Environmental Stewardship > Blue Sky > Blue Sky Leaders > Investing in People: Our Multi-Cultural Workforce
Investing in People: Our Multi-Cultural Workforce
Creating a Workforce that Mirrors Our Community
To be a world leader in innovation, Johnson Controls needs a vast array of ideas and viewpoints. We have made it a high priority to draw from a rich and diverse talent pool whether it's in hiring new employees or selecting suppliers. We value the unique contributions of all types of people from all over the world.Johnson Controls also values a diverse supplier base. In 2003, we became a member of the Billion-Dollar Roundtable, an organization comprised of U.S. corporations that spend more than $1 billion annually with minority- and women-owned businesses. Johnson Controls is only the 12th company in the Roundtable. Also in 2003, Johnson Controls was named "Corporation of the Year" by the National Minority Supplier Development Council.
Workforce Initiatives
We respect our employees and hold great value in their diverse backgrounds, ideas and opinions.We offer on-going workshops to help employees embrace and take advantage of the benefits of a diverse workforce. We also participate in the INROADS program, a U.S.-based career development organization committed to developing and placing talented African American, Hispanic and Native American students. You'll find us doing much of our recruiting at historically black colleges and universities, as well as minority professional associations.
As a sponsor of the Association Internationale des Etudiants en Science Economique et Commerciales (AIESEC), we employ college students from around the world each year. AIESEC places students in internships outside their native country to gain work experience and broaden cultural understanding.
By giving our employees opportunities to work in other countries, we are improving sharing and leveraging ideas across cultures. We also are expanding our ability to work globally.
Supplier Initiatives
Each year we hold a Minority Supplier Recruitment Fair to recruit and develop minority-owned suppliers. We encourage our suppliers to institute similar programs in their own organizations, to purchase more goods and services from minority-owned businesses, and perhaps most importantly, to share their management skills, strategies and expertise.We have formed many successful partnerships in support of minority businesses, including a 2000 joint venture with Bridgewater Interiors to supply complete seat systems for Cadillac DeVilles.
We launched a
private website
to speed up the process of introducing minority businesses to Johnson Controls plants, internal departments and key suppliers.We also encourage continuing education for minority business owners through scholarship awards to attend the Minority Business Executive Program, presented by the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College.
