The freedom to be yourself

At JTI, we believe in freedom - the freedom to choose, freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and freedom to be yourself. We are proud to be a genuinely international company, made up of 46,000 people of 119 different nationalities. But more than that, we want to be an organization where our people can be themselves, every day.

Diversity is a strategic advantage and Inclusion is the journey to get there. To make this a reality, we must acknowledge that we do not all start from the same place. It is not equally easy for each of us to bring ourselves to work. Equity is giving everyone what they need to succeed, not what everyone else gets.

JTI is a company where people are the difference, so embracing our uniqueness ensures that we continue to boost both our culture and our innovation. It’s the right thing to do – and it makes us stronger as a business.

INCLUSION IS NOT A STAND-ALONE ACTIVITY; IT IS EMBEDDED IN THE WAY WE OPERATE, AND IN OUR CULTURE.
Valerie Riondel Payne, GLOBAL TALENT MANAGEMENT AND DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION VICE PRESIDENT

WHY DOES DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION MATTER?

We promote an inclusive culture where everyone can be themselves at work without risk of discrimination or harassment due to their race, religion, ethnic background, origin, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, or any other personal characteristic. 

Diversity, equity and inclusion give us both a cultural and a competitive business advantage. We believe that they will make us a stronger business in four key ways: 

Be yourself: Fostering an inclusive culture brings out the best in our people, making JTI an even better place to work. When employees enjoy their work and the opportunities it brings, they can perform to the best of their abilities. 

New thinking: Different personalities and perspectives inspire fresh thinking, new ideas and creative innovation. By making the most of our rich mix of viewpoints and perspectives, we can generate solutions to complex issues and drive our business forward. 

Lead inclusively: Our leaders understand the value of inclusion and are held accountable for inclusive hiring, inclusive behavior and inclusive leadership. Through new frameworks, learning solutions and clear accountability, our leaders are empowered to amplify our efforts and capabilities to be inclusive. 

Inclusive mindset: Our diverse workforce is one of our greatest strengths. We believe that highly skilled and talented people form the foundation of our success and contribute to real, sustainable growth. To make the most of our people, we must respect not just nationality, gender and age, but also their experience, expertise and other differences in backgrounds and values. We empower all of our employees to create a more diverse workforce.
 

THE DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION ADVISORY COUNCIL

Our Board-level Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Council demonstrates senior management’s support for this inclusive approach. Chaired by our CEO, Eddy Pirard, the Council is made up of six members of our Executive Committee. It is responsible for advising on strategies and best practices within the organization in order to advance diversity, equity and inclusion across the company.

The Council has been instrumental in bringing about change at JTI. Aimed at providing strategic insight, accountability and guidance for developing the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion programs for JTI, it further strengthens the focus on diverse talent by aligning our goals, people and processes together.

OUR GLOBAL DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION PROGRAMS

We aim to be a people-centric organization where employees can be themselves every day, define how they want to work, and what inspires them and motivates them to perform. We are building a diverse and competent workforce through our employee resource groups, ambassadors and local committees. These programs are central to how we’re deploying Diversity, Equity and Inclusion across all of our global locations.

Our global commitment covers five key strategic pillars:

  • Gender equality
  • New ways of working
  • LGBTIQ+ inclusion
  • Well-being and mental health
  • Race and ethnicity

Within each of these areas we continue to implement programs and initiatives that foster an inclusive culture where everyone feels valued and empowered to drive change locally, while affecting the lives of individuals around the world.

    Gender equality

    At JTI, we make gender equality a formal business priority. We are committed to increasing the representation of women in leadership positions as well as reaching gender parity at all levels. The world’s population is balanced, so we shouldn’t be any different.

    Our global gender equality strategy aims to provide both women and men equal access to growth and opportunities in our workplace. We are investing in a number of initiatives to accelerate the advancement of women and spark progress towards gender equality globally. Senior leadership have taken special training on identifying the obstacles preventing talented women from advancing their careers.

    We have implemented a number of talent management and recruitment measures. These include diverse and balanced interview panels, as well as a 50-50 equal gender slate of candidates within the final round of our interview process for leadership positions.

     

    Gender Equality

    We launched a one-year professional development sponsorship program targeting women, supported by senior leadership. We also established a global employee resource group called “TogetHER”. This internal network is fully inclusive and open to all JTI employees, with women and men as allies. The network is focusing on raising awareness, building support and create the right environment for the advancement of women.

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    We have just been awarded the Global Equality Standard (GES) once again!

    We have just been awarded the Global Equality Standard (GES) once again! First recognized in 2021, this certification from EY highlights our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

    This year, we’ve improved by 11% compared to 2021, which reflects our ongoing efforts to an inclusive and respectful workplace. Some key achievements include our re-certification as a Global Equal Pay employer, our focus on Mental Health in the workplace and our work towards a more balanced gender representation.

