Tapestry's Approach to Equity, Inclusion and Diversity
Originally Published in Tapestry's 2021 Corporate Responsibility Report
We believe that difference sparks brilliance and are building a culture where all our employees are empowered to bring their whole selves to work. We know that we do our best work when we embrace difference by design, hold ourselves to higher standards and champion diversity at all levels of our company.
Our equity, inclusion and diversity (EI&D) strategy is grounded in our values and is comprised of four pillars – Talent, Culture, Community and Marketplace. Through this strategy, we are focused on attracting, retaining and developing diverse talent. To support these actions, we:
- Develop and educate our workforce
- Stand Taller Together as we serve our communities
- Develop standards and solutions for integrity and global citizenship throughout our brands
Recognitions and Commitments:
- Business Coalition for the Equality Act
- CEO Action Pledge for Diversity and Inclusion
- Forbes Best Employers for Diversity and Inclusion
- Forbes Best Employers for Women
- HR Asia Magazine “Best Companies to Work For in Asia” Awards
- Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index
- United Nations Women’s Empowerment Principles
In FY2021, we reviewed our processes and policies and continued to build a truly inclusive environment where all employees thrive. By bringing EI&D to the forefront of leadership conversations and including it as a topic in our global town halls and major events, we grew our employees’ fluency around EI&D practices and increased their level of comfort in having courageous, and sometimes difficult, conversations. For our leadership, we launched an Inclusive Conversations Guide that provides tools to navigate these complex topics.
In FY2021, we evolved our U.S. Inclusion Council through new membership, enhanced accountability and global expansion. We now have Inclusion Councils in the U.S., Europe and Asia, to ensure our strategic roadmaps are locally relevant and aligned to our 2025 goals.
We introduced a supplier diversity strategy and roadmap and identified potential partners that will help us establish practices to track, support and develop minority suppliers in our indirect procurement work. This strategy also includes a holistic approach to closing the opportunity gap by helping minority business owners grow and develop their own businesses.
The steps we took in FY2021 to operationalize our renewed EI&D strategy and build a strong framework around these important issues are foundational to sustainable progress.
ENGAGING EMPLOYEES IN EI&D
In FY2021, we launched EI&D Central, our internal website destination for EI&D resources. This platform empowers employees to share their stories, engage in discussion with each other and provide ideas and feedback to accelerate our EI&D work.
Tapestry UNSCRIPTED is an internal bi-monthly speaker series that is open to all employees and designed to bring our values to life. External leaders share their inspiring stories via live conversations hosted by our Tapestry leaders. In FY2021, in partnership with the American Society for Yad Vashem, we hosted an UNSCRIPTED session with Holocaust survivor Toby Levy on Holocaust Remembrance Day. Honest conversations like these about our values provide an opportunity for our employees to be inspired, understand each other more deeply and ignite personal passions.
In FY2021, we welcomed new observances and celebrations such as Holocaust Remembrance, Asian American Pacific Islander History Month, and Hispanic Heritage Month.
We celebrated International Women’s Day with a companywide virtual event hosted by our CEO, Joanne Crevoiserat. We welcomed our new board member, Pam Lifford, and Michelle Stuntz, a Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry, to discuss the impact of bias and the pandemic on women in the workforce. This event shared data and insights with employees about the challenges that women face in the workplace, including balancing caretaking with career advancement, burnout and challenges unique to women of color.
We have a number of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and Task Forces to support and engage our employees:
- Black Alliance & Allies ERG: Builds a legacy of equity and inclusion through the advancement and promotion of Black employees at Tapestry
- Working Parents, Caregivers & Allies ERG: Supports families of all types through all phases by providing resources, guidance and encouragement to assist in home-work balance
- Prouder Together ERG: Celebrates LGBTQ+ employees and allies by building an inclusive community; encouraging, supporting and mentoring others within Tapestry and our brands; connecting our identity with brand products that speak to us; and supporting our local communities through philanthropic volunteering
- Jewish Community & Allies Task Force: Spreads awareness about the long history of the persecution of the Jewish community through sessions and educational resources
- Asian Community & Allies Task Force: Fosters cultural awareness of the diversity of the Asian community, contributes to the development and success of its members, and facilitates empowerment in the Asian community
- Latinx Community & Allies Task Force: Celebrates the rich and diverse cultures within the Hispanic/Latinx community serving as a resource to empower members to reach their full potential and contribute to our business and communities in a meaningful way
