Plantronics : In Support of the National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality

On Oct. 22, the Biden-Harris Administration publicized the National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality.This document outlines the United States government strategy to guide our work on gender equity and equality as a nation. This policy position signifies a momentous step toward advancing the rights and opportunities of girls and women.

COVID-19 exacerbated the preexisting economic, health and caregiving crises that disproportionately impact women and girls in the United States. As noted in the strategy, women's participation in the workforce has plummeted to its lowest level in over 30 years, meaning economic insecurity for women and girls has increased and their fundamental rights remain at risk.

Poly supports the new national strategy and is committed to creating equal opportunities and an equitable workplace for all. We hold ourselves accountable for doing the right thing in the right way, every time. To drive meaningful action, we have set goals to progress gender balance in leadership roles and improve female representation at all levels. One of our goals is to increase gender diversity by 10 percent year-over-year by the end of the 2022 fiscal year, and we are pleased to be exceeding this goal based on our hiring as of November 2021, with a 28 percent year-over-year increase in female hiring.

By engaging, empowering, retaining and promoting more women, we will create better gender equity in our business and exemplify the change we want to see. In the past year, Poly has made progress at the most senior levels of the business, gaining another female board member as well as adding another female member on the senior leadership team in the C-Suite. Our Sales organization also improved its gender balance by five percent in just over one year by adjusting their hiring process.

In 2021, we partnered with AWE - Advancing Women Executivesto provide career accelerator workshops that help elevate our next generation of senior leaders, who were nominated by the executive team, ensuring a robust pipeline of diverse talent is moving up through the Poly ranks.

In addition, supporting internal initiatives like Inclusion, Diversity, Education and Awareness (IDEA) and modifying hiring processes to mitigate bias and improve diversity are critical steps toward a better future. To foster internal dialogue and continue making progress towards Gender Equity, Poly maintains an active Women's Leadership Group - an open forum that focuses on women's development and success in the workplace, with an emphasis on awareness, empowerment and diversity among associates.

Our goal is not only to advance diversity, inclusion and gender equity at Poly, but to set the standard as a destination employer, leading the change. Poly recognizes its role in creating and upholding an equal, equitable workplace for all people, and we are proud to be making meaningful, measurable progress.