Social Equity Initiatives – 2022 Progress Report
Social Equity Initiatives – 2022 Progress Report
Matson continues to make steady progress in its journey to strengthen social equity and inclusion in the company, in our industry our communities. Following is a summary of progress made last year, and the goals that have been added for 2023:
2022 GOALS
EDUCATION – Increase understanding of social equity issues
- Two new courses offered: "Microaggressions in the Workplace" illuminated ways people communicate that can unintentionally reinforce and perpetuate discrimination; "Diversity, Inclusion, and Sensitivity" highlighted general principles of respectful social interaction. More than 1,100 employees participated.
- Annual manager and team member professional development trainings updated to increase attention on fostering respect in the workplace.
PROMOTIONS AND RECRUITING – Develop diverse leadership
- Human Resources increased focus on diverse perspectives as a key attribute in developing candidate pools and recruiting decisions for management roles and internships.
EMPLOYEE INPUT – Hold “Listening Tour” meetings
- Three Listening Tour meetings held, where employees talked about inequities they have observed or experienced and discussed ideas to improve equity and inclusion at Matson. This feedback contributed to the development of 2023 goals.
DE&I RESOURCES – Create dedicated management role
- A new management position was created, providing full-time focused support for informing, facilitating and advancing corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.
DEMOGRAPHICS – Establish benchmarks for tracking progress
- Benchmarking of key workforce demographics data to help track progress toward the goal of increasing diversity in leadership at Matson. In 2022, Matson outpaced the industry with the percentage of females and racial minority employees in management positions both increasing slightly to 35% and 46%, respectively. Among promotions and new hires into management roles, 33% were women and 51% were minority individuals.
ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REVIEWS – Implement improved process
- A new process was created to increase transparency and better facilitate employee career development with quarterly progress discussions between employees and their managers, and updated guidance for managers on employee career development. The new system will be used for 2023 performance review and career development discussions commencing in the third quarter.
INDUSTRY EFFORTS
LEADERSHIP DIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIPS – Funded $91,600 in annual scholarships of either $2,500 or $5,000 awarded to high-achieving students attending partner institutions.
- Arizona State University – Global Logistics
- California State University Maritime Academy
- California State University, Long Beach – Global Logistics
- Georgia Tech – Operations & Supply Chain Management
- Great Lakes Maritime Academy
- Loyola University Chicago – Supply Chain Management
- Maine Maritime Academy
- Massachusetts Maritime Academy
- SUNY Maritime College
- Texas A&M Maritime Academy
- Thurgood Marshall Foundation (national scholarship fund)
- U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
- University of Alaska, Anchorage – Global Logistics & Supply Chain Management
- University of California, Berkeley – College of Engineering
- University of Guam – Business Administration or Civil Engineering
- University of Hawaii, Manoa – Tourism & Transportation Management
- University of Washington – Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics
- Webb Institute – Engineering
AMBASSADOR PROGRAM – Established program that pairs experienced Matson professionals with each partner school to further support scholarship recipients and develop stronger relationships with the school. Our 2022 Ambassadors were:
- Kam Chun – University of Hawaii, Manoa
- Konner Edmiston – Great Lakes Maritime Academy
- Dylan Faber – University of Alaska, Anchorage
- Stephen Gatewood – University of Guam
- Sean Huisman – University of Washington
- Darel Jenkins – U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point
- Elena Kong – UC Berkeley
- Kevin Krick – SUNY Maritime College
- Patty Novak – Arizona State University
- Jonathan Ogle – Maine Maritime Academy
- Cathy Pitt – Texas A&M Maritime Academy
- Mike Shea – Massachusetts Maritime Academy
- Sam Thompson – California State University Maritime Academy
INTERNSHIPS – Initiated discussions with partner schools toward promoting internships at Matson.
COMMUNITY EFFORTS
SOCIAL EQUITY COMMUNITY GRANTS – Completed second year providing annual grants of $10,000 each to organizations promoting social equity in Matson communities:
- Arizona Community Foundation’s Black Philanthropy Initiative – Programs serving African Americans in areas of health, education and workforce development.
