Industrial supply giant W.W. Grainger says more than one-third of the company’s leadership positions are held by women and nearly one-quarter are held by racial or ethnic minorities.
The Chicago-based distributor on Monday released its 11th annual Environmental, Social and Governance report covering the fiscal year that wrapped up at the end of 2021. Grainger officials said the report showed that the company “continues to be a leader among industrial distributors in this space.”
“Throughout the pandemic, we’ve kept true to our purpose by serving our customers and supporting our team members, while still making strong strides toward our ESG objectives,” Grainger Chairman and CEO D.G. Macpherson wrote in the report.
The company said that among its leadership staff, 34% were women and 24% were racially and ethnically diverse. Grainger’s overall workforce saw higher percentages in each category: 39% were women and 37% were racially and ethnically diverse. The company said it implemented training and processes designed to reduce bias in recruiting, interviewing and hiring.
Grainger also reported working with more than 680 suppliers owned by women, minorities, veterans, disabled or LGBTQ individuals in 2021, and that 100% of its workers completed business conduct guidelines training.
“We are exploring how to tie our ESG goals to executive compensation and are testing which metrics are best-suited to include in our incentive programs,” Macpherson added.
