Capital Region Business Journal

Oscar Mayer Foods is a national leader in recognizing the value diversity brings to the workplace and a community's quality of life.

The Madison company, a division of Kraft Foods Global Inc., has one of the most effective approaches to diversity retention and recruitment initiatives in the area.

Wayne Canty, Oscar Mayer's senior human relations manager, tells about the importance of diversity for both the company and community.

A. Kraft Foods/Oscar Mayer's goal is to be recognized as the leading company in the U.S. in its ability to attract, develop and retain the highest-caliber talent and to fully leverage that talent to achieve consistently superior business results. At Kraft/Oscar Mayer, effective diversity management is a core competency and business priority. The organization has specific objectives around creating a work force, at all levels, that reflects the diversity of our consumers and the population at large. Kraft/Oscar Mayer respects differences in life experiences, cultural backgrounds, work and life styles as these add value to our business.

A. Kraft/Oscar Mayer cares about diversity because we care about the success of our business. Understanding, promoting and leveraging diversity is vital to our company's growth. We believe that diversity is a critical factor in achieving undisputed leadership of the global food and beverage industry. It is an integral part of the relationships we maintain inside and outside of the company � with our consumers, our customers, our suppliers, our employees and our shareholders.

As the U.S. population continues to become more diverse, we must be attentive to these changes. Currently, people of color constitute 28 percent of the population. By the year 2020, people of color will represent 36 percent of the population. The Hispanic population has grown almost 60 percent over the last decade. The Asian population has grown from 1.5 million in 1970 to 10.5 million in 2000.

Minority consumer buying power has nearly doubled over the last decade, a much faster rate than overall U.S. buying power. Furthermore, African Americans and Hispanics spend proportionately more on grocery shopping compared to eating away from home than the general market. The collective buying power of African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics and American Indians has reached $1.3 trillion.

A. As grocers strive to meet the needs of diverse consumers in a changing and competitive business environment, our ability to leverage the talent, insights and skills of our diverse work force will make us an indispensable partner, uniquely positioned to deliver against diverse product preferences within the market.

Our customers themselves are diverse. We sell our products to various retail channels (grocery stores, convenience stores, mass merchandisers) as well as institutions through food service and the Internet. All of our customers have unique needs in reaching consumers, and we can provide valuable insight and support to them.

Strategic diversity management allows us to build shareholder value and create an enhanced public image by establishing a winning work climate where a diverse employee population is fully engaged and committed to our mission, values and business strategies. Studies have shown that organizations that excel at leveraging diversity experience better long-term financial performance. Placing diversity at the top of the list is not only the right thing to do, but clearly it is also good for business.

Q. When Kraft is recruiting people from minority segments of the population, is it difficult to "sell" Madison as a good place to live and work?

A. Madison has an outstanding reputation as a great place to work and live. Madison has many awards recognizing it as a city with much to offer its citizens. However, people of color who are not familiar with the city have a more difficult time relating to Madison as a great place to live. The two things that we hear the most are the lack of ethnic diversity and the winters; but we have been successful in recruiting people of color to Madison.

A. The Madison campus has aggressively pursued attracting and retaining top talent across all our positions at Kraft/Oscar Mayer.

Kraft/Oscar Mayer has a strong university relations (UR) strategy to focus on key schools for the various functions in the organization. UR focuses on the curriculum and caliber of students as well as the student-body diversity.

Each year the Madison Kraft/Oscar Mayer campus has between 12 and 22 interns representing key schools across the country. Our goal is to maximize the number of interns of color, because we know from experience, if we can get them to come to Madison for the internship, we convert better than 75 percent to full-time hires.

The Madison campus has five diversity councils at the site that are supported financially by executive sponsors and human resource advisers. These councils partner with the business and help Kraft/Oscar Mayer recruit, retain and develop leaders for our business.

Q. If Kraft could change one thing that would make the Madison area more attractive to a diverse work force, what would it be and why?

A. Make the average temperature 75 degrees and increase the social outlets for people of color of all ages (restaurants, radio stations, entertainment). The majority of Kraft/Oscar Mayer people of color hires are not local. Employment opportunities for spouses is raised as a concern by transferring employees. This is one area Kraft/Oscar Mayer is looking to partner with other Madison-based employers to create a network.

A. Diverse employees for the most part always have concerns regarding the lack of diversity, but they cope with it in many different ways. They grow their circle of friends in Madison, they seek out churches, affinity organizations, civic involvement to establish connections and roots in the community. Kraft/Oscar Mayer helps employees do this through mentor programs and information dissemination. When Kraft/Oscar Mayer hires a person of color, we take the next step. We assist them with their needs such as finding a place of worship, places to get their hair cut, restaurants that serve their favorite foods and so on.

Q. Are there any ways in which the greater Madison area and Kraft could partner that would make Madison a more attractive location for a more diverse work force? Is Kraft involved with any community partnerships to promote diversity in the regional work force?

A. Kraft/Oscar Mayer has a significant history of partnership in the community from our employees' involvement on local nonprofit boards, to being the largest employee campaign for United Way in Dane County. We have served on Madison's EOC diversity committee and conducted diversity training for several nonprofits, civic organizations, Madison high schools and McFarland High School faculty and staff. We have met with numerous local businesses to share our diversity initiatives and offer support as needed.

A. Madison is a great place to live, but we must recognize and embrace the changing demographics of the area. All of us who do business in the community must engage the local diverse talent pool and find a way to make Madison the No. 1 place for all its citizens.

Diversity leads to business success, Oscar Mayer exec says

By Henry Sanders Jr.

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