In a remarkable interview with The HR Digest, Marina Pariseau talks about the value of DE&I initiatives in the global business sector and what makes 3M one of America’s top employers. As a prominent DE&I leader, the Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President, Global Diversity & Inclusion, Human Resources, 3M, has made a tremendous contribution to paving the way to a more inclusive wokforce.
The HR Digest: 3M is one of the few companies that has achieved pay equity within 100% of its global workforce. That’s a unique feat. What are the biggest challenges you faced in supporting pay equity for men, women and minorities across the globe?
Marina Pariseau: I’m proud to say 3M achieved 100% pay equity on a global scale in 2021. We were able to accomplish this due to the consistent implementation of our global pay philosophy and principles. Each year, we analyze pay equity by comparing employees in the same job category, job grade and location, then leveraging objective and systematic compensation. Our biggest challenge has been in navigating the complexity that many other global organizations face — with employees in over 70 countries, the nuances in local government regulations and internal pay practices can be very complicated. To help ensure progress we knew we needed to start by first looking at our largest, most complex countries. Once we had a good method for our analysis, we applied it to some of our smaller countries and then we adjusted where needed to make sure it was appropriate for that particular country.
What initiatives are you most proud of at 3M?
There is so much to be proud about working for 3M. Our purpose in unlocking the power of people, ideas and science to reimagine what’s possible and solve the world’s most difficult challenges inspires the work that we all do. Having recently joined 3M, I am especially proud of how we reinforce our commitments through our actions. 3Mers are advancing equitable change in our communities, especially in the communities that need us most. In 2020, 3M announced it would invest an incremental $50 million over five years to support economic equity through workforce development within our global headquarters. Additionally, every 3M Business Group has launched its own initiatives to help drive equity in our communities using the unique skillsets of our people.
Our Health Care Business Group is working to address health care disparities for historically marginalized communities. Our Consumer Business Group is working to address the homeownership gap by partnering with organizations that increase ownership access for underrepresented groups and through meaningful product donations that make a house a home. The Transportation and Electronics Business Group is working to improve urban safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers by enhancing visibility and signage in select city centers to bring families home safely. And our Safety and Industrial Business Group is focused on raising awareness of skilled trades as a viable career pathway among underrepresented students and young adults, demonstrating how these roles can be fulfilling and offer equitable living wages.
From your perspective, what are the most immediate opportunities for companies to cultivate a culture where diversity, equity, and inclusion are woven into its fabric, both internally and externally?
When it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion, it can be easy to fall into moving from initiative to initiative or program to program on a well-intended mission of driving progress. To truly embed DEI into the fabric of a company’s culture, I believe three things are critical. The first is visible championing at the top, starting with the CEO. Top leaders not only model the cultural norms and expectations but are critical in setting accountability measures for employees at all levels of the organization. The second is intentional integration of DEI into all that your organization does, starting with the business strategy.
The plan and roadmap for how you grow your business needs to have at its center a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. How the company operates, who they choose to partner with, how they make investment decisions, how they use their voice and power and how they give back to their communities needs to be done through a lens of diversity, equity and inclusion. The third is educating and equipping employees on why DEI is important, providing the tools and resources to engage them in driving actions that foster diversity, equity and inclusion in our workplaces and communities.
” Our biggest challenge has been in navigating the complexity that many other global organizations face—with employees in over 70 countries, the nuances in local government regulations and internal pay practices can be very complicated.”
What experiences, people, or philosophies have most influenced the way you view and practice diversity and inclusion, and why?
For many D&I practitioners, doing the work we do comes from a very personal place, and I am no exception. I was raised by a single mother and lived below the poverty level for much of my upbringing. My mom struggled to grow her career due to the many barriers she faced and the stigma associated with being a single mom. Forced to work two jobs, my mom left us in the care of my grandmother. I learned a lot from these two strong women, and they both have shaped how I view and practice D&I. From my mom I learned about the negative impact of bias and how both visible and invisible differences can result in unfair advantages and access to opportunities. I also learned the importance of empathy, of seeking to understand the experiences of others and how important it is to speak on behalf of and stand up for others that may need your voice and advocacy. From my grandmother I learned the importance of listening, taking the time to learn from others and how critical it is to make time and space for connection.
Do you have any initiatives or areas you plan to focus on in the coming years?
These past few years have demanded a U.S. focus on our initiatives and programs. We will continue to maintain this focus, while also ensuring our D&I Strategy is more comprehensive, includes a global lens to our D&I work and clearly lays out focused actions that help ensure we are positioned to drive progress against our global diversity and inclusion goals. I am inspired by 3M’s unwavering commitment to making an impact in our workplace, within our businesses and in our communities, and I am grateful to my colleagues around the world for their engagement in our diversity, equity and inclusion journey.