Jacobs – Where Inclusion and Diversity Creates a Company Like No Other
Each Jacobs employee-generated image has a story behind it: From rooftop engagements during the pandemic to working-from-home setups and furry coworkers, to community outreach, at-home graduations, outdoor family time and even a virtual 5k fundraiser for an employee lost to COVID-19. The company called these stories “Bright Spots” and shared many of them on social media and the world as proof of how, at Jacobs, their culture leads the way.
When Jacobs joined the Catalyst CEO Champions For Change in 2018, the company made commitments to support inclusion, diversity and gender equality at work, holding itself publicly accountable for progress and striving to build workplaces that work for everyone – at every level.
At Jacobs, the commitment to inclusion and diversity comes from the top. Over the past five years, the company has shifted the executive leadership team from all male to 55% female today and increased the diversity of the Board of Directors. Currently, of the board’s 10 independent directors, 30% are female and 60% are diverse with three men and one woman of color. Also, Jacobs is proud to have a variety of backgrounds in all board members, including two veterans.
In addition to the board changes, Jacobs has undergone a cultural transformation, built upon a company-wide commitment to inclusion and diversity, positive mental health, and inspirational and collaborative leadership. Jacobs’ leaders are talented, passionate, diverse and share a common goal of driving inclusion and diversity across the business. It is this shared vision that has helped create important cultural initiatives like:
- TogetherBeyond℠ – In late 2019, Jacobs launched a global inclusion and diversity strategy, TogetherBeyond to amplify a culture of belonging and commitment to inclusion and diversity. In August 2020, as part of TogetherBeyond, the company launched its global Action Plan for Advancing Justice and Equality, which was driven by members of Jacobs’ Black employee network, Harambee, in partnership with Jacobs leadership and Board of Directors. The plan publicly sets out actionable initiatives and measurable objectives to provide Jacobs’ Black employees meaningful professional development and advancement opportunities while addressing embedded and systemic racial inequalities in communities across the world.
- Conscious Inclusion training – Jacobs’ annual program to educate its 55,000 global employees on actively demonstrating a commitment to inclusion and diversity – helping to create a company where everyone is celebrated, valued and has the opportunity to thrive. The 2021 program focused on Ally and Advocacy training.
- Mental Health Matters Program – Jacobs has grown its Positive Mental Health Champions to nearly 2,000 employee volunteers since 2016. To further help employees cope with mental health during the pandemic, Jacobs launched its Mental Health Resiliency Program and the One Million Lives check-in tool in 2020. Additionally, the company adopted flexible policies for new ways of working to fit a variety of individual circumstances.
These initiatives and the passion of employees have helped Jacobs achieve employee satisfaction, retention and record high overall shareholder return for the company.
But the work does not stop there. Jacobs is placing even more emphasis on recruiting, mentoring, coaching and advancing women and people of color, which is paramount for the long-term health of the organization and developing innovative client solutions.
Jacobs is focused on publicly reporting progress on its inclusion and diversity commitments. The company’s 2020 Annual Report provides an in-depth progress report and overview of inclusion and diversity achievements, including:
- Jacobs was rankedon Forbes America’s Best Employers for Diversity in 2020 and 2021.
- The company received a score of 100% on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s2019, 2020 and 2021 Corporate Equality Index (CEI).
- Jacobs also received top honors in the 2020 and 2021 Disability Equality Index (DEI) Best Places to Work, a national benchmarking tool on corporate policies and practices related to disability inclusion and workplace equality.
Looking to the future, Jacobs’ aspirational objective is to create a 40-40-20 gender-balanced workforce around the globe (40% women, 40% men and 20% open to any gender) over the next five years.
The work to create a better tomorrow never stops. Jacobs is always listening to its people and refining how to deliver on the company’s commitment to live inclusion while developing innovative solutions for its clients. Jacobs is Challenging Today. Reinventing Tomorrow.