Everything we do rolls up to our vision to be the best kitchen and laundry company in constant pursuit of improving life at home. This is especially true in our approach to social responsibility. In the last year, we have made progress in many aspects of social responsibility while always staying grounded in our values.
Success begins by making sure Whirlpool Corporation is a great place to work where people can have a career, not just a job. Our philosophy is based on nurturing talent to bring out the best in each employee, as well as providing tools and support for employees to continuously evolve, to work safely and support the communities where they live and work. Along with other training programs, we introduced WeLEARN, a digital learning platform that covers many aspects of skill building and collaboration with others, to enhance each employee’s professional and personal development. In addition, our employee engagement survey moved from an annual poll to quarterly surveys to allow for more continuous listening and response.
In listening to our employees, we recognized the need for more flexibility given the new work realities brought on by the pandemic. In response, we implemented optional remote work flexibility and continue to offer alternative work arrangements where appropriate to allow for a better work-life balance.
Launched “We Care” manual to protect our employees, visitors and contractors, preserve the environment, and enable our business and our people to act sustainably.
In 2021, our employees and leaders across the globe continued to show, through both words and actions, that Our Enduring Value of Inclusion and Diversity is critical, especially during unpredictable and challenging times. After establishing our Executive Inclusion & Diversity Council in 2020, we began launching Regional Inclusion & Diversity Councils in three of our four regions in early 2021.
Our official “We Care” commitment was launched in 2021 to ensure a workplace that protects our employees, visitors and contractors, preserves the environment, and enables our business and our people to act sustainably. “We Care” was initiated as part of our EHS Policy and Standards Manual.
Our new House and Home strategy for corporate social responsibility was embedded with our employees and programs that rolled out in every region. As part of our HOUSE programming, we expanded our work with Habitat for Humanity into all four of our regions, and along with the continued success of our signature programs, our Racial Equality Pledge was made a priority in our HOME programs.
Work on our Racial Equality Pledge, announced in mid-2020, saw multiple work streams created to address challenges internally and in our communities. Progress includes offering internships and apprenticeships for youth and the groundbreaking for an 80-unit multi-housing development in the heart of Benton Harbor, our headquarters community.
Finally, COVID-19 brought new challenges as we continued to care for our communities and worked to vaccinate employees and find a suitable return-to-office solution. Throughout the pandemic, our manufacturing employees have been the heroes that followed safety protocols and kept working to build appliances that our consumers need in their homes. Our top priority will continue to be the health and safety of our employees.