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Southwest Airlines Announces Commitment to Increase Diversity in Leadership

GaryKelly
Employee
Employee

Southwest Airlines Diversity & Inclusion journey began long before this summer’s increased focus about racial injustice and has always been rooted in our Southwest Way Values: specifically, how we show up individually, how we treat each other, how we work as a Team, and how we will succeed as a Company. Continue reading to learn about Southwest’s commitment to increase diversity in Leadership.

 

Southwest's Chairman & CEO Gary Kelly shared this video with all Southwest Employees on September 29, 2020.

 

Southwest Airlines Diversity & Inclusion journey began long before this summer’s increased focus about racial injustice and has always been rooted in our Southwest Way Values: specifically, how we show up individually, how we treat each other, how we work as a Team, and how we will succeed as a Company.

 

While our diversity imperatives across the years laid a good foundation, we know we must commit to closely focusing in areas like diversity in Senior Leadership and supplier diversity. We continue to look for opportunities to better reflect in our organization the diverse demographics of the communities we serve. Specifically, the Company has set the following goals:

 

  • Evolving hiring and development practices to support diversity goals, including posting all open Leadership positions (Supervisor to Vice President) and requiring diverse candidate slates for each role
  • Measuring progress in increasing diversity in Senior Leadership
  • Doubling the percentage of racial diversity and increasing gender diversity in Senior Management Committee by 2025
  • Engaging breadth of community partners to ensure the Company is leveraging those relationships as it sources diverse talent

 

Additionally, the Southwest Airlines Board of Directors has committed to increasing its diverse representation by 2025.

 

Pursuing Racial Equity

To continue our commitment to inclusion, the Southwest Airlines Diversity and Inclusion Team has completed workshops with much of the Company’s workforce, thus far, including Flight Attendants, Mechanics and Engineers, Finance Employees, and Pilots, with other conversations planned. These workshops are part of an effort to encourage productive conversations on racial equity. Many workgroups from throughout the Company have initiated dialogue and discussion about these important topics.

 

Employee-led Solutions

The Southwest Airlines’ Diversity Council—comprised of a diverse group of Employees with various job roles, in locations across the country, and with varying levels of experience—was founded more than 10 years ago. It serves as an asset, dedicated to a mission that promotes a work environment that appreciates different backgrounds, experiences, and traditions, while also fostering inclusion, and leveraging diversity to enhance performance and shape Company strategy.

 

Assisting Communities with Change

Our Community Outreach Team continues visiting with our Community Partners to understand how the Company can support workforce development through talent pipelines. The Southwest Airlines Foundation, a corporate-advised fund within the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, made additional monetary contributions to organizations such as the National Urban League and 100 Black Men in America.