One pillar of our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategy is ensuring that our workforce reflects the communities we serve. Advancing equity in the workplace begins with acknowledging and addressing the fact that advantages and barriers exist and finding ways to create an environment where all people can thrive.
Today, the majority of our enterprise workforce identifies as diverse. As we shared in our 2022 Be Well. Do Well. Progress Report, 43% of managers are women and 31% of our salaried employees in the U.S. are people of color. That kind of progress resonates with Brandi Heatherly, VP of Hospitality Enablement, Collegiate Hospitality, who has made equal representation a priority in her 29 years with the company.
Continuing that professional journey, Heatherly recently became Chair of EMPOWER, our largest and longest-standing employee resource group (ERG). Year-round, members of EMPOWER work to drive leadership and development opportunities for women at Aramark. As Heatherly puts it, “We want to empower women to help them achieve their goals and to become whatever they want in their careers.”
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The group’s work culminates with the annual EMPOWER March celebration. This year, there are events spanning the whole month and the theme is “Inspire Together”.
Craving Connection
ERGs are a powerful forum for giving voice to the diverse communities that make up our workforce and creating a more inclusive workplace. All are welcome to join, and ERG membership is growing at Aramark — by more than 25 percent in the second half of 2021 alone.
What’s more, our ERGs communicate and collaborate with each other. As the 2023 EMPOWER theme suggests, there is no limit to what we can accomplish when colleagues come together in search of mutual understanding. For example, ERGs might co-host events together or invite members from other groups to contribute to panel discussions.
“Cross-pollination is fundamental to how our ERGs operate,” says Heatherly. “The content is always fantastic. Whether I’m a panelist or in the audience, I always learn something new.”
