AN INTERVIEW WITH EMILY DOYLE, CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER AND MICHELE IRWIN CUNNINGHAM, VICE PRESIDENT, COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS
Why was it critical for your organization to be involved in the Gender Parity Collaborative?
With the fundamental belief that gender parity is a critical business issue, being a part of the Collaborative allows for meaningful exchange and incites action and accountability across the industry, one participating company at a time.
Of what current company gender parity initiative are you most proud?
We’re most proud of our evolved pay practices, which fairly assess women candidates against a market benchmark for salary versus previous or current pay earned. As we hire and promote women, we believe this focused practice will begin to systematically close the very real pay gap that exists between men and women performing the same jobs.
As your organization’s leaders, why are you personally committed to advancing gender parity in the workplace?
Not only has research shown that a focus on diversity and inclusion yields better business results, but we believe we have an obligation to reflect (both for credibility and integrity) the experiences and perspectives of the patient populations that we serve.
How has your company benefited from the Collaborative’s discussion forums with like-minded industry peers?
It’s been valuable to work alongside colleagues in organizations at all stages of growth, size, and scale. We have the same desired outcomes and therefore have been able to brainstorm solutions that are fit-for-purpose based on each individual’s organizational need.
What’s the benefit of having both talent leaders and business leaders contribute to the consortium’s priorities?
Cross-functional connectedness toward a common goal is always powerful. In our case, each function is uniquely positioned to influence and take action where needed. It’s created a new and positive synergy that has improved our day-to-day work interactions, shared deliverables, and overall productivity.
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