Baking & Snack - March 2021 - 19

Pipeline for women in
food manufacturing
narrows as they move up
of different ethnicities, such as ensuring ethnic foods are
available in the local supermarkets.
" Businesses can definitely shape their communities
just by having conversations with grocery stores and
churches, or even talking with employees who belong to
those ethnic groups to ask about what makes them feel
welcome, " Mr. Arnot said. " Some of these things aren't
complicated. It's just about awareness, intent, effort and
commitment. "
In its " Women in the Workplace " report, McKinsey
found this lack of support to be draining for women in
leadership roles. Many reported not being able to bring
their full selves to the job.
" Women in senior positions were twice as likely as
women overall to be the only person of their gender or
race in the room at work, " Ms. Huang said. " And half of
them have felt the need to always be on and reported
feeling exhausted, compared to 40% of their male peers. "
For Black women, the report found that 52% reported being the only person of their gender and race
in the room, compared to 20% of all women. This disparity is associated with an increase in microaggressions
- always having to defend their work, others taking
credit for their ideas, being spoken over, etc. - all of
which impacts work experience.
" Our research shows that allyship really matters, "
Ms. Huang said. " When Black women have strong allies, they have positive workplace experiences and are
2.4 times more likely to advance and not experience
microaggressions. "
However, the research did bear out that there appears to be a disconnect between employees who believe
themselves to be allies and those taking allyship actions.
This is why employee education is also important to cultivating an inclusive workplace.
Campbell's diversity and inclusion initiative is guided
by three pillars - capabilities, advocacy and accountability - but Ms. Pierce believes the most important one
is capabilities, which aims to provide employees with an
education on these issues.
" I want to see each of our employees go on a learning
journey, from being unaware of the barriers to inclusion
to becoming aware, then being an activist and then finally an advocate for inclusions, " she explained.
Another part of creating an inclusive work environment is the establishment of groups where employees
can connect with each other. General Mills offers six
affinity networks for employees: Asian Leader, Black
Champions, Hispanic, Women in Leadership, Veterans
and Betty's Family LGBT.
" We've formed affinity networks where employees can
find a foothold within a more intimate cultural niche
and build a deeper sense of belonging through mentor-

Entry Level
Manager
Sr. Manager
Vice President
Sr. Vice President
C-Suite

51%
37%
31%
23%
21%
20%

Credit: Women in the Workplace 2020, McKinsey & Co.

52% of Black women in senior leadership report being
the only person of their gender or race in the room.
ship and development, " said Juliana Batista, senior director of diversity and inclusion at General Mills.
To help create a pipeline to leadership for minority employees, Campbell's has invested in a program to
cultivate talent. This includes establishing diverse talent
reviews and development plans with mentors or sponsors for employees. Data dashboards help the company
review data to ensure that promotions of minorities are
happening at a rate that is consistent with their representation at that level. This also allows the company to
identify any gaps that exist and address them.
An inclusive work environment that offers support
and career paths will attract employees across the entire
spectrum of diversity. And then companies can truly
choose the best candidate for the position. However,
none of this works if there isn't a commitment from the
highest echelons of leadership.
" It has to start with the C-suite, and if it's not there,
nothing material will change, " Mr. Arnot said.

General Mills' diversity
and inclusion programs
extend into its
communities, promoting
equity in food access
and education.
General Mills

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