Autodesk is demonstrating inclusive leadership in this time of economic hardship. Their priority remains the health and wellbeing of employees, customers, and partners.

As an early response to COVID-19, Autodesk took precautionary measures to minimize the potential impact of coronavirus on their communities and their business by providing flexible hours, and new employee holidays to avoid burnout; encouraging employees to work from home with a stipend to improve their workspaces and; providing resources and support for inner well-being, social connection, and physical health. In addition, Autodesk is committed to hiring as planned and has shifted to all virtual interviews and onboarding. This includes welcoming new summer interns who can still expect to receive mentorship, collaborate with peers, and learn about and contribute to priority projects for the company through virtual experiences. Finally, in an effort to place people at the center in its ongoing recovery efforts, Autodesk has made every employee a company owner through stock grants. Together, these are tangible ways Autodesk is prioritizing the long-term success of its employees and ensuring we all Recover Stronger.

“When you invest in your workforce, you’re investing in society. At Autodesk we are proud to be a Founding Coalition member of Recover Stronger and are committed to building a resilient, diverse, and equitable culture at all levels. Last month we made every Autodesk employee an owner of the company through recently deployed stock grants. This is just one step in the right direction to driving a more inclusive workforce and equitable world.”

-Andrew Anagnost, President and CEO, Autodesk

Links:

How Autodesk Is Helping Communities, Customers, and Employees Impacted by COVID-19

Diversity and Belonging at Autodesk

JetBlue Airways, founded on the mission to inspire humanity, is committing to job security and development for its crewmembers (employees). While facing an unpredictable 2021, JetBlue remains focused on its unique culture. The airline is doubling down on investing in its crewmembers, in part by supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and creating more pathways for career development and mobility.

JPMorgan Chase, which has more than 250,000 employees across 5,100 locations, has undertaken an ambitious review of its compensation and total rewards program to create a more inclusive and equitable incentive structure for employees while committing $30 billion to advance racial equity and drive an inclusive economic recovery.

As the impact of COVID-19 spread in the Puget Sound region, Microsoft was among the first companies to take a number of steps to protect their workers through adapting existing benefits packages. As we move forward into recovery, Microsoft is making many of these benefits permanent, including: 14 weeks fully paid time off for employees needing to care for children whose schools and childcare facilities are closed; 2 weeks continuous time off, with no formal process or application required; and 12 weeks Pandemic School and Childcare Closure Leave. Crisis care has also been added to the overall total rewards package to reimburse employees up to $100/day for up to 200 hours of care when they use a caregiver from their own network, e.g. nanny, neighbor, friend, etc.

Additionally, to help prepare for similar scenarios in the future, Microsoft has developed a program that gives its front-line retail team members a structured way to work remotely. Termed “Emergency Remote Operations,” this model helps thousands of retail associates serve customers directly from their homes, adding more flexibility and adaptability to their roles. They’ve also extended this nimbleness to their talent pipeline programs by transitioning their summer internship to a virtual experience and included increased recruitment from HBCUs. These shifts in inclusive talent practices have helped their current and future employees continue learning and developing their skills even amidst incredibly challenging circumstances, ensuring we’re all able to Recover Stronger.

“It is critical that expanding access to economic opportunity creates more inclusive growth, addressing the needs of those who have been most impacted by the health and economic crisis,“ said Kate Behncken, Vice President and Lead for Microsoft Philanthropies. “Joining JFF’s Recover Stronger coalition with other corporate leaders will provide more resources and tools to ensure everyone has the skills, knowledge and opportunity to succeed in the economic recovery.”

Mastercard is building on its culture of decency with a host of new programs that allow its dynamic workforce to grow and thrive. This includes evolving benefits such as work-from-home flexibility, mental health services, and expanded parental and sick leave; new training, mentorship and development programs to advance inclusion at all levels; and pro bono volunteerism programs that offer unique skill-building opportunities while benefiting communities around the world.

Postmates empowers communities to shop local and helps businesses grow. They rely on their fleet of 400,000 couriers to power their platform and have prioritized supporting them through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond through the Postmates Relief Fund, which covers general medical expenses such as medical copays and related expenses. They also stepped up to provide 14 days of financial support for sick fleet members and those that have to stay home to care for a loved one. Notably, the company is actively offering connections to services such as telemedicine, mental health services, upward mobility programming, and COVID-19 testing to holistically meet the needs of their workers.

As we move into the recovery period, Postmates is prioritizing an equitable economic recovery with fleet members, customers, and business partners at the center. Most recently, Postmates has re-engineered their platform to more prominently feature and incentivize patronage of Black-owned businesses. This allows customers to more easily search and order from Black owned restaurants in their area, and place orders without the typical delivery fee Postmates charges. This is just the beginning of their efforts to build inclusive practices and products into the way they do business, ensuring all communities can Recover Stronger.

“At Postmates, our people are the heart and engine of our business. During these trying times, we’ve made critical investments in their health, safety, and wellbeing. As we move forward, we’re also thinking creatively about how we can use our platform and product to advance racial justice and contribute to a more equitable future. We’re thrilled to be a part of the Founding Coalition that’s helping us all Recover Stronger.”

