At Stanley Black & Decker, our talent goal is to draw from a global diverse talent pool to deliver on our company strategic objectives.  We wanted to create and sustain a culture where all employees are empowered to pursue career advancement and have access to resources to support their development in a safe and inclusive environment.

In 2015, the Women’s Network was the first affinity network established at Stanley Black & Decker, quickly followed by the African Ancestry Affinity Network. These employee networks were established to leverage the growing energy generated by our employees towards creating a wider D&I commitment.

Affinity Network participation has increased from around 500 employees in 2016, to more than 1,500 in 2017. We are on track for 2,000+ members in 2018. Following is an abbreviated timeline of network launches:

• October 2015 - Global Women’s Network
• December 2015 - Women’s Network US
• June 2016 - African Ancestry Affinity Network
• November 2016 – Global African Ancestry Network Steering Committee
• December 2016 – Developing Professionals Network
• February 2017 – Veterans Network
• June 2017 - First Annual Global Diversity & Inclusion Conference with an attendance of 100+ network leaders attended to share best-practice and plan.
• November 2017 - Pride & Allies Network

Today, we have five established networks across 26 global locations. Our networks all have an active presence on our internal social communication vehicle, which enables them to engage many employees, within and across affinities. One significant outcome of this gathering was the proposal to C-suite leaders to establish a dedicated D&I program manager. That position was filled in October, just four months later. In 2018, SBD will launch our Employee Network 2.0 to actively move our existing and future employee network structure from affinity groups to strategic employee and business resource groups.

Kimberly Williams