Terumo Corp. is establishing a global diversity, equity and inclusion philosophy and guiding principle to cultivate a culture of DEI within its organization and workforce.

The medical device company provides products in more than 160 countries and regions and has more than 26,000 employees around the globe. According to a press release, the organization believes it’s important for staff to respect and value differences, as well as to empower everyone to bring their authentic selves to work.

“These [DEI] focuses will act as norms of [DEI] as [a] basis of behaviour and judgement at work,” said the organization in a statement to Benefits Canada. “With this, we hope to further cultivate the culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Terumo.”

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To create the DEI philosophy and guiding principle, employees from various backgrounds in nationality, job and generation formed a global DEI council. In April 2022, it’s launching into the first year of its five-year growth strategy, which also highlights the need to realize an inclusive workplace environment.

And this week, the organization is rolling out a ‘Terumo DEI Week,’ which will be available to all global employees. It will include video messages from the management team, an online DEI panel discussion and local events.

Nine members of the global DEI council will host the panel. “The council members, representing diverse perspectives in our global organization, will share their thoughts on what diversity, equity [and] inclusion means to them,” said the statement.

In terms of local events, the employee resources group will host workshops and an inspirational speaker session with a retired National Aeronautics and Space Administration astronaut.

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