Inclusion is a key pillar of Whirlpool Corp.’s enduring values. We’re working toward enabling a culture where everyone experiences a sense of belonging, is comfortable being their authentic self, feels appreciated for their diversity and diverse perspectives and has equal access to opportunities and resources. Inclusion creates a culture of belonging—diversity makes us better.
A culture where every employee feels welcomed, valued, respected and heard.
We focus on creating and maintaining an inclusive workplace that brings out the best in our employees.
A workforce that represents our diverse consumer base at all levels of the organization.
We continue to build a workforce that represents our diverse customer base, with a global focus of increasing female representation, and underrepresented minority representation across all regions as well as Black representation specifically in the U.S.
A diverse supplier network, strong community partnerships and a positive reputation in local communities.
We build the right strategic partnerships and relationships with diverse organizations, including our own supplier network, as well as our relationships in local communities around the world.
Fair & Inclusive Talent &
Business Processes
Education & Development
Robust Measuring &
Diagnostic Data
Culture Of Accountability
Global I&D Infrastructure: Executive I&D Council,
Regional I&D Councils, Employee Resource Groups
Inclusion and Diversity is one of our Enduring Values and remains a critical strategic priority for our organization. With our mission of having a respectful and supportive workplace and culture that enables us to attract and retain a diverse workforce in mind, we continues to make steady progress in cultivating inclusive leadership, reinforcing organizational and procedural fairness and enhancing a culture of inclusion to make all employees feel welcomed, valued, respected and heard every day.
With 17 ERGs worldwide, Whirlpool Corp. employees remain committed to I&D.
In 2022, Whirlpool AVID and Whirlpool Veterans Association volunteers partnered with Disability Network of Southwest Michigan to complete three handicap ramp builds in Southwest Michigan. These volunteers dedicated 210 volunteer hours to provide greater independence and safety for people with mobility disabilities in their own homes.
The Whirlpool Asian Network (WAN) played a pivotal role in bringing cultural awareness to the community. In 2022, WAN hosted two large-scale events with more than 500 individual participants. The Dussehra Dandiya Celebration was one of the most popular events, with engagement from more than 340 people learning about a traditional Indian Festival. To support our holistic well-being strategy, WAN hosted over 100 badminton matches, encouraging employees to actively participate in physical activities through healthy competition.
Since its founding in 1999, the Whirlpool Pride Network has maintained its mission to enable Whirlpool Corp. to be a top company for LGBTQ+ talent by providing an inclusive environment with recurring opportunities for growth and development of both allies and the LGBTQ+ community. Pride Network’s dedication to support the LGBTQ+ population now expands beyond the North America region. Following the establishment of the Latin America branch, in 2022, Whirlpool Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) officially launched its Pride Network with pilot locations in Italy and the U.K. with direct support from regional senior leadership.
In constant pursuit of making Whirlpool Corp. the best working place for women, the Whirlpool Women’s Network (WWN) launched a two-pronged Voice of Membership strategy in 2022, in conjunction with various robust initiatives, including:
“I now am a proud parent of two IVF (in vitro fertilization) babies! With my daughter Daniella, I struggled navigating the process alone, and it was expensive since very little was covered by insurance, but after three IVF attempts, we were finally successful. To improve the process and benefits, I worked with Human Resources to select and onboard Progyny, a leading fertility care provider. On January 3, 2022, the benefit went into effect, and I was able to start my journey from scratch again, stress free. The Progyny benefit not only included a Patient Care Advocate to talk to, but everything in the process, including preimplantation genetic testing on the embryo, was covered under the insurance policy and hit our deductible, coinsurance and out-of-pocket max like any illness would. We retrieved our eggs in February and transferred our perfect embryo on St. Patrick’s Day. Baby Jackson joined us in early December, and I’m so grateful for the Progyny benefit and how the coverage and support enabled me to stay focused at work and be the best employee and mother I could be.”
“The infertility club is one no one wants to be a part of. It’s emotionally and physically taxing and very expensive. When I found out my husband and I were struggling with infertility, I grieved and then thought, ‘How are we going to pay for this?’ However, I was extremely surprised and ecstatic to find out that Whirlpool has fertility insurance through Progyny. I feel very glad that we were able to find comfort in the fact that we had fertility insurance and were able to focus on the physical and mental aspect of the journey, rather than the financial aspect. We truly consider ourselves lucky that the IVF procedures were successful for us and that we were supported emotionally and financially along the way to welcoming Sophia.”
In 2022, we implemented a diverse candidate slate and diverse interview panel requirement into our hiring practices in North America. These requirements allow us to add rigor to the hiring process, including diversity as a focus, and further reinforcing it as a priority in building a robust talent pipeline. We will always hire the most qualified candidate; and these requirements brought awareness to diverse candidates. We saw a 25 percentage point increase in diverse hiring, and as a result the requirements will be expanded globally in 2023.
