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22-Jun-2022

A safe space
at Stryker

 Creating support and allyship for the LGBTQIA+ community

At Stryker, we believe that Pride is more than a single month or moment. We鈥檙e committed to championing the LGBTQIA+ community all year round, and SAFE (Stryker鈥檚 Allies for Equality) helps us listen to important voices, challenge bias and create an equitable culture where every employee can achieve their full potential.

To foster an inclusive environment where everybody belongs, SAFE provides networking, education, training and resources that support sexual orientation, gender identity and expression awareness to employees. Erin Mack 鈥 a supply chain analyst at Stryker 鈥 has been the event lead for SAFE鈥檚 Kalamazoo, Michigan chapter for three years now, facilitating events hosted across campuses.

鈥淭o accomplish our mission of making healthcare better, one of the biggest things is being able to bring your authentic self to work,鈥 Erin says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important that we鈥檙e showing Stryker is a space where you can be yourself.鈥

As one of our nine employee resource groups, SAFE is a strong and vibrant community that engages the broader organization to help employees feel safe, included and engaged. 鈥淚n 2020, we issued a challenge to our members and allies to have everyone put pronouns in their email signatures,鈥 Erin says. 鈥淲e鈥檝e also created an initiative called 鈥榗reating safe spaces' 鈥攁n introduction to the LGBTQIA+ community at Stryker鈥攚hich has gotten a lot of traction across the company.鈥

Since its inception, SAFE鈥檚 leaders have built a strong foundation through employee-driven yearly action plans and seeking the support of external partners who help us make progress towards our DE&I commitments over time. SAFE has expanded to include chapters around the globe so that people 鈥 and the innovation they make possible 鈥 can thrive. 鈥淥ne of the most important things is that we鈥檙e listening to people鈥檚 experiences,鈥 Erin says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e here to shine a light on issues and take action to create a better experience for every employee.鈥

Stryker is proud to be one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality. Learn more about our diversity, equity and inclusion commitments here.