HERSHEY, Pa.—The Hershey Company ranks sixth on DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity list, according to a news release. The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list is based on 2021 company-submitted data in six key areas: leadership accountability, human capital diversity metrics, talent programs, workforce practices, supplier diversity and philanthropy.
Hershey has moved up in the rankings since the company was first listed as No. 33 in 2018.
"Being recognized on DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity list amongst such prestigious peers reaffirms that our commitments to DEI go beyond words and promises, and our actions create measurable change," said Alicia Petross, chief diversity officer, The Hershey Company. "That change is felt in our workplace and communities, and we're not stopping here."
Hershey's DEI efforts can be seen through The Pathways Project, the company's five-year DEI engagement plan, as well as its global #HerforShe campaign, in which the company used its platform to elevate and support women and girls worldwide.
Hershey said in the release that its employees strive to proactively foster an inclusive environment where all employees around the world can bring their whole selves to work each day. Highlights of Hershey's DEI strategy include:
Representation and Leadership: Hershey is committed to including diverse perspectives across the organization, with a goal of increasing representation of its employee base to be 30 to 40% people of color and 15 to 22% of people leader roles occupied by POC by 2025.
Recruitment Diversity: Hershey makes it a priority to assemble candidate slates that are 50% diverse for every externally sourced role. To that end, it has expanded its relationship with diverse-owned talent search firms to 30% of all volume to help ensure this goal is achieved. In 2021, more than 40% of all talent acquisition search volume was led by diverse-owned firms.
Supplier Diversity: By 2030, Hershey will increase spend with diverse suppliers to $400 million, helping to promote economic equality and opportunity for diverse-owned businesses. A four times’ increase versus its baseline year of 2020.
Pay Equity: By 2025, Hershey aims to achieve pay equity for similar job categories across its global salaried workforce. In 2019, Hershey achieved 1:1 aggregate gender pay equity, and in 2021, 1:1 aggregate POC pay equity for salaried employees in the U.S.
Hershey was also named to numerous DiversityInc's Top Companies specialty lists.
Read how convenience retailers are approaching diversity initiatives within their companies and the industry in “It’s About the Journey” in the December 2021 issue of NACS Magazine.