36% Diversity Inc. Benchmark
25% McKinsey’s Industrial Benchmark5
41% Diversity Inc. Benchmark
25% McKinsey’s Industrial Benchmark5
36% Diversity Inc. Benchmark
20% McKinsey’s Industrial Benchmark
41% Diversity Inc. Benchmark
21% McKinsey’s Industrial Benchmark
7% OneTen Benchmark
5% OneTen Benchmark
1 Consistent with prior years, our most recently filed Federal Employer Information Report EEO-1, representing employees as of December 2022, will be available for download from our corporate website in mid-2023. While we make the document publicly available, we measure our diversity progress as a global company differently from the U.S.-only view provided by the EEO-1 report. The EEO-1 is not fully representative of how we measure diversity in our company, and we believe the information we report elsewhere in this report is a more accurate reflection of our diversity progress.
2 Global employee representation data includes InSinkErator employees.
3 URM includes employees who self-identify as Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Island, Two or More Races, or Other. Employees who choose not to disclose their ethnicity or who do not provide a response regarding their ethnicity are excluded from the scope of this metric.
4 Employee gender and ethnicity are based upon employee self-identification.
5 Updated in 2022, with the release of McKinsey’s 2022 Women in the Workplace Report.
6 Office/Managerial includes office workers/professional staff and those in manufacturing, managerial or specialized engineering positions. This also would include salaried non-exempt employees such as call center employees. These individuals are typically paid bi-weekly or monthly depending on their overtime exemption status and/or governing municipality they work in. Typically their wages fall under many different lines of the P&L including SG&A and Engineering.
7 Production includes direct labor and those directly involved in the operation of keeping the factory and warehousing running that are non-managerial in nature. In most cases these individuals are paid on an hourly wage. Typically their wages fall under direct labor or other cost of sales.
In 2022, our Executive Steering Committee oversaw progress on all aspects of Whirlpool Corp.’s Racial Equality Pledge, driven by workstreams each led by one senior leader and one ERG representative. These workstreams partner internally across the organization and externally with the city of Benton Harbor, local nonprofits and local businesses to deliver results.
For more information on our commitments, check out the Whirlpool Racial Equality pledge
Over 1,300 U.S.-based people leaders completed Module 3: “Understanding the Black Employee Experience at Whirlpool” via 43 leader-led sessions. Programs launched in the Latin America region and EMEA in 2022, where we received glowing feedback.
“This training process has helped me to understand that even if you think you are unbiased, you still have bias based on where and how you were raised; who you interact with.”
“En mis 17 años en la compañía, nunca me había sentido tan liberada de poder hablar, compartir sobre estos temas tan relevantes, que aplican no solo en mi vida profesional si no también en mi vida personal. Gracias Whirlpool por apostarle a nuestro desarrollo.”
Translation: “In my 17 years in the company, I have never felt so free to be able to speak, share about these relevant topics, which apply not only in my professional life but also in my personal life. Thank you, Whirlpool, for betting on our development.”
We completed the first cohort of mentoring relationships for Black managers and senior managers and initialized a second cohort with expansion to the senior analyst level.
We recruited local high school graduates and college freshman to join our Possibilities at Home (P@TH) Internship Program in our Global Headquarters community of Berrien County. The group consisted of 10 interns across 9 disciplines, from 9 universities, who completed the 10 week program.
60% Underrepresented
Minorities
60% womeN
100% Local
100% “successful” ratings
by manager
We provided support for BHAS in the following ways:
After breaking ground on the $23 million property in 2021, work continued on the multi-family housing development in Benton Harbor. The apartment building has been named Emma Jean Hull Flats, honoring the legacy of former Benton Harbor Mayor Hull, who was the first female mayor of Benton Harbor and is attributed with the beginning of the Benton Harbor revitalization. Both the City and Whirlpool Corp. are excited to welcome residents to their new homes in 2023. The high-quality, market-rate, 80-unit development is slated to be home to 100 residents, including units slated to be reserved for “Hometown Heroes”—local teachers, first responders and other local public service employees—who may be eligible for reduced rent. This project will also increase the tax base in the city of Benton Harbor as well as creating a community within the community and serving as a catalyst for future development in the city.
The recently founded nonprofit Emerge Innovation Hub, a collaboration arising out of Whirlpool Corp.’s Racial Equality Pledge and other local businesses and nonprofits, hosted the second Microgrant Pitch Night to support Black-owned businesses in 2022. Emerge empowers small business owners with education and networking for all participants, culminating in the pitch night where three winners are provided grants to support growing their business.
“Honestly, it’ll mean everything. Just because I’m able now to do what I really want to do. I can go ahead and get the rest of my books published. I can go ahead and get that website started, which’ll be huge, and I’ll be able to push my books more now and start that reading initiative that I was working on.”
Candi Purdiman,
Owner of Kids Read Too WINNER
“Events like this are important for the community because they bring awareness to the people who are trying to establish themselves and who need community support to do so.”
