On August 23, Workday released its 2017 Global Impact Report. It includes our efforts to make a difference for our customers, our employees, the communities in which we operate, and the environment. Here are some highlights from the report.
Today Workday released its 2017 Global Impact Report. In it we detail our efforts to make a difference for our customers, our employees, the communities in which we operate, and the environment. We aim to provide a transparent view of our efforts, illustrating our continued progress and areas of improvement. Our employees are committed to creating positive change, and together, we’ve prioritized making an impact on the world.
The Global Impact Report—our fourth to date—covers fiscal years 2016 and 2017 (February 2015 through January 2017). Here are some of the top highlights:
Our sustainability focus continues to be reducing Workday’s carbon footprint and investing in renewable energy programs. Notably, and as part of our efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2021, we’ve made great progress in this area at our offices and data centers across the world. We’ve achieved this through a combination of operational efficiency, procurement of renewable energy equal to 100 percent of our consumption, and investing in high-quality carbon offset projects.
We also remain committed to using 100 percent renewable electricity across our global operations, offsetting all electricity usage in our offices and data centers. This means that all of the data centers that run our cloud applications use renewable electricity.
Additionally, we’ve continued to sign on to strategic initiatives that promote renewable energy, data center sustainability, and a low-carbon economy. For example, in fiscal year 2017 we became a member of Future of Internet Power, an initiative that enhances the procurement of renewable energy to power data centers, and we joined RE100, a partnership with global businesses committed to 100 percent renewable electricity.
As our business continues to grow, we recognize that our culture is more important today than ever before. It’s critical to our success, and we invest in employee experiences and development—from global exchange programs, to mobility between departments—to ensure everyone has the ability to pursue their passions. Community involvement is also a big part of sustaining our culture, and 96 percent of our employees feel good about the ways we contribute to the community (but more on that shortly).
In fiscal year 2017, our employees logged more than 17,870 volunteer hours, earning $199,000 in grants for their favorite nonprofits.
To further enhance our culture, in fiscal year 2017 we launched Workday’s Belonging & Diversity function, which aims to nurture an environment where employees can bring their full selves to work, and offer their unguarded perspectives and ideas in an inviting place. With the help of this team, we’ve founded a number of Employee Belonging Councils (EBC), which are global employee-led groups that come together over a shared characteristic or experience and serve as a resource for their members and the company. Several hundred employees are involved in our EBCs around the world. Additionally, our Belonging & Diversity team works closely alongside our product team to identify new ways we can make our products more inclusive.
It’s because of our culture that we continue to be recognized globally as a great place to work. As examples, in fiscal year 2017 we were ranked #31 on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list, #22 on Fortune’s Best Workplaces for Diversity list, #23 on Fortune’s Best Workplaces for Women list, and #2 on Great Place to Work’s Best Large Workplaces in Ireland list.
Through team and individual volunteer grants, employee donation matching, and unlimited paid time off to volunteer, we continue to expand our philanthropic programs, and provide our employees with the tools and resources they need to support the causes they care about most. For example, in fiscal year 2017, our employees logged more than 17,870 volunteer hours, earning $199,000 in grants for their favorite nonprofits. These contributions were nearly double the contributions we made two years prior.
Looking ahead, we aim to make notable strides towards our sustainability goals in advance of our 2021 commitments.
In addition, for both internal and external events, we tie back to the Workday Foundation’s mission of creating career pathways that maximize human potential, with a specific focus on preparing people of all ages for careers in tech. At Workday Rising in September 2016, we asked our more than 7,000 attendees in Chicago to provide written advice for those seeking careers in the technology industry. We then shared this advice with our nonprofit partners that support jobseekers currently in training. Separately, and as part of Workforce Week—which we launched in fiscal year 2016 and expanded significantly the following year—we logged more than 950 volunteer hours on Workforce Week-related projects, hosted 35 events in more than 10 cities, and served 540 job seekers.
We also strengthened our relationships with partners in support of the Workday Foundation’s mission. For example, we’ve expanded our support of Year Up, a nonprofit that provides technical and soft skills training through internships to young adults without college degrees. To date, we’ve invested more than $1 million in Year Up and placed 25 participants in internships at Workday, with 17 of them now in full-time jobs at the company.
Looking ahead, we aim to make notable strides towards our sustainability goals in advance of our 2021 commitments. Additionally, we will continue to make belonging and diversity a priority, ensuring it remains a core part of our culture, and we will continue to expand our contributions to local communities as our business continues to grow. We’re proud of the positive impact we’ve made, and we are excited for the opportunities the future holds.
To learn more, check out the 2017 Global Impact Report or the infographic below.
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