We recognized that as the leading beauty company, we needed a pipeline of talent that supports the diversity of the marketplace, specifically in the area of Gender representation.

A global goal was established to achieve 50/50 gender representation along with Equal Pay for Equal work. With a workforce representation of approximately 70% female and 30% male, women represented 36% of the executive roles, and, based upon the general definition of pay equity, were averaging 90% of male salaries in the US.  All business units were tasked to identify opportunities to enhance women in key leadership positions while recruiting more men into the business.

We implemented three employee driven Think Tanks. One focused on Executive Women; one focused on the gap in women’s representation in Operational functions; the other focused on gaps in women’s representation in IT and Digital functions.  With a purpose to influence the recruitment, retention and advancement of women within L’Oréal and the Communities that we serve, these groups became the catalyst for other Think Tanks that followed. 

We launched our first L’Oréal for Women Executive Offsite inviting over 100 employees women and men to a day of speakers, networking and discussion, hosted by CEO Frédéric Rozé. This program has continued over the past 4 years.

In 2014, L’Oréal USA became the first company in the US to become gender certified by the EDGE Strategy Group. The company was recertified again in 2016.  EDGE is the leading global assessment methodology and business certification standard for gender equality.

To support Men at L’Oréal we formed a Think Tank to drive the recruitment, engagement, and retention of men. 

As a signatory to the White House Pledge on Pay Equity in 2016, L’Oréal USA has been a member of the Employers for Pay Equity Steering Committee, working with companies to support their efforts towards pay equity.

In 2017, an Inclusive Leadership Program was co-designed with the Harvard Kennedy School to educate and expose male and female leaders to the concept of Bias and its impact in the workplace.

In 2017, we were recognized by Bloomberg for our commitment to disclosure around gender equality by voluntarily submitting data for the 2017 Financial Services Gender-Equality Index (BFGEI) although outside the universe criteria.  The Index provides investors and organizations with unique insight into the statistics, policies, product offerings and external engagement driving commitment to building gender-equal workplaces.

To date, 46% of the Executives at L’Oréal USA are women.  Pay equity averages within 5%.

Angela Guy