Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
In 2021, we activated a multi-year diversity, equity and inclusion plan to foster a more inclusive workplace and ensure our human resources programs are fair, equitable and effectively communicated to employees. Although the gender gap is improving, women in leadership positions in the chemical sector remains low. In accordance with Dutch law, we aim to achieve 32% gender diversity in senior leadership by 2032. To achieve this, we launched new initiatives to attract and advance talent such as expanding our external candidate pool; increasing internal job posting transparency; enhancing our mentoring program; and improving movement of talent within our organization to sharpen and build skills.
As part of our commitment to ensure fairness in our pay practices and performance review process, we engaged a third-party expert to conduct our first pay equity review and to evaluate our performance review practices. Our intention is to embed these reviews in our annual processes going forward. In 2021, the pay equity review compared pay for like jobs, specifically focused on base pay for gender (globally) and ethnicity (U.S. only). The review reflected that pay for women and men on a global basis is generally administered fairly. We continue to conduct detailed analyses to identify and address any pay inequities. The performance review evaluation compared performance rankings for gender (globally) and ethnicity (U.S. only). The review did not have any significant findings and confirmed that performance appraisals are generally administered fairly.
We also foster inclusion and professional and personal growth through our employee networks. The LYB Inspiring Females Together (LIFT) employee network provides the opportunity to discuss and address women’s issues and creates opportunities for women to connect, develop and mentor. Employee Networks are open to all employees, including colleagues who do not share the identity of a particular network but are supporters and advocates for that community.