Air Products celebrated its second annual Week of Inclusion in May 2022. Throughout the week-long event, we again created a space for our employees to engage in courageous conversations about diversity, inclusion and belonging (DIB). These conversations reflected our commitment to building an inclusive culture and honoring our ongoing membership in the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™. As a CEO Action signatory, Air Products is one of more than 2,000 organizations that have pledged to cultivate workplaces that support open dialogue on complex, and sometimes difficult, conversations about DIB in an effort to move the needle toward a more just and equitable world.
Leaning Into Empathy
Air Products' Second Annual Week of Inclusion
Seifi Ghasemi, Chairman, President and CEO
As we drive toward our goal to become the most diverse industrial gas company in the world, we must foster a collaborative and respectful work environment where everyone can achieve their true potential.
Air Products’ second annual Week of Inclusion theme focused on "Leaning Into Empathy." According to the 2020 State of Workplace Empathy report, more than 90% of employees believe empathy is more important than ever in the workplace. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another -- sometimes colloquially referred to as "standing in someone else's shoes." When we make the effort to "step into the shoes" of another person, we can begin to see things from their perspective and increase our understanding of challenges they may face. This can help to reset the way we work with others and collaborate more effectively.
A Leadership Discussion About Diversity and Empathy
Listen to some of our senior leaders as they reflect on and share some personal experiences that helped define what diversity and empathy mean to them.
Christopher Rodriguez, vice president, Talent, Culture & Engagement, kicked off this year’s Week of Inclusion at Air Products with a discussion about the importance of leaning into empathy.
Jesus Cabrera, vice president and general director, South Region and South America, shares his thoughts on why diversity is important.
Melissa Schaeffer, senior vice president and chief financial officer, discusses the importance of diversity of thought.
Melissa Schaeffer shares her thoughts on the role empathy plays in our workforce.
Jesus Cabrera describes what empathy looks like to him and why it is so important.
Christopher Rodriguez shares a personal experience that demonstrates leaning into empathy.
Our leaders discuss how we at Air Products can practice empathy.
Air Products' Inclusion Network
Air Products sponsors Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) throughout the world. The ERGs form an Inclusion Network that partners with company leadership to create supportive communities to help raise cultural awareness; attract and retain talent; and develop critical skills and competencies.
AERO
Asian Employee Resource Organization
BERG
Black Employee Resource Group
EDGE
Ethnically Diverse Gulf Employees
Enable
Valuing Employees of ALL Abilities
Fulcrum
Ethnically and culturally diverse employees and their allies
HOLA
Hispanic Organization of Latinos and Amigos
ISERO
Indian Subcontinent Employee Resource Organization
MEERG
Middle East Employee Resource Group
NextGen
Promoting understanding among different generations of employees
Spectrum
LGBTQ+ Resource Group
UDAAN
Women's Group in India
WSN
Women's Success Network
Air Products Employees Belong and Matter
Our higher purpose goes beyond just delivering superior financial performance. Our higher purpose includes bringing people from all walks of life together to collaborate and innovate solutions to the world’s most significant energy and environmental sustainability challenges.
As we work to be the most diverse industrial gas company in the world, we are building a workforce that reflects the places we do business, fully utilizing the diversity of the talent pool and fostering a respective and inclusive culture so that employees seek out diverse perspectives and feel empowered to confidently express their viewpoints and mobilize actions to create meaningful change.
#YouBelongAndMatter
Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
Learn about what we are doing to create a more diverse workforce and foster an environment of respect where people are empowered to confidently express their viewpoints.