22-Jun-2022
At Stryker, we believe that Pride is more than a single month or moment. We’re committed to championing the LGBTQIA+ community all year round, and SAFE (Stryker’s Allies for Equality) helps us listen to important voices, challenge bias and create an equitable culture where every employee can achieve their full potential.
To foster an inclusive environment where everybody belongs, SAFE provides networking, education, training and resources that support sexual orientation, gender identity and expression awareness to employees. Erin Mack – a supply chain analyst at Stryker – has been the event lead for SAFE’s Kalamazoo, Michigan chapter for three years now, facilitating events hosted across campuses.
“To accomplish our mission of making healthcare better, one of the biggest things is being able to bring your authentic self to work,” Erin says. “It’s important that we’re showing Stryker is a space where you can be yourself.”
As one of our nine employee resource groups, SAFE is a strong and vibrant community that engages the broader organization to help employees feel safe, included and engaged. “In 2020, we issued a challenge to our members and allies to have everyone put pronouns in their email signatures,” Erin says. “We’ve also created an initiative called ‘creating safe spaces' —an introduction to the LGBTQIA+ community at Stryker—which has gotten a lot of traction across the company.”
Since its inception, SAFE’s leaders have built a strong foundation through employee-driven yearly action plans and seeking the support of external partners who help us make progress towards our DE&I commitments over time. SAFE has expanded to include chapters around the globe so that people – and the innovation they make possible – can thrive. “One of the most important things is that we’re listening to people’s experiences,” Erin says. “We’re here to shine a light on issues and take action to create a better experience for every employee.”
Stryker is proud to be one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality. Learn more about our diversity, equity and inclusion commitments here.
SYK CORP 2022-06-102