Published by: Mary
Liz Finn, Chief People Officer
On this International Women’s Day, I wanted to take a moment to celebrate all of the men and women working tirelessly to “break the bias” – the theme of this year.
I also wanted to say "thank you" to my Signet colleagues – who have fully embraced our Purpose of Inspiring Love inside our company and in all the communities we serve. In Diversity, Equity and Inclusion we have a number of goals for our future, to be the change we want to see in the world. Our Business Resource Groups, including our women’s network, inspire us daily with new ideas to promote and create an environment that invites everyone to be their authentic self at Signet.
At Signet, we also asked all of our team members and launched training programs to raise individual awareness of unconscious bias, so that we may all work to understand unconscious bias, examine our own assumptions and change behavior so we may empower each other.
We also believe in gender diversity at every level in the organization. Today our leadership team is comprised of 53% women, 42% female leadership on our Board of Directors including four of our five board committees are lead by women. And, we are proud that 75% of our Store Assistant Managers and above.
These numbers tell a story of the progress we’re making in hiring, retention, and selecting tomorrow’s leaders, but our focus on diversity extends beyond this. It permeates our culture, setting us apart and improving the experience of every team member. We're proud that our commitment to inclusivity and equality has been recognized by external organizations such as:
- Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index. For the fourth consecutive year Signet has been included on this distinct list for companies advancing gender equality. In fact, Signet is the only fine jewelry company on the index (let alone four years in a row).
- Great Place to Work®. For a second consecutive year, Signet has been recognized as Great Place to Work Certified™. This prestigious award is based on a robust and anonymous survey from our team members. In these results, 87% agreed with the statement, “I’m proud to tell others I work here.”
While these recognitions validate our progress, we are aspiring to do more. In our efforts to continue to advocate for gender parity we are also working in various ways to learn and lead:
- As a member of Paradigm for Parity, Signet has committed to a 5-point action plan that provides a strong roadmap to help ensure gender equality across our team and within our sphere of influence with our business partners today and into the future.
- Signet’s Women’s Business Resource Group advocates for equitable practices and leadership development for all women and gender non-conforming communities. The group’s impact goes far beyond International Women’s Day, with a full year of programming, actions and advocacy so Signet team members all pull in the same direction to create a more gender equal world.
- The By Women, For Women collection, available at Kay Jewelers, was created to empower the women who make it, and the women who wear it. Each piece is crafted by female artisans in Mumbai, India, and draws inspiration from the lotus flower, which symbolizes, beauty, independence and strength.
- Signet’s 2030 Corporate Sustainability Goals set our course to be the change we want to see in the world. Aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), our targets reflect areas where we can have the greatest impact – and this includes promoting diversity, equity and inclusion across our company and supply chain.
- The Signet Love Inspires Foundation strives to make a better world by providing funding for non-profits that support underserved women and children and social advocacy. The foundation aligns its funding decisions and activities with the UN SDGs, including goal 5 to “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.”
International Women’s Day is a day for all of us – men and women – to celebrate. It is a day when love, respect and admiration for one another is on full display. And it is a day when corporations can recommit to the hard work it will take to one day realize true equality in all workplaces. I hope you’ll join with Signet’s more than 26,000 team members to recognize this day and take the opportunity to recommit to break the bias. After all, love demands it.