Accelerating Career Growth

Fair employment, diversity and inclusion are integral to Nestlé’s culture. We aim to provide a safe, rewarding workplace that inspires employees to fulfill their potential. We provide people with equal development opportunities and treat each other with dignity and respect.

Project Opportunity

Our Project Opportunity career acceleration program aims to help people of all ages gain work experience and strengthen their skills in our industry.

• In 2018, our Project Opportunity Alliance Symposium convened a diverse set of stakeholders from the private, public and non-profit sectors to discuss innovative approaches to veteran hiring and retention and career support for military spouses.
• Nestlé currently employs 2,400 veterans across our U.S. operating companies and we plan to increase our number of veteran employees in the years ahead.
• We remain committed to our goal of reaching 300,000 people annually through “readiness for work” activities like mock interviews and career path role models.

The Manufacturing Institute Partnership

In 2020, Nestlé is partnering with The Manufacturing Institute to help inspire people to consider manufacturing careers. Carolyn Lee, executive director of The Manufacturing Institute, calls our partnership “a shining example” of how manufacturers can develop the manufacturing workforce of today. Through our partnership, we will support several of the Institute’s initiatives.

• We will sponsor and join Creators Wanted 2020 – an unprecedented national effort to build the workforce of tomorrow by touring America to help workers see, touch and feel modern manufacturing.
• Through the Heroes MAKE initiative, Nestlé will continue to support transitioning service members, veterans and military spouses with the skills and certifications to excel in manufacturing careers.
• Our support of the Institute’s STEP Ahead initiative will help highlight, recognize and mentor women in manufacturing. 

Diversity & Inclusion

Nestlé’s diversity and inclusion efforts reflect an evolving consumer base, a better understanding of how diverse voices drive innovation, and a firm belief that supporting minority groups is just the right thing to do.

• Nestlé USA and Nestlé Purina scored 100% on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index, reflecting real efforts to develop an inclusive workplace for LGBTQ employees. Nestlé Waters North America also received a high 95% score.
• Nestlé seeks to further enhance diversity and inclusion in our supply chain, and tracking data is a key part of that process. In 2018, we expanded our supplier diversity reporting metrics to encompass LGBTQ suppliers.
• A recent pay equity analysis found that salaries for male and female Nestlé employees have reached a 1:1 gender pay equity at Nestlé USA. This is an important benchmark for us to achieve because nationwide, women continue to earn on average less than men.

Parental Leave Support

• Our Parental Support Policy is gender-neutral and open to biological parents, adoptive parents or any primary caregiver of a newborn child. We offer up to 14 weeks of paid leave and an additional 12 weeks of unpaid leave following the birth or adoption of a newborn child. In the first year, we had 585 employees take advantage of the new program, 30% of which were hourly and/or commissioned workers. Of the 585 employees who took advantage of the new program, 97.6% returned to Nestlé after their leave.
• In addition to the Parental Support policy, we offer employees a broad network of parenthood support, including medical benefits and prescription drug benefits for infertility treatments, a free breast pump, 24-hour-a-day consultation with lactation specialists, children’s books, full-value coupons for Gerber formula or baby food, and a credit for other new parent essentials.
• In 2018, we joined with other major companies to partner with Panorama to share our paid leave data and to encourage other like-minded companies to share their analytics as we collectively work across industries to build even stronger programs for employees and their families.