Advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is a key area of focus for Fortune Brands. Every day, we strive to create a culture where all associates feel respected and valued, and can fully offer their unique perspectives, talents and selves.
March – Women’s History Month – is a great time to reflect on the progress we’ve made towards improving the representation of women across the organization and to promote the efforts of our associates to continue this progress.
Women represent 38 percent of our global workforce. Fortune Brands’ Board of Directors is chaired by a woman, and women hold 4 of 10 positions within our leadership team. While we are proud of how we have been increasing the representation of women within our organization – and that we exceed our industry’s EEO-1 benchmarks for positions held by women – we know there is still a long way to go.
A critical component of driving DEI efforts forward are the company’s Employee Resource Groups, and in recognition of Women’s History Month, the Women’s Impact Network at Fortune Brands spearheaded several events and activities to fulfill its purpose of empowering and raising the visibility of women.
Board Member Ann Fritz Hackett Shares Her Experiences
The Women’s Impact Network invited Fortune Brands Board Member Ann Fritz Hackett to speak with associates at a virtual event called “Harness the Power of Challenge.”
At the event, Hackett shared stories about her career including how she made difficult decisions that got her out of her comfort zone and ultimately led her to where she is today. Hackett emphasized not letting fear get in the way, following your heart for making the next big career move and reaching out to other women to share experiences and provide support.
GPG President Cheri Phyfer Discusses Women’s Roles at KBIS
In March, Cheri Phyfer, president of Fortune Brands’ Global Plumbing Group, sat down with the National Kitchen + Bath Association to share her biggest career challenges, her thoughts on the role of mentorship and her favorite moments from the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show.
“There is nothing you can’t do. Put your foot in the water and then go ahead and dive in,” said Phyfer when asked what advice she would give to a woman starting out today. “Always have a willingness to learn, a thirst for continual development and celebrate your wins. Practicing these will help you build confidence, but not an arrogance, and will develop you as a servant leader.
Read the full article here.
Connecting and Networking
The Women’s Impact Network encouraged associates to join NextUp’s Virtual Weekend Wisdom session. This event, hosted by NextUp – a nonprofit community of professional women, allies and corporate partners who work to advance women in business, provided an opportunity for associates to network with other professionals who share a similar focus and passion.
To get even more associates involved, the group created a background to use for virtual meetings.
Learning
A key component of empowering women is through education, so throughout the month, the Women’s Impact Network shared several videos with associates highlighting success stories for women at work, how to create a dream career, what inclusive female leadership looks like and how to be a male ally at work.
Through LinkedIn Learning, the group also encouraged associates to review a compilation of content and courses on the realities of racism, microaggression and discrimination, emphasizing how women can find their voice and how allyship is integral to supporting and elevating underrepresented groups.
Recognition
To give women colleagues across the company a shoutout, the Women’s Impact Group also asked associates to use the hashtags #FBHSwomen, #FortuneBrands #MasterBrand, #FortuneBrandsGPG and #FortuneBrandsOS on social media as well as on the Company’s internal communications platform, Connect. The group also used a Kudos feature on Fortune Brands’ Connect app, which allows associates to virtually send encouragement to colleagues.
