Attracting & Developing Diverse Talent at Dow
Originally published in Dow's 2022 INtersections Progress Report
By focusing on improving representation across multiple dimensions of diversity, we are cultivating an innovative workplace driven by a wide range of experience, ideas and expertise. Our talent attraction, recruitment and selection processes are designed to ensure a fair process and attract the best and brightest people to Dow. Below are examples of programs and practices aimed at attracting diverse talent.
Global Inclusive Hiring Standards Deliver Diverse Outcomes
Equitable practices include:
- Posting all open roles
- Diverse candidate slate for open roles
- Diverse interview panel for hiring
- Structured interview process
2022 Outcomes: 93% of all required open roles posted internally
78% gender diverse slates;
79% U.S. ethnic diverse slates
89% gender diverse panels;
90% U.S. ethnic diverse panels
98% of interviews used the structured interview process
The Dow Diamond Symposium offers U.S. minority undergraduate students the opportunity to network with Dow leaders and gain professional career advice. In 2022:
- 58 students attended
- 31 internship and full-time offers were extended
- 26 students accepted job offers – a 40% increase compared to the 2021 offer acceptance rate
The BEST Symposium introduces Black, Hispanic and Native American U.S. doctoral and postdoctoral scientists to careers in industrial research and opportunities at Dow. In 2022:
- 30 participants attended
- 20 full-time job offers were extended
- 15 job offers were accepted
Dow Partners with Manufacturing Institute’s 35x30 Campaign
Dow sponsored and supported the Manufacturing Institute (MI) in launching the 35x30 campaign, focused on increasing the percentage of women in manufacturing from 29% to 35% by 2030. The program is designed to change perceptions by engaging face-to-face with students and teachers with more than 1,000 female mentors connecting into four-year universities, community colleges, high schools and middle schools. The 35x30 campaign also broadens the talent pipeline by supporting women throughout their studies by creating an alumnae-funded scholarship, with management supported by an alumnae council and executed by the MI by 2025.
Developing Diverse Talent
One of our top priorities is developing diverse talent and equipping leaders and employees with the tools they need to succeed. We have a wide range of professional development programs that support the growth and meet the career aspirations of our employees, including the following:
EMEAI Female Sponsorship Program
Dow launched a second wave of the Female Sponsorship Program in EMEAI. This program is specifically designed to help accelerate Dow’s female talent for senior management levels and to take on critical leadership roles. The self-nominated candidates are evaluated based on various criteria, including career aspirations, commitment to professional growth and demonstration of Dow’s cultural attributes: Trust, Transparency, Empowerment and Accountability. During each wave of the program, 60+ women from the EMEAI region are matched with senior Dow leaders (sponsors) for engagement and coaching sessions for two years. The program also includes two online professional developmental components: INSEAD Executive Education Program and the SWE Advance Learning Center. This program is playing a significant role in increasing female job satisfaction and retaining talent in the region. Results for Cohort 2 (2020-2022) included1 :
- 28% of participants were promoted
- 43% of participants increased their scope of responsibilities
- 42% of participant subset said that the tools available to them directly support their development
Advocacy-inAction (AiA) Sponsorship Program
AiA is a 15-month program that pairs Black protégés with senior leader advocates to help them achieve their fullest potential in the workplace. The program completed its second cohort in 2022. In total across two cohorts:
- 77% of all (47) participants received at least one promotion
- 7 participants accepted people leadership roles for the first time
- 87% of participants are still with Dow
Champions for Change (C4C) Sponsorship Program
C4C is an 18-month program for Asian talent that pairs each participant (sponsee) with senior-level leaders (champions) to provide coaching and guidance to overcome systemic and personal barriers and to foster advancement into leadership roles. The first cohort results included:
- 12 participants received at least one promotion or role change
- 97% of participants feel their champion is equipping them for the next career level
- 94% of participants are still with Dow
Dow’s Connector Programs
Our connector programs help employees expand their networks, inspire professional growth and foster diverse connections to build cross-functional and cross-business relationships. In 2022:
- 1,400 participants were attracted to our Peer Allies program at all job levels in the United States and Canada
- 120 new connections were built through PRISE Connections – a collaboration between RISE and PR!ME
- We launched the Wazobia Program, a peer-to-peer mentoring program pairing African-heritage participants with mentors across the EMEAI region
1 This data reflects the numbers for the employees as part of the INSEAD-SWE streams