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Long Beach – Afterschool and year-round youth development programs targeting underprivileged teens.
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland – Afterschool and year-round youth development programs targeting underprivileged teens.
- Georgia Black United Fund – Providing financial and organization resources to nurture and promote positive life opportunities, enhancing choices available to youth in underserved communities.
- Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, Honolulu – Programs promoting economic security for underserved communities.
- Manelu, Chalan Pago Ordot, Guam – Educational activities and support services for youth and families in communities facing adversity.
- Tacoma Urban League – Healthcare, education, and unemployment services supporting underserved urban residents in achieving social equality and economic independence.
- Voices of Youth in Chicago Education (VOYCE) – Programs supporting leadership development of young people of color, advancing safe and supportive school climates, and healing-centered approaches to teaching and learning.
- Year Up (national) – Youth development programs focused on closing the “Opportunity Divide” for underserved minorities through workforce training and corporate internship placement.
- YWCA Alaska, Anchorage – Programs designed to combat racism and empower women.
ADDITIONAL MATSON GIVING SUPPORT – Regional employee committees directed more than $530,000 in Matson Giving funding to 127 programs that advance social equity and inclusion in our communities.
- Arizona Helping Hands in support of its programs providing assistance to nearly 14,000 children in foster care – $5,000
- Boys & Girls Club of Alaska in support of its youth development programs – $5,000
- Boys Hope Girls Hope of Arizona in support of its Scholar Success Program – $3,000
- Byrd Barr Place’s Food Bank Market in Seattle, which provides high-quality, nutritious and culturally appropriate foods to over 25 neighborhood food pantries – $5,000
- Clarkston Community Health Center, Clarkston, Ga. to support free healthcare services for the underserved community – $2,500
- Coastal Children’s Advocacy Center in Savannah, Ga., which coordinates public, private and community resources to provide child abuse victims with mental health support and help navigating the criminal justice system – $5,000
- Junior Achievement of Northern California in support of its financial literacy programs – $3,000
- La Casa Norte, which provides healthcare and other supportive services to homeless youth in Chicago – $5,000
- Lights Camera Discover program in Phoenix, which teaches at-risk youth marketable business skills – $5,000
- Oakland Asian Cultural Center in support of its cultural and social justice programs – $2,500
- Partners in Development, Hawaii organization using Native Hawaiian values and traditions to serve economically vulnerable youth and families in the Hawaiian community – $10,000
- Residential Youth Services & Empowerment, an Oahu youth access center providing health services and housing for unhoused youth – $10,000
- UH Foundation, Honolulu in support of Title IX women’s athletics and education – $25,000
- Youth Impact Program, Honolulu to support its leadership development summer program for female at-risk youth – $10,000
2023 GOALS
In addition to maintaining annual Social Equity scholarship, ambassador and community grant programs, the following goals were set for 2023:
CONTINUING EDUCATION
- Training – Build on previous offerings by adding one or two new courses in the second half of 2023. This will be a continuing goal for the foreseeable future.
- Listening Tours – Evolve and adapt these employee engagement meetings to provide a quarterly forum for employees to discuss relevant diversity, equity and inclusion issues and company efforts.
- Community Volunteering – Add annual ‘Coastal Clean-up’-type group events that support Matson-designated community programs.
- Cultural Celebrations – Sponsor lunches in larger regional offices that coincide with internal promotion of cultural commemorations, such as Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, etc.
INCREASING DIVERSITY AT MATSON
- Professional Partnerships – Establish new collaborations with minority professional organizations that can help promote careers at Matson.
- Internships – Further align with Leadership Diversity Scholarship and Ambassador programs.
ENSURING EQUITY AT MATSON
- Demographics – Conduct biennial Equal Pay audits to identify and address any discrepancies correlating to race or gender.
INCREASING EMPLOYEE SUPPORT
- Explore creation of Employee Resource Groups – Host gatherings for internal communities of like-minded employees to cultivate sharing, collaboration and support.