Diageo North America Honored For Commitment To Empowering Women In The Workplace

Diageo, a global leader in beverage alcohol, has been named by the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE) as one of their 2015 "Top Companies for Executive Women." As one of the country's largest associations for women professionals and business owners, NAFE releases the list annually to honor American corporations that identify, promote and nurture successful women. This is the fourth time NAFE has selected Diageo for the Top 50 list.

"At Diageo, we are enriched by the unique ideas and perspectives that every one of our employees brings to work each day," said Tara Hunt, General Counsel and Senior Vice President Human Resources, Diageo North America. "We are committed to allowing our employees to bring their full selves to work, and also to creating an environment that provides the resources needed to thrive. We congratulate all of NAFE's Top 50 Companies for Executive Women, and are honored to be listed among them."

Diageo offers a variety of flexible working arrangements including job share, flextime, compressed hours and opportunities to work from home. The company subsidizes back-up daycare and adult/elder care, matches employees' flexible spending accounts for dependent care and reimburses a percentage of the cost for in vitro and fertility treatments. Pregnant women and new moms can take advantage of nutritional education, smoking cessation programs and access to private pumping rooms for nursing mothers. Programs for employees with tweens/teens include college preparation and placement assistance as well as counseling for family issues, substance abuse and emotional support. Many office locations offer on-site timesaving services such as a health club and dry cleaning drop-off/pickup, and all employees have access to a concierge service. Employees are granted up to five days per year of paid time off to volunteer, which can be used to be active in their children's schools or elsewhere in the community. The company also supports new ideas from employees, particularly parents and mothers who face unique challenges.

Additionally, to attract and retain a diverse workforce, Diageo offers career development programs at every level. These programs provide coaching initiatives to help employees succeed in their careers. For example, Diageo's Transcend Leadership Mentoring Program promotes the development and retention of diverse employees by providing a formal program to enhance professional and personal growth. To supplement the efforts of such programs,

Diageo's Spirited Women's Network employee resource group hosts regular networking receptions and career talks by female Diageo executives to inspire others and encourage diversity of thought in the company.

Subha Barry, Vice President and General Manager, Working Mother Media, says, "This year's winners work hard to nurture corporate cultures that advance and promote women. Top companies continue to support advancement programs; the percentage of companies that offer job rotation, succession planning and career counseling increased from 2014."

The 2015 NAFE Top Companies application includes more than 200 questions about female representation at all levels, especially the corporate officer and profit-and-loss ranks. The vetting process includes tracking access and usage of programs and policies that promote the advancement of women as well as the training and accountability of managers in relation to the number of women who advance. In order to be eligible for the NAFE Top Companies survey, entrants must have a minimum of 1,000 employees, two women on the Board of Directors and be a public or private company. NAFE also separately names the Top 10 companies in the non-profit sector.

The full list of this year's winners is posted on www.workingmother.com and www.nafe.com.

To post a comment, you must register and login.