DALLAS, Sept. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest
Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) shared an update today with its
Employees, Customers, and Partners on the progress the airline has
made during the last year and its next steps within the diversity,
equity, and inclusion (DEI) roadmap. In September 2020, Southwest Airlines announced
Company goals to strengthen and improve efforts to create more
diverse, equitable, and inclusive job opportunities and candidate
pipelines while championing a welcoming environment for all
Employees.
"Summer 2020 was a season of learning for Southwest Airlines in
many ways; it heightened our awareness of social injustice and
initiated an increased focus on our own diversity and inclusion
efforts. We started with evolving our existing Company Values
around how we show up individually, how we treat each other, and
how we work as a Team," said Bob
Jordan, Executive Vice and incoming CEO at Southwest
Airlines. "We identified that the first step toward accomplishing
these goals was concentrating on key areas such as diversifying
Senior Leadership, enhancing diversity in hiring, providing
mentorship and sponsorship opportunities, improving the retention
and upward mobility of diverse talent, and training Leaders and
Employees. In the past year, we have taken tangible steps to update
the required infrastructure, processes, and practices to meet these
objectives."
Today, the carrier is making steady progress in its processes to
increase racial and gender diversity in Leadership. The Diversity,
Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Department formed an Executive
Steering Committee to support the strategic direction of this
progress. Additional strides include evolving the Company's talent
acquisition processes by requiring diverse candidate pools,
inclusion training for all hiring Leaders, and the creation of a
Diversity Recruiting Center of Excellence (COE). Southwest Airlines
is currently working with more than 188 community partners in
support of its efforts to continue developing diverse and inclusive
talent pipelines and expanding recruiting efforts. Southwest also
recently launched a formal Sponsorship and Mentorship Program and
is enhancing its existing Supplier Diversity Program.
Southwest launched a DEI Employee resource website, created an
Allyship Guide, and introduced the ability for Employees to develop
diversity-focused groups. The purpose of these initiatives is to
empower Employees to explore, educate, and further connect in the
DEI space.
In 2021, the airline received numerous DEI-focused awards
including:
- Forbes, America's Best Employers for Diversity, 2021
- Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index, Best Place to
Work for LGBTQ Equality, 2021
- Latino Leaders Magazine, 25 Best Companies for Latinos to Work,
2021
- Disability:IN Disability Equality Index, Best Place to Work for
Disability Inclusion, 2021
- 50 Women on 50 Boards, Accelerating Women to Corporate Boards,
2021
- Viqtory Military Friendly, Military Friendly Employer-Gold;
Military Friendly Supplier Diversity; Military Friendly Spouse
Employer, 2021
- National Diversity Council, Power 50 Award honoring
Linda Rutherford, Executive Vice
President People & Communications, 2021
"We recognize that our work is not done. Our goal is to
cultivate a diverse and inclusive experience for all to thrive,"
Jordan stated. "We will continue to fuel this ongoing momentum as
we strive for sustainable and systemic change through
consistent progress."
Future Vision
In addition to evolving its current
initiatives, the DEI Department is partnering with the Corporate
Strategy Team on a five-year plan to build a DEI enterprise
strategy. Southwest's motivation is to continue being a healthy
organization where Employees thrive, feel appreciated, valued, and
have an authentic sense of belonging. The goal is to provide
regular progress updates on the Company's commitments, share a plan
of action, and announce a long-standing DEI vision later this
year.
ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
In its 51st year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines
Co. continues to differentiate itself from other air
carriers with exemplary Customer Service delivered by more than
54,000 Employees to a Customer base that topped 130 million
Passengers in 2019. Southwest has a robust network of
point-to-point service with a strong presence across top leisure
and business markets. In peak travel seasons during 2019, Southwest
operated more than 4,000 weekday departures among a network of 101
destinations in the United States
and 10 additional countries. In 2020, the carrier added service to
Hilo, Hawaii; Cozumel, Mexico; Miami; Palm Springs,
Calif.; Steamboat Springs; and Montrose (Telluride), Colo. Thus far in 2021,
Southwest has initiated service to Chicago (O'Hare) and Sarasota/Bradenton both on Feb.
14; Savannah/Hilton Head and
Colorado Springs both on March 11;
Houston (Bush) and Santa Barbara, Calif. both on April 12; Fresno,
Calif. on April
25; Destin/Fort Walton Beach on May 6; Myrtle Beach,
S.C. on May 23; Bozeman, Mont. on May
27; Jackson, Miss. on June 6; and Eugene, Ore. on Aug.
29. Southwest will begin service to Bellingham, Wash. on Nov. 7; and Syracuse on Nov. 14.
The carrier issued its Southwest® Promise in
May 2020 to highlight new and
round-the-clock efforts to support its Customers and Employees
well-being and comfort. Among the changes are enhanced cleaning
efforts at airports and onboard aircraft, along with a federal
mandate requiring every person to wear a mask at all times
throughout each flight. Additional details about the Southwest
Promise are available
at Southwest.com/Promise.
Southwest coined Transfarency® to describe its
purposed philosophy of treating Customers honestly and fairly, and
low fares actually staying low. Southwest is the only major U.S.
airline to offer bags fly free® to everyone (first and
second checked pieces of luggage, size and weight limits apply,
some carriers offer free checked bags on select routes or in
qualified circumstances). Southwest does not charge change fees,
though fare differences might apply.
Southwest is one of the most honored airlines in the world,
known for a triple bottom line approach that contributes to the
carrier's performance and productivity, the importance of
its People and the communities they serve, and an overall
commitment to efficiency and the planet. Learn more about how the
carrier gives back to communities across the world by
visiting Southwest.com/citizenship.
Book Southwest Airlines' low fares online
at Southwest.com or by phone at
800-I-FLY-SWA®.
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SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.