- Bastian Lehmann, CEO, Postmates

Prudential Financial, which is the largest life insurance provider in the United States and has more than 51,000 employees, is providing reskilling opportunities to its employees to promote career development through continuing education, certifications, bootcamps, and apprenticeships. Prudential is also dedicated to developing the talent of the future with a focus on people from traditionally underserved and underrepresented markets. This is supported by a $180 million commitment through 2025 to provide young people with the training and tools to access the job market and get on a path to financial security.

Salesforce’s core values of trust, customer success, innovation, and equality have been at the heart of their response to our recent crises. In the immediate response to COVID, Salesforce gave employees increased flexibility around time off and scheduling and developed weekly B-Well wellness calls to help employees cope with stress and mental health during these trying times. In line with their strong, supportive corporate culture, they also implemented weekly, all staff calls with the CEO and Executive team to maintain transparency and trust among employees.

As we move into the recovery period, Salesforce is making additional investments in both the wellbeing of their workers and the creation tools, resources and forums that support a more inclusive workplace. Most recently, Salesforce announced a new paid leave policy that provides up to 6 weeks of paid time off for family or medical leave. Additionally, they’ve developed a Leading Through Change webinar series that focuses on advice for business leaders on how to manage teams during this time of turbulent change, including on important topics like Covid-19 & Race in America and Injustice & Race. Salesforce is also using their philanthropic dollars ($7.5M of them!) to support local, regional, and global COVID-19 recovery efforts, with a focus on addressing long-term health and economic inequalities magnified by the pandemic. The donation includes $2M of incremental support for current education and workforce development grantees faced with increased costs or lost revenue from Covid-19.

“To intentionally build a diverse workforce, we need to apply a lens of inclusivity to every decision we make,” said Ebony Beckwith, Chief Philanthropy Officer, Salesforce. “Our participation in the #RecoverStronger Initiative underscores our commitment to building a future where everyone thrives."

Walmart, the largest private employer in the US with 1.5 million associates and more than 4,700 stores, is dedicated to helping its communities build back stronger coming out of the COVID-19 crisis.

Due to their status as an essential service provider, Walmart stores remained open during this crisis. This created a need to quickly implement new safety measures for associates and customers. From using thermal scanning in distribution centers, to installing social distancing signage, and increasing the frequency of sanitation procedures, Walmart committed to creating a safe work environment for its employees. Walmart also provided its associates added stability through an enhanced PTO policy and additional bonuses. Finally, as 42 million Americans found themselves out of work, Walmart worked with industry groups representing restaurants and hospitality to offer 235,000 workers bridge employment in the last three months. Walmart understands the critical nature of this moment and how important it is that we Recover Stronger by placing people and community at the center of any solution.

“We are very proud to be a member of the founding coalition for Recover Stronger. Even before today’s economic crisis, Walmart’s response to an economy going through a technology-fueled transformation has been focused on investing in associates. The current economic crisis has only added urgency to the need for practical training and education opportunities for Americans, especially those who do not fit the historic profile of a full-time student.”

– Drew Holler, Senior Vice President, Associate Experience and Operations HR, Walmart US.

This is an unprecedented year that’s presenting new challenges and opportunities, and requiring organizations to pivot in unforeseen ways. Whether it’s the impacts of COVID-19 or witnessing the social and racial injustices that have long existed, Workday remains committed to standing for what is right and just, and to putting people first. In fact, Workday was founded with a set of core values, with employees being the top priority since day one.

When COVID-19 began to spread globally, Workday took immediate action to support employees and its broader community, including: asking the majority of employees to work from home early on; providing a one-time payment equivalent to two weeks’ pay to the majority of employees to cover any unforeseen costs due to the pandemic; expanding access to back-up childcare; and providing free access to a meditation app to support employees’ mental health.

As we look ahead to recovery, Workday remains dedicated to closing the opportunity divide in a number of ways. Opportunity Onramps® is a movement dedicated to creating economic opportunity for all. This workforce development program provides training, internships, and job opportunities for nontraditional candidates from diverse backgrounds. The company also hosted its sixth annual Workforce Week™ this year, which welcomed hundreds of employee volunteers who donated their time and professional skills to support job seekers.

Other initiatives that support its people-first approach to enabling inclusive opportunities for all include impact grants through the Workday Foundation and its tech-for-good partnership with Opportunity@Work. To truly achieve economic opportunity for all, racial equity must also be achieved—and Workday is committed to being a supportive part of that solution.

“Fostering an equitable future and closing the opportunity divide by creating onramps to thriving-wage careers is more important than ever—and requires that we all come together to address critical issues—like racial equality and injustice—head on. We’re grateful for the opportunity to further our commitment by standing alongside other leaders who share our people-first approach to business to help build a better, healthier, and more inclusive future together.”

- Carrie Varoquiers, president, Workday Foundation & vice president, Global Impact & Employee Life, Workday