly, understanding and valuing differences and individualities! An inclusive and diverse company manages to listen better to its employees, gives voice to ideas and is more innovative. I can't wait to share more about our progress with you!
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