    While there is still work to be done to achieve equal opportunities for all, we’re glad to see our efforts being recognized.

    We have just been awarded the Global Equality Standard (GES) once again!
    Global Disability Framework

    For us, inclusion means making sure everyone feels supported and valued—wherever they are, and whatever their individual needs may be.

    That’s why we’ve established a formal Global Disability Framework designed to promote inclusivity and be at ease to engage in conversations about disability and inclusion.

    Every disability is unique. This uniqueness means that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to inclusion. Instead, we must embrace the rich diversity of experiences and perspectives that people with disabilities, like anyone else, bring to our organization.

    Global Disability Framework
    New Ways Of Working

    Enabling new ways of working (N-WOW) is a key value for our company, and increasingly necessary in today’s world. N-WOW represents a movement to boost flexibility and retention, largely by removing many of the barriers and management styles of the past and bringing them in line with a modern multigenerational workforce.

    We believe that performance and outcomes are what matters, not hours spent in the office. In July 2021, in response to changing business practices, we set out our N-WOW guidance, which became a global policy in July 2022:

    • 50-50 hybrid model: 50% working from the office and 50% remote work
    • Flexible core hours
    • Work from abroad: 10 days a year
    • Inclusion of our global supply chain where possible
       

    Psychological safety and a culture of accepting failures and learnings is deeply rooted within our N-WOW strategy and corporate culture, as we want our people to feel able to speak up, take risks, trust and respect each other.

    New ways of working
    LGBTIQ+ inclusion

    Supporting our LGBTIQ+ employees is vital if we’re to create a more equal company, in which everyone is empowered to be and do their best. As part of our LGBTIQ+ Inclusion pillar, we develop strategies, professional development opportunities and LGBTIQ+ inclusive policies in order to create workplaces which are inclusive of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. Our strategy encompasses a holistic stakeholder approach towards our community members, allies, shareholders and consumers.

    PRIDE at JTI is a universal global community with more than 700 LGBTIQ+ colleagues and allies coming together in celebration, unity and solidarity. Our PRIDE employee resource group raises awareness, offers peer-to-peer support, and holds all of us accountable in all matters that affect the LGBTIQ+ community.

    In 2020, the Geneva headquarters was one of the first companies in French-speaking Switzerland to be awarded the Swiss LGBTI Label certification.

    Find out more

     

    LGBTIQ Inclusion
    Well-being and mental health

    Our philosophy of continuous improvement is at the heart of all that we do: we work together to solve the problems we are faced with in both the immediate moment and the long term. Our employee-centric approach ensures that all members of our JTI family feel supported in their professional and personal lives, and can access the assistance they need, when they need it.

    We recognize the importance of our employees’ well-being. Everyone needs to feel supported and appreciated in order to be productive and engaged. We encourage our people to develop a resilient mindset and healthy lifestyle that will boost every aspect of their private and professional lives and let them perform at their best.

    We use a confidential employee assistance program and well-being solution. It provides information on mental, physical, social and financial well-being, as well as 24/7 access to phone consultations for work–life strategies and referrals to counselling.

    We have also trained Mental Health First Aiders across our business to offer support to employees who wish to discuss any matter of concern.

    wellbeing

    Family Leave Policy

    Our global equal family leave policy covers all our employees and in most cases goes beyond national family leave statutory requirements. If there is a difference between our minimum and the statutory national minimum, the greater is always offered.

    We offer:

    • Minimum 20 weeks fully paid leave to all employees
    • No gender or sexual orientation discrimination
    • No difference related to the way people became parents, whether through giving birth, adoption, or surrogacy
    • All parents have adequate and equal time, and more flexibility to bond with their child

    Many employees around the world have told us how they appreciate the policy. For example, Craig Tully, a key accounts manager in the US and a proud father of four kids, recently told us how fortunate he feels having the opportunity to bond with his newborn son while supporting his wife and their other three boys and without worrying about his job security. That kind of peace of mind is priceless and one of the great benefits we provide to all new fathers.

    Race and ethnicity

    Racism has never been tolerated at JTI and there are measures in place to prevent and mitigate any form of discrimination.

    embRACE is our global employee resource group focused on race and ethnicity. We launched embRACE to bring together people from all over the JTI world to support each other, raise awareness, share experiences, and celebrate our racial and ethnic differences. Because we believe that everyone deserves the chance to thrive, irrespective of who they are or how they look.

    Working closely together, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and embRACE empower employees through an open, positive and proactive dialogue, because everyone’s voice counts.

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    Race and Ethnicity