At Matrix, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are the foundation of our core values: safety, positive relationships, stewardship, integrity, community involvement and delivering the best. Led by our CEO, John Hewitt, the Company is actively engaged in embedding inclusion and diversity into its culture through a DEI Steering Committee comprised of leaders and employees from across the Company. We continue to offer enterprise-wide training focused on inclusive practices and identifying and confronting unconscious biases. And we continuously evaluate our recruiting and employment practices to ensure the Company attracts and engages an increasingly diverse workforce. We are also actively reviewing operational practices to advance and encourage our suppliers and subcontractors to also advocate for diversity.
Recognizing that we are better together, the Company is committed to supporting our Employee Resource Groups, which currently include those focused on Asians, Black/African American (BRIDGE), People with Disabilities (MatrixABLE), LGBTQ+ (Foundation of Pride), Veterans (We Got Your Six), Women (WISE), Working Parents, and Young Professionals (NexGen). Our DEI Steering Committee/Council, led by our CEO and comprised of members from across the enterprise, are actively engaged with our Employee Resource Groups to advance DEI enterprise-wide.
Our mission is to create equity: the result of Diversity and Inclusion done well, demonstrated by fair treatment in practices, procedures and policies, the identification and elimination of any barriers that prevent any employee from receiving equitable treatment, representation in the workplace, and access, opportunity, and advancement.
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION: they are the power we generate when we value each other’s differences and encourage everyone’s voice to be heard. Together, they fuel ideas and innovation, enrich our experiences, and drive our success. Done well, the result is EQUITY – a fair and equitable playing field where every employee has access to the resources they need to succeed.
We recognize that building a strong, successful DEI culture is an ongoing journey, and one that flows from the top of the organization.
We are proud to have been recognized by Women on Boards for our Board diversity, where 33% of our Independent Directors are female.
We established our employee diversity baseline to identify areas for improvement and help shape our recruiting efforts, succession planning, and professional development.
In Fiscal 2020, our President and CEO signed the Pay Equity Pledge issued by the Tulsa Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women.
Matrix sponsors and hosts events covering topics such as implicit and unconscious bias, living with disabilities, racism and the Tulsa Race Massacre, uncomfortable conversations, LGBTQ+ history and inclusion, and more.
Matrix President and CEO John Hewitt shared his personal encounters, emphasizing why diversity, equity, and inclusion are so important to him and crucial to our culture as we grow together as a Matrix family.
Matrix continued the conversation on diversity to help us further embrace differences, educate one another, and ultimately build a more inclusive culture inside and outside of our walls. The concept of ‘halos and horns’ was presented to show how unconscious bias and first impressions can block objectivity, causing missed opportunities.
Nationwide, employees gathered online for open conversation on race and healing with Hannibal Johnson, a Harvard Law School graduate, author, attorney, and an expert historian on the Tulsa Race Massacre– one of the worst racially motivated events in U.S. history.
Learn more about Matrix leadership's personal perspectives on changing our DEI culture, as well as how our Employee Resource Groups are leading the charge.
We are living in unprecedented times. A simple virus has turned the entire world on its head. It has destroyed lives both medically and economically and created generational changes in how we will do business, travel, and interact. Where and how we eat, shop, and work may never be the same. Entire industries may cease to exist. And it has attacked the most fragile and disadvantaged among us with great force. Read More>
In the spirit of our DEI journey at Matrix, I recently led an interactive discussion on the book Waking Up White by Debby Irving with the Matrix Officer team. I found Waking Up White a thought-provoking book, one that made me squirm a little at some of its arguments and challenged my beliefs. I want to share some of the most interesting parts of the book with you, in hopes I can make you squirm just a bit…..during my career in HR, I’ve found that sometimes we’re only able to overcome our most challenging issues when we address the things that make us the most uncomfortable. Read More>
In the past 14 months I have been involved in the two People Summits we held, where I&D was a big part of the discussion. Our Matrix I&D committee invited me to join them, which I did eagerly. In October, I signed the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion – the only company in Tulsa, one of five in all of Oklahoma – and attended the CEO Action summit in New York with many of the other participating CEO’s from across the country. Read More>
If you are looking for more information about a specific topic, or for resources on all things diversity, equity, and inclusion, you're in the right spot! See what Matrix employees are reading, watching, and listening to.
If you are looking for broad perspectives and actionable ways we can all work toward an equitable world, I can’t recommend this podcast enough. Honestly, anything Ibram X. Kendi touches is gold.
Even just a few episodes in, it’s gone far beyond race to address other inequities and the way they intersect to negatively affect the lives of so many. See all.
In the spirit of our DEI journey at Matrix, I recently led an interactive discussion on the book, Waking Up White, by Debby Irving with the Matrix Officer team. I found Waking Up White a thought-provoking book, one that made me squirm a little at some of its arguments and challenged my beliefs. I want to share some of the most interesting parts of the book with you, in hopes I can make you squirm just a bit. See all.
Really interesting and impactful report from the United Nations Development Programme regarding gender inequality:
Excerpt: Women do more than three times unpaid work than men, which can keep them from having or advancing careers. A recent Oxfam report shows women perform 12.5 billion hours of unpaid labour every day.. 12.5 billion hours. Real progress has been made. See all.
Matrix was one of thirteen companies to join Tulsa Mayor GT Bynum in signing the Tulsa Pay Equity Pledge – a voluntary initiative dedicated to closing the gender pay gap in the city of Tulsa.
Although this initiative is Tulsa-based, Matrix is fully committed to pay equity for all our employees, enterprise-wide.
According to the National Association of Women in Construction, of the approximately 10.3 million individuals working in the construction industry, women make up just over 9%. At Matrix, as we work toward building a stronger, more diverse and inclusive environment, that's a percentage we'd like to see grow. Making it so will be a long, complicated process, but Matrix is committed to doing our part.
October 31 may have marked the end of Global Diversity Month, but it was a very special day for Inclusion & Diversity efforts at Matrix.
Hewitt joined over 800 Company leaders supporting more inclusive workplaces. Hewitt's signature on the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion (CEO Action) pledge commits Matrix Service Company and its subsidiaries to cultivating a workplace where diverse perspectives and experiences are valued.
On June 18th, 2020, President and CEO John Hewitt presented at Return on Inclusion 2020, the largest professional diversity and inclusion conference in Oklahoma. This year's event, titled ROI Reimagined: How Inclusive Leadership Thrives in Adversity, featured Hewitt alongside keynote Jennifer Brown, workplace Diversity and Inclusion expert, and author of Inclusion and How to be an Inclusive Leader.
How do you want to make a difference at Matrix and beyond? Share your interests, skills, resources, and passions with us, and we’ll connect you with the right people. Submit your interest here.
Are you a potential DEI resource? Submit your interest below.
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