Forbes list of 500 best employers for diversity: Which upstate firms are on it?:
https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/2...utm_term=adhoc
"A number of upstate employers and companies with upstate ties have been named to the Forbes list of best employers for diversity in the United States for 2024 with Excellus BlueCross BlueShield at the top of the local list at number 25.
“Inclusion, diversity, equity and access are core to who we are and what we do every day,” said Jim Reed, Excellus’ president and chief executive officer, in a release. “This recognition is evidence of the ways our employees contribute to an environment where each of us can feel seen, valued and empowered to be our best selves.”
Excellus is headquartered in Rochester and serves 31 upstate counties in the Mohawk Valley, the Southern Tier, the Finger Lakes and Central New York. It also has regional offices in Utica, Syracuse and Elmira with additional offices in Plattsburgh, Johnson City and Watertown.
The list includes 500 employers with at least 1,000 employees. Scores were based in part on surveys of 170,000 employees rating company policies on age, gender, ethnicity, disability and sexual orientation, according to Forbes.
Scores were also based partially on research on companies’ diversity, equity and inclusion practices, such as employee resource groups, the publication of employee demographic data, the percentage of women in leadership role and supplier diversity, according to a description by Forbes.
Other upstate-based companies that made the list and their ranking are:
- 115: Paychex, Rochester
- 188: M&T Bank, Buffalo
- 208: Wegmans Food Markets, Rochester
- 305: Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo
- 352: Syracuse University
- 361: University of Rochester
- 444: Rochester Institute of Technology
- 479: Corning
Diversity is not something that just happens by chance, but rather through commitment to becoming an inclusive, equitable and accessible workplace, said Sady Alvarado-Fischer, Excellus' vice president, diversity, equity and inclusion officer.
"Behavior change starts with awareness," she said. "We create a safe environment for employees to learn about how to engage with various cultures and communities. Topics include cultural sensitivity, privilege and bias, LGBTQ+ inclusion, disability inclusion and accessibility education."
Some of the specific methods the company has used include:
- A recent, all-day internal learning conference with more than 200 employees on DEI-specific on-site learning.
- A DEI book club with cross-cultural learning and discussions.
- Tracking diversity representation in the company.
- Annual inclusion employee survey to measure progress on DEI goals.
- Using internal communications to keep focus on inclusion, diversity, equity and access.
Some other companies on the list have strong upstate ties. Dick’s Sporting Goods, number 64, was founded in Binghamton although the corporate headquarters relocated to Pittsburgh in 1994. (Does have a distribution center in Conklin outside of Binghamton)
Many consider Endicott to be the birthplace of IBM, number 141 on the list. And Highmark Health, number 204, is based in Pittsburgh, but offers health plans in New York through Highmark Blue Shield of Northeastern New York and Highmark BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York.
Micron Technology, based in Boise, is number 74 on the list. The company is building a semiconductor fabrication facility in Clay. And Applied Materials, based in Santa Clara, California, number 446 on the list, has locations in Rochester, Malta, Fishkill and Albany.
The Best Employers for Diversity 2024 award is presented by Forbes and Statista Inc., a global data and business intelligence platform established in Germany in 2007. The full list is available on the Forbes website.
And General Electric, number 486 on the list, has locations in Schenectady, although General Electric split into GE Aerospace and GE Vernova earlier this month. (GE Healthcare split off last year.) GE Vernova runs the sites in Schenectady, but the Forbes profile does not yet address the split.
Most of the upstate companies on the list have made it onto other Forbes lists of employers in the past. Earlier this year, the Forbes list of America’s Best Large Employers included Wegmans (93), Paychex (162), M&T Bank (213) and Corning (473).
Excellus was number eight on the list of America’s Best Midsized Employers earlier this year.
Wegmans also made the 2024 Forbes lists of best brands for social impact (19), customer experience-all stars (14) and best customer service (24). "
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