HERSHEY, Pa.-- The Hershey Co. is supporting three major White House workforce equality initiatives, including the White House Equal Pay Pledge, First Job Compact and Fair Chance Pledge.
Through participation in these initiatives, The Hershey Co. said it is reinforcing its commitment to equal pay for equal work, giving more people opportunities to gain experience and confidence in the workforce, and eliminating unnecessary employment barriers.
“We believe in bringing goodness to the world, and that starts with our employees and having a workplace that encourages and supports opportunity for everyone,” said Michele Buck, Hershey's executive vice president and chief operating officer. “Hershey is a place where people want to work because of our belief in fair, equitable and competitive pay. We offer people rewarding job opportunities from the start and develop employees throughout their professional career.”
The White House Equal Pay Pledge acknowledges that women working full-time earn only 79% of men’s wages. The pledge encourages organizations to take action to advance equal pay and help close this gap. The company's participation affirms its policy to pay on an equal basis regardless of an individual's race, color, gender or age, said Kevin Walling, Hershey's chief human resource officer. “Our pledge is an important indicator of our aspiration to be a diversity and inclusion leader by 2020,” Walling said.
The First Job Compact Pledge encourages organizations to give young people opportunities in the hiring process. The goal of this effort is to provide meaningful first jobs to help open the door to future opportunities. One in seven young people in America are not in school or working a meaningful first job, according to the pledge.
Hershey is a founding member of the First Job Compact Pledge. As part of the initiative, Hershey said it actively recruits and partners with nonprofits, school districts and others to identify youth for jobs that require little to no prior experience. In addition, Hershey’s Business Resource Groups (BRGs) serve as a way for leadership to engage in ongoing dialogue with first-time employees, providing onboarding and mentoring. In announcing its support of the initiatives, Hershey said it provides jobs and internships in manufacturing, sales, retail, human resources and corporate administration functions in and around Hershey, Pa., as well and other communities.
Hershey also said it supports the Fair Chance Pledge, which asks organizations to provide meaningful employment opportunities to individuals with criminal records, especially those who have completed incarceration.
The confectionery company is based in Hershey, Pa., and has approximately 21,000 employees around the world. The company has more than 80 brands that generate more than $7.4 billion in annual revenues.
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