Diversity isn't about numbers at Praxair, it's about culture, says Sally Savoia, VP for human resources at the industrial company. "It's not counting noses; it's creating the culture and atmosphere where all employees are valued."
When Savoia became HR VP in 2002, she was charged with increasing attention to diversity of the company's workforce. Corporate chair Dennis Reilley has a strong commitment to diversity, and so did his predecessor. The company's diversity taskforce includes key members of the management team along with HR reps and the CFO, who is its executive member.
The taskforce kicked off its efforts by holding focus groups, which sampled 15 to 20 percent of the employees. "They found that openness was the primary issue," Savoia notes. "We had expected a demand for affinity groups but we didn't get that."
"We have good representation of females and Asians," Savoia says, "and we're working hard to recruit other minorities." With its worldwide gas and coatings emphasis, Praxair seeks both experienced and new grad ChEs and MEs. Experienced folks often come from the chemical and refining industries or engineering construction firms.
Praxair employs 10,500 people in the U.S, nearly 500 of them technical pros. The technical folks work in pure engineering, R&D and IT. "As a manufacturer, we have a lot of hourly people involved in operations and distribution, but we also have many employees with engineering backgrounds in operations and sales positions," Savoia notes. The company also has sizable technical staffs in South America, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia.
Some technical employees now have the option of rotating into short-term assignments in China. "We are trying to transfer knowledge, loaning our U.S. experts to the Chinese engineering organization," says Savoia. "We designed these rotations to minimize disruption and expense for families and to give our U.S.-based employees an opportunity to experience working in a global environment."
Praxair typically hires a hundred or more professionals each year. Most of them come in with industrial experience, but a few dozen are new grads from schools with strong minority enrollment. Some of the recent grads have MBAs, which are highly prized for savvy customer interaction, and many employees go on to earn them with tuition support from the company.
In North America, the company runs a leadership and technical orientation program (LTOP) for new-grad hires.
Praxair is proud of the diversity represented in the LTOP groups - a mix of CEs and MEs, men and women, with a good representation of Hispanics and African Americans.
"When we screen LTOP applicants, we look for people who have shown leadership," Savoia says. Recruiting is done on the career page of the company website, at key schools and through SWE, NSBE and SHPE events. Thirty-five of the several hundred applicants are flown to corporate HQ for in-person interviews with key Praxair personnel.
Each LTOP class has five to ten CEs and MEs. The expectation is that most of them will become managers, so the program is designed to expose participants to all aspects of the company. To successfully complete the program, candidates have to demonstrate managerial and leadership abilities as well as technical and business skills.
The LTOP candidates have a sponsor, normally a plant manager, a successful, well-rounded technical person, who provides coaching and guidance. There are monthly reports and quarterly projects. They do everything from meeting the CEO, the regional VP and operations managers to riding with truck drivers and operating the plant facilities.
Savoia notes that LTOP students spend about half their time on the road as they learn about the company. When the new engineers "graduate," Praxair will relocate them again. "We have engineers in all parts of the country," Savoia explains, "so in their first ten years they might expect to relocate three or four times."
Praxair is currently immersed in a two-part diversity training program. The first part was a series of presentations by management to the entire workforce. The focus was on the value of diversity to the business.
A hands-on interactive program will begin later this year. It's designed to reinforce the business reasons behind diversity, and "focus on interactions with fellow employees in a manner that's respectful and open to differences," Savoia says.
Praxair recently launched a year-long mentoring program that pairs senior managers with junior staffers. One component is long-distance mentoring, supported by on-line tools.
Praxair has operations in more than 400 locations in the U.S., some with only a few engineers on a site, Savoia explains. "There's not always an opportunity for hands-on connectivity, but going on line we can make a good match."
The company is committed to community outreach. At its major sites in Chicago, IL, Danbury, CT and Buffalo, NY, employees participate in grade-school mentoring programs. Praxair also supports minority scholarships, and the Praxair Foundation has made hefty grants to several community hospitals, including one in Shanghai, China.
The company offers part time employment and flexible benefits like eldercare insurance. It also offers a family-friendly culture.
"We know that families are important to our employees," says Savoia. "If you have a kid in Little League and you're ducking out early to catch a game, no one looks at you funny as you go. Performance is an important part of our corporate culture, but so is a good work/life balance."
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www.praxair.com
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Division HQ: |
Danbury, CT |
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Employees: |
25,500 in 40 countries |
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Revenues: |
$5.6 billion in annual sales |
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Business: |
Atmospheric, process and
specialty gases, high-performance
coatings, related services and
technologies |
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