Assignment paper week 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assignment paper week 1 - Essay Example SJM is a model company in its diversification efforts, but practice will have to catch up with policy in the time that is needed for people’s attitudes and behaviors to gradually adapt to change. St. Jude Medical (SJM) is an American company that develops medical technology products and services, with the objective of advancing the practice of medicine by reducing risk and increasing the chances of success for the patient. Headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., the company has 20 international offices and markets its products in more than 100 countries (SJM, 2012). The position of SJM on diversity and inclusion is embodied in its Equal Employment Opportunity Policy, which encompasses all its employees and applicants for employment as far as concerns, the hiring, placement, promotion, demotion, terminations, transfer, recruiting, advertising, treatment during employment, selection for training, and compensation (SJM, 2012). The company presently employs more than 16,000 people in both its U.S. and overseas operations, and as a multinational corporation, it is committed to a program of diversity in its workforce. Organizational diversity and inclusion is crucial to advancing SJM’s collective knowledge base, as well as creates an environment wherein employees may grow and develop their full potentials (SJM 2011 Annual Report). Diversity in SJM is taken seriously because the company sees it not only as a matter of compliance with affirmative action mandates, but also as a source of creativity, innovation, and other possibilities. SJM is aware that diversity/inclusion efforts do not redound solely to the employee’s benefit, but also to the benefit of the individual. Thus the firm has set up a Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee in its U.S. Sales Division, and it provides domestic partner benefits to employees in same-sex couple relationships. Furthermore, SJM professes inclusion as a