Dive Brief:
- Hershey integrated its Spanish and English-speaking employees at its first bilingual manufacturing facility, located in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, as part of its "Say Hola" initiative, according to a Dec. 7 press release.
- The company said the program increased the retention rate and experienced applicants for various positions and reduced recruitment costs. Now, over 90% of the Hazleton facility's recruitment classes have manufacturing experience compared to 50% before "Say Hola" launched.
- In an email, Hershey said there are no immediate plans to replicate the initiative at other facilities but that it piloted the "Say Hola" program with future expansion opportunities in mind "where it makes sense for the community."
Dive Insight:
Hershey said its "Say Hola" initiative has been in place for nearly a year, and has help pushed the company's DEI strategy forward.
Its partnership with one of its eight employee groups, the Latino Business Resource Group, helped plan and execute the "Say Hola" initiative. As a result, the Hazleton facility now conducts training and produces signs, labels, and forms in English and Spanish. Moreover, bilingual employees and resources are available to provide communication support, and a 1-800 number to provide assistance 24/7.
"The Latino Business Resource Group is very active in the community with various local organizations in Pennsylvania and other communities where our employees live and work, whether through mentoring or helping students learn Spanish," the company said in an email.
The company added that less than 10% of Hazleton plant employees were Hispanic or Latino before "Say Hola." Due to the bilingual program, over 25% of Hazleton plant employees are Hispanic or Latino. Hazleton's Hispanic or Latino population has increased over the past 20 years, making up almost 60% of the town's population, according to the 2021 Census Bureau.
"'Say Hola' has accelerated the diversity of our workforce – a key element of our DEI roadmap – and provided upskilling, improved recruiting and retention, and most importantly, the program fosters a workplace that looks more like the communities our colleagues live in," Alicia Petross, Hershey's chief diversity officer, said in a Dec. 7 press release.
Hershey launched its five-year DEI strategy, Pathways Project, in 2020 to create a diverse and equitable workplace for its employees. The company said in its 2022 proxy statement that by 2025, it aims to achieve: pay equity for similar job categories for its salaried employees worldwide; 47% to 50% women representation; and 30% to 40% people of color representation in its U.S. workforce.
Like many others, Hershey doubled down and accelerated its DEI initiative after the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020, according to Hershey's 2020 Sustainability Report. The company added that it held conversations with its employees to improve in areas such as unconscious bias training, adding more diverse candidate slates and interview panels, improving access to educational resources, and inclusive representation.
