This year, Micron designated April 28 as the company’s Day of Understanding. The third annual Day of Understanding, celebrated sometime in April, is recognized by CEOs and leaders across nearly 2,000 organizations as part of the CEO ACT!ON for Diversity & Inclusion that Micron CEO and President Sanjay Mehrotra signed on to in 2017. The initiative seeks to “change how millions of people talk to their colleagues about tough topics and move the needle toward a more just and equitable world.”
On or around Micron’s Day of Understanding, conversations happened around the globe at Micron sites, with the theme “Inclusion Allyship: Creating Space For All.” Micron delivers opportunity for all with our unwavering commitment to our people. Part of that commitment is engaging in conversations, listening and understanding. It is an important activity for our commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) to strengthen our culture of inclusion.
Our sites in China and Taiwan brought in a guest speaker for a presentation titled “The Atypical Talent — Reimagine Autism.” Team members learned what neurodiversity means and how to create an inclusive environment for people of all neurotypes.
Our sites in India discussed unconscious bias and steps to mitigate such bias. These sites also launched an initiative called #let'stalkDEