To help mark LGBT Month in October, Volkswagen had the privilege of supporting the 2017 Out & Equal Workplace Summit in Philadelphia, an annual conference for the LGBT and ally community to share best practices and strategies for an inclusive, equal workplace.
“We have been a proud sponsor of the Out & Equal Workplace Summit, an annual meeting that brings together corporate and industry leaders to discuss and advocate for diversity and inclusion in the workplace, for over 10 years,” said Machelle Williams, Senior Director for Diversity and CSR at Volkswagen.
With a 20-year history, the Out & Equal Workplace Summit grew in 2017 to its largest event yet, with more than 4,000 attendees from 40 different countries participating this year.
“As a corporation, we strive to not only attract a diverse workforce, but to get our message out to a diverse consumer base. Conferences like Out & Equal allow us to meet with and better understand the issues and priorities of diverse communities and consumers,” said Williams. “Becoming more sensitive to these important issues can, and have, in turn impacted our corporate policies over the years,”
As part of the Out & Equal Summit, members of Volkswagen’s Employee Resource Groups for LGBT employees and allies attended the conference and spoke with conference attendees on VW’s behalf – along with showing off the all-new Atlas and 2018 Tiguan. They also participated in workshops and sessions on workplace equality and inclusivity, and heard from powerful speakers and leaders in the LGBT community.
“This is my third year attending the Out & Equal Conference for VW as part of the ERG and it is wonderful to see companies here supporting diversity, and I take pride knowing VW is part of that,” said Victoria Marcella, a Workforce Management Manager for VW Credit, Inc.
“Working for a company who values diversity and encourages inclusion is very important to employees,” said Marcella.
Volkswagen’s ERGs, in addition to workplace education initiatives, help the company get the word out that Volkswagen is a place that welcomes and embraces diversity.
“ERGs help recruit, serving as the face of the company – most recently at the Out & Equal Summit – to the public so people can get insight on what it’s like to work for the company. They provide a true testament that VW is a place that values diversity,” said Williams.