SearchDIVERSITY, INCLUSION AND COLLABORATION
As a multi-national corporation, SABIC recognizes that its workforce is made up of diverse people with differing needs. Moreover, changing work patterns and increasing awareness have created new challenges in engaging with employees. Our 2022 Global Employee Town Hall and Employee Survey initiatives were carried out to connect with the concerns, thoughts, and goals of our dynamic global workforce.
DRIVING DIVERSITY IN THE INDUSTRY
SABIC is focused on increasing female participation rates in the global petrochemicals industry. At the heart of our efforts is the SHE Network, which plays a key role in SABIC's recruitment, retention and promotion of women. Women in the SHE Network serve as mentors and role models, encourage a culture of high performance, and seek ways to make SABIC an even better place for women to work. SHE emphasizes and empowers women to be leaders and achieve their aspirations by building visibility, capability, and a sense of community. Our employees embody these values: four employees― Suzanne Echevarria, Michelle Kohr, Maureen MacDonald-Stein and Elizabeth “Liz" Miakisz―were honored with the “Women Breaking the Mold” annual award in the July issue of Plastic News for their inspirational work. The publication said the award “is about recognizing and exposing the wealth of experience within the industry and making it clear that women belong in every facet of the plastics industry.” This marks the first time that more than one SABIC employee was named to the ‘Breaking the Mold’ list. All four women were honored at the Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum in Nashville.
On International Women’s Day 2022, we celebrated our female employees and renewed our commitment to empower women, ensuring that all employees, irrespective of gender, have equal opportunities to advance in their careers. Observed under the theme, “Break the Bias," the International Women's Day event was an opportunity for all at SABIC to reflect on our ongoing transformation journey where the issue of leadership advancement and eliminating barriers for our female employees is critical to our success in the short and long terms.
As part of our commitment to Vision 2030 to increase women's participation in the labor market to 30% by 2030, we continue to be a strong contributor to national growth and economic vitality and are working to develop the national workforce – with a particular focus on women and young people.
SABIC trained its fourth batch of female employees in the EXSABIC program, an initiative under NUSANED™ that trains women to join the industrial sector in specific fields, making them eligible for skilled jobs in small and medium-sized enterprises. The six-month on-the-job training covered various sectors within SABIC, including HR, Finance, Information Technology, Technology and Innovation, Procurement, Supply Chain and Local Content Unit. We believe this will aid Saudi Vision 2030 to boost female participation in the country’s labor market.
MT. VERNON ALLYSHIP TEAM
At the 2022 Annual Celebration of Diversity Dinner, the SABIC Mt. Vernon Allyship team won the Mayor’s Celebration of Diversity Leadership Award, recognizing business leadership that has encouraged supportive diversity strategies in an organization. The team was feted by the Evansville Mayor and the Human Rights Commission for various initiatives to promote diversity, including:
– Commemorating Mental Health Awareness month to encourage employees to share their struggles with mental health and the value in healing and getting help.
– Celebrating Juneteenth at the plant site with the African American Museum to raise awareness on the importance of Juneteenth.
– Sponsoring and supporting the 1878 Memorial to honor the last lynching in Posey County;
– Engaging with local minority groups for the clean-up and restoration of an African American Cemetery adjacent to the Mt. Vernon property.
– Highlighting 15 different nationalities represented at the Mt. Vernon site for Cultural Celebration, where employees shared elements of their own cultures and food items. Additionally, the team celebrated cultural dances from India, China, and Latinx cultures.
The team also embarked on a new initiative working with local elementary schools to create inclusive playgrounds for students with special needs.
The regional Allyship network created the “Dialogues that Matter” session, available to all employees and covering special guest speakers in a move to encourage diversity. As part of the session, the group celebrated Juneteenth with freedom fighters from the civil rights movement and celebrated National Hispanic American Heritage Month.