Olivia Nichols,
Owner of Showtime Customs
RUNNER-UP
“What’s really important is that we foster an environment of support. It’s about longevity. So, after we leave here tonight, we’re still community members and we’re still entrepreneurs who need to support each other. So we always foster that environment.”
Jasmnika Newbern,
Owner of Jaszy Jars
2nd RUNNER UP
For many of Whirlpool Corp.’s salaried employees, their journey begins during their undergraduate years. Often their first interaction with the company might be at a job fair where they learn about the opportunities available to them, including internships and early career opportunities. In 2020, as part of the Racial Equality Pledge, we started a journey to find the right fit for a strategic partner in one of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across the U.S. After a thorough review, in partnership with a leading Minority Business Enterprise management consulting firm, the Whirlpool Corp. team narrowed the potential list of candidate schools to those compatible with our vision. The team met with representatives from the finalist schools and ultimately established a partnership with FAMU in Tallahassee, Florida.
Over the next 10 years, the company plans to provide an annual contribution to the Southern Scholarship Foundation. This foundation supports students who lack financial resources and maintain a 3.0 GPA by providing rent-free housing in a cooperative living space. We have also committed financial resources to the College of Engineering scholarship program.
More than just a financial commitment, through this partnership Whirlpool Corp. has and intends to:
In 2022, we provided 24 new appliances with our latest product innovations ranging from ovens and refrigerators to washers and dryers to over 50 students living in three houses supported by the Southern Scholarship Foundation.
The relationship between Whirlpool Corp. and Black colleagues within our company and within our communities, especially those who live in Benton Harbor, is something we care deeply about. There is no sense in sugar-coating this conversation. Racial inequalities and unfairness exist within our communities. Equality and fairness are complex and multilayered issues, shaped by historical events, privilege and oppression, generational and cultural misunderstandings and grudges, and successes and failures in improving life for each of us. It’s difficult to deny the delicate relationship that currently exists between us all. So we seek to be collaborative to ensure clear understanding of the needs and desires of the community with respect to any given project.
For more information, check out the Whirlpool Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy
In May 2022, over 100 of our employees, alongside neighbors, children and city officials from Benton Harbor, gathered to complete the revitalization of Union Park. Work on this $500,000 investment, donated by Whirlpool Corp. and the Whirlpool Foundation, started in 2021 with contractors and specialists laying the foundation with critical components such as new lights and dugouts for the baseball fields and new playground equipment selected with input from local children. The volunteers then offered their sweat equity to paint, repair, pick up litter, plant flowers and more.
The final product was ready just in time for Little League season and a summer full of events, picnics and family gatherings. More information about this work, lessons learned, and next steps can be found at https://whirlpoolcorp.com/union-park-project-community-day-of-action/.
36% Diversity Inc. Benchmark
25% McKinsey’s Industrial Benchmark5
41% Diversity Inc. Benchmark
25% McKinsey’s Industrial Benchmark5
5 Updated in 2022, with the release of McKinsey’s 2022 Women in the Workplace Report.
6 Office/Managerial includes office workers/professional staff and those in manufacturing, managerial or specialized engineering positions. This also would include salaried non-exempt employees such as call center employees. These individuals are typically paid bi-weekly or monthly depending on their overtime exemption status and/or governing municipality they work in. Typically their wages fall under many different lines of the P&L including SG&A and Engineering.
7 Production includes direct labor and those directly involved in the operation of keeping the factory and warehousing running that are non-managerial in nature. In most cases these individuals are paid on an hourly wage. Typically their wages fall under direct labor or other cost of sales.
36% Diversity Inc. Benchmark
20% McKinsey’s Industrial Benchmark
41% Diversity Inc. Benchmark
21% McKinsey’s Industrial Benchmark
3 URM includes employees who self-identify as Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Island, Two or More Races, or Other. Employees who choose not to disclose their ethnicity or who do not provide a response regarding their ethnicity are excluded from the scope of this metric.
6 Office/Managerial includes office workers/professional staff and those in manufacturing, managerial or specialized engineering positions. This also would include salaried non-exempt employees such as call center employees. These individuals are typically paid bi-weekly or monthly depending on their overtime exemption status and/or governing municipality they work in. Typically their wages fall under many different lines of the P&L including SG&A and Engineering.
7 Production includes direct labor and those directly involved in the operation of keeping the factory and warehousing running that are non-managerial in nature. In most cases these individuals are paid on an hourly wage. Typically their wages fall under direct labor or other cost of sales.
7% OneTen Benchmark
5% OneTen Benchmark
6 Office/Managerial includes office workers/professional staff and those in manufacturing, managerial or specialized engineering positions. This also would include salaried non-exempt employees such as call center employees. These individuals are typically paid bi-weekly or monthly depending on their overtime exemption status and/or governing municipality they work in. Typically their wages fall under many different lines of the P&L including SG&A and Engineering.
7 Production includes direct labor and those directly involved in the operation of keeping the factory and warehousing running that are non-managerial in nature. In most cases these individuals are paid on an hourly wage. Typically their wages fall under direct labor or other cost of sales.
