Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

OUR EFFORTS

While we cannot single-handedly solve systematic discrimination and inequality, we can do our part to oppose it. We began with an independent quantitative review of where Metron stands with demographics, policies, and career outcomes. We also contracted with a leading business analysis group to conduct a qualitative study of culture and experience. The results revealed that while Metron’s employment practices and culture of inclusion make us an industry leader in multiple diversity, equity, and inclusion metrics, we still have room for improvement.

In response, some steps we have taken to move us closer to our goal include (but are not limited to):

• Forming an employee-led diversity, equity, and inclusion working group tasked with regular policy and outcome review
• Committing to regular evaluation by external agencies
• Rewriting our employee handbook, website and onboarding materials to provide clearer descriptions of the conduct expected of our community as we develop a truly inclusive environment
• Enrolling our executive and managerial staff in ongoing training specifically designed to reveal systemic inequity and develop methods to counter it
• Expanding our recruiting efforts in underrepresented populations by attending job fairs and reaching out to targeted public and private recruitment agencies
• Overhauling the performance review system used in determining employee compensation and advancement so that it is more transparent and less susceptible to unconscious bias
• Forming partnerships with education, business, and government agencies actively working to combat systemic inequality
• Cultivating relationships and advocacy groups such as the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)
• Increasing our student outreach efforts to a wider range of schools including Gallaudet University and historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) such as Howard University and Alabama A&M University
• Revising the language we use in internal and external communication to find and eliminate non-inclusive language and attitudes as well as to provide accessible resources
• Adding mandatory training for hiring teams to teach them to understand their biases and actively foster inclusion throughout the hiring process
• Establishing a feedback and review system for our hiring process to better understand candidate experience
• Setting division and company-wide diversity targets that better reflect the labor market and population at large
• Pursuing cultural competency by creating substantive learning opportunities and formal, transparent policies.