In celebration of Pride Month, FUSION, BELL’S LGBTQ+ ERG hosted its first-ever Ally training workshop. Participants worked with fellow Bell employees and FUSION team members to learn more about what it means to be an ally for the LGBTQ+ community.
OUR PEOPLE
EMPLOYEE RESOURCE GROUPS
Building a diverse and inclusive organization begins with creating a culture that embraces and celebrates what make each of us unique. Our Employee Resource Groups, or ERGs, provide opportunities for employees to connect, engage and share their culture and values within the ERG, throughout the business and to the larger community.
ERGs have provided our employees with leadership and volunteer opportunities, offering new ways to engage with colleagues with whom they may have a shared experience but may not otherwise meet. ERGs break down barriers of position, function, and experience level and provide a safe space to come together and make a difference.
Here are a few examples of our ERGs and what they did in 2021:
The TEXTRON AVIATION EMPLOYEES FLYING CLUB provided discovery flights to 33 youth served by League 42, a youth baseball league comprised primarily of children from urban areas within Wichita. Participants completed a pre-flight check of the aircraft with a pilot, learned how the aircraft works and finished with a short flight over Wichita.
At its three locations in Augusta, Ga., Cartersville, Ga. and Thief River Falls, Minn., TSV’S YOUNG PROFESSIONALS GROUP matched 75 interns to mentors — the matches were outside of the interns’ functional group to learn different parts of the business and gain new perspectives.
In 2021, Bell and Textron Systems launched new ERGs related to sustainability. Our Bell Employees for Environmental Sustainability (BEES) and Textron Systems’ Eco-Systems ERGs enable employees to create awareness and actively implement environmentally sustainable practices and procedures within our day-to-day operations and our local communities.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AT TEXTRON
Textron is committed to providing Equal Opportunity in Employment to all applicants and employees regardless of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), age, national and ethnic origin, marital status, military service or obligation, veteran status, handicap, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by law. This commitment must be followed in all aspects of employment and personnel practices including but not limited to: recruitment, hiring, placement, performance evaluation, upgrading or promotion, demotion, transfer, compensation, benefits, layoff and recall, training and development, social and recreational programs and application of all Company policies, procedures, and benefits.
Within the United States, it is Textron’s policy to take affirmative action to employ and to advance in employment, all persons regardless of their race, sex, status as individuals with disabilities or protected veterans, and to base all employment decisions only on valid job requirements. Textron develops annual Affirmative Action plans with specific goals to support and promote the employment and advancement and fair pay of minorities, women, qualified disabled persons and veterans.
We are dedicated to maintaining a workplace free of harassment or discrimination and where all employees are treated with dignity and respect. Employees are encouraged to report any suspected harassment or discriminatory conduct, and the Company is committed to investigating all reports of harassing and/or discriminatory conduct and taking appropriate action in response when an investigation reveals any prohibited conduct. Managers and supervisors are specifically responsible for taking actions to prevent violations of Textron’s equal employment opportunity policy and to maintain a work environment that is free from harassment or discrimination and reporting any conduct that violates this commitment. Retaliation of any kind against employees for reporting discrimination or participating in investigations is expressly prohibited.