As a global business, we have an incredible opportunity to benefit from the diversity we have by creating an inclusive environment for all associates. This year, we embraced a new form of DE&I called IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Awareness). IDEA starts with inclusion, as we believe to truly value diversity in all forms, we must start by building an environment where everyone feels they can be themselves.
We define these key terms as follows:
- Inclusion is the act of creating an environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging and is welcomed, heard, valued, and encouraged to participate fully.
- Diversity is all the ways in which people differ, encompassing the characteristics that make an individual or group distinct from another.
- Equity is fair treatment, such as providing access to opportunities for advancement and ensuring that everyone feels they can grow in the organization.
- Awareness is building an accountable culture of choice, facilitating learning opportunities for all, and celebrating our efforts internally and externally.
We recognize that IDEA is not a destination, but a journey. We are consistently adjusting and adapting IDEA plans to put forth initiatives that are purposeful. We know that by not being intentionally inclusive, we run the risk of being unintentionally exclusive.
We believe the initiatives we have undertaken to advance IDEA have already and will continue to positively affect both enhancing our culture of inclusion and increasing representation of under-represented groups. We believe these initiatives help everyone within our company feel a sense of belonging and creates opportunities to succeed and thrive.
TPI established the global IDEA Council and champion network to act as a governing body for our IDEA strategy, initiatives, cultural change efforts, transparency, and accountability. The primary role of the IDEA Council is to connect IDEA initiatives to strategic business goals and outcomes. The IDEA Council is also a critical driver of organizational change, establishing a dedicated focus on inclusion, diversity, and equity priorities, and managing the IDEA program.
Additionally, all TPI managers receive formal training on inclusive leadership, which focuses on understanding inclusion, diversity, and equity, identifying the characteristics of an inclusive leader, and formulating a personal plan to put these characteristics into action. This year, we took a step further and provided training to all associates to learn about IDEA and identify how they can be more aware of it in their everyday lives. This training was widely accepted, and we will continue to provide it to all new hires. In 2022, over 12,300 of our associates attended and participated in one of these trainings.
In 2023, we will conduct tour annual inclusion survey, strengthen supplier diversity programs, and continue to embed IDEA into compensation, performance, and talent practices.
