Lululemon plans to hire a head of global diversity equity and inclusion as part of a number of steps to increase diversity across its workforce. The retailer will also provide an additional U.S.$3 million to its social impact program, Here to Be, for a total of U.S.$7 million in 2020.

The diversity push was detailed on a link on LULU’s home page.  The full message is below.

…

We’re committed to making real, lasting change.

The Black Lives Matter movement has acted as a powerful catalyst within our organization. After many real and impactful conversations with our underrepresented employees and our greater community, we heard loud and clear that we need to change behaviors within our own walls to support meaningful, lasting change in the world.

Our CEO Calvin McDonald, together with our Senior Leadership Team, has made the following commitments to stand up and fund Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Action within our organization. This ensures we stay engaged and act in allyship in our commitment to anti-racism. This is by no means the last step. It is just the start.

Increase funding, accelerate actions and create accountability for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Action

  • Recruit a Head of Global Diversity Equity and Inclusion to ensure we deliver on our commitments.
  • Expand and resource our global Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Action team, internally investing an additional USD $5 million a year in funding to build consistent momentum.

Create an ongoing dialogue between underrepresented members of our collective with Calvin McDonald and our Senior Leadership Team

  • Establish voluntary employee-led resource groups (pacer groups)that will set the pace of our progress, starting with immediately formalizing the group of Black employees who have come together. This will act as our first pacer group; however, more groups of our underrepresented employees will be formed—in addition to the ongoing diversity and inclusion sessions offered.
  • Create a global advisory committee comprised of lululemon ambassadors who bring diverse knowledge and skills to inform our actions and collectively drive meaningful change around the world.

Expand our training, learning, and development to support Inclusion, Diversity and Equity

  • Deliver anti-racism and anti-discrimination training for all employees by September 2020.
  • Deliver Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity curriculum to all people leaders through our Leader Series and Retail Training Programs starting in October 2020, with senior leadership education kicking off in July 2020.

Increase diverse representation among our employees and our collective

  • By the end of 2020, through a voluntary survey, we’ll share employee demographic data through an annual Impact Report which will communicate our commitment and progress towards creating positive change for a better world.
  • Accelerate the equitable development of our employees by January 2021 through a new career development program that supports increasing diversity across our organization, including our leadership team.
  • Attract diverse talent from outside the organization by June 2021 through a global internship program in partnership with educational institutions that serve underrepresented communities.
  • Require diverse pools of candidates be interviewed for each role within lululemon starting in August 2020, through a refreshed hiring process that enforces inclusive practices and aims to eliminate bias.

Use our brand and our voice to advocate for change

  • Provide an additional USD$3 million to our social impact program, Here to Be, for a total of USD $7 million in 2020, to disrupt inequity in wellbeing through movement, mindfulness, and activism. The additional funding will go toward organizations focusing on civil rights and social justice for people experiencing systemic inequity due to identity and ability.
  • Leverage our platform to communicate with our community, amplifying diverse voices and galvanizing our community to act.

Photo courtesy Lululemon