Diverse Partnership Highlights: 2022 Collaborations for Equity and Inclusion


10/04/2023


Our Company's extensive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts have garnered significant external recognition. Qualcomm consistently ranks on numerous "best places to work" lists, with notable awards in 2022 including Forbes' America's Best Employers for Women and Best Employers for New Graduates, Top 50 Employers for STEM Workforce Diversity Magazine, Disability: IN's Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion, Glassdoor's Best Place to Work, America's Best Large Employers, and Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index.
 
At our company, fostering an inclusive, respectful, and harassment-free, discrimination-free, and retaliation-free work environment is the responsibility of every employee. We have implemented various initiatives and training programs to uphold these values and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace:
 
All U.S.-based employees are obligated to complete harassment prevention training during their onboarding and every two years thereafter. Our approach goes beyond legal requirements, incorporating live training sessions that emphasize the importance of civility, empathy, and addressing subtle acts of exclusion in the workplace, along with their potential impact on minority groups.
 
We integrate mandatory DEI training into the onboarding process for new hires. Additionally, we offer company-wide access to a comprehensive library of online and in-person training modules covering various interpersonal topics. These resources encompass areas like soliciting feedback, articulating personal value, reducing team burnout, becoming allies at work, building diverse professional networks, and more.
 
To empower our managers, we provide training on subjects such as unconscious bias and creating inclusive teams. These concepts are ingrained in our foundational processes, including those related to promotions and annual reviews, to ensure equitable treatment at all levels of the organization.
 
Our company offers dynamic leadership development programs like the Leadhership1® Program, BetterUp Coaching, Women Unlimited, Inc., Qualcomm's SMART Mentorship, and Qualcomm's Mentoring Matters. These programs offer effective coaching and mentoring, often tailored to an employee's job level and reporting organization, facilitating self-awareness, career ownership, and the tools needed to achieve personal goals. Participation in these programs is highly sought after, providing opportunities for regular sessions, cohort group meetings, and networking events. Through these initiatives, our employees can enhance their personal development and reach their career aspirations.
 
Engagements with External Organizations
Our partnerships with organizations dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion play a crucial role in our efforts to provide additional resources, support, and capacity-building for our employees. Key highlights from 2022 include:
 
Our ongoing collaboration with the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) at an investment-level partnership level. This collaboration aims to promote gender diversity in technology and computing. As part of our commitment, we continued our involvement in Technolochicas, a nationwide initiative by NCWIT. Furthermore, we introduced our own Technolochica, a program that leverages the inspiring stories of Latinas from diverse backgrounds in the technology field to raise awareness among young Latinas and their families about career opportunities in technology. Our Technolochica will play a pivotal role in advancing our company's commitment to diverse hiring and serve as a role model for future generations of Latina technologists.
 
Celebrating our fourth year as a member of the Reboot Representation Tech Coalition, where we continue to support their mission to bridge the gender gap for underrepresented women of color in the tech industry. The coalition, comprised of various companies, is dedicated to finding solutions that increase the participation of Black, LatinX, and Native American women in technology and STEM fields.

This includes initiatives spanning from K-12 education to college and graduate institutions, equipping young women with the skills needed for successful tech careers. We also participated in Reboot's inaugural mentorship program, connecting Black, Latina, and Native American women undergraduates in computing with role models who share their backgrounds.
 
Our ongoing partnership as an Inclusion Works Partner with Disability:IN, a prominent nonprofit organization advocating for global business disability inclusion. This collaboration entails participation in global speaking engagements and the implementation of recommended best practices throughout our workplace.

In 2022, our CEO endorsed Disability:IN's CEO Letter on Disability Inclusion, reinforcing our commitment to equality and inclusion and setting a positive example for CEOs and organizations worldwide. Additionally, we received recognition as a Disability Equality Index® Top Scorer and Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion for the eighth consecutive year.
 
The continuation of our Racial Justice Giving Initiative (RJGI) as part of our ongoing commitment to collaborate with our employees in supporting racial justice in the United States. Through the RJGI, employees nominate nonprofit organizations actively driving systemic change in racial justice and equity. These nominations are evaluated by the RJGI Committee based on established criteria, and selected organizations receive funding from the Qualcomm Foundation and the DEI team.

The initiative culminates in a TED Talk-style event open to all employees, during which the chosen organizations present their work. In 2022, recipients of the RJGI included ACLU Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties, Center for Effective Public Policy, Creating Coding Careers, Friends in Need Children’s Center, Inc., Front Porch Arts Collective of Boston, Girls Inc. of San Diego County, Greater Than Tech, La Maestra Family Clinic, Inc., Motus Theatre, and RISE San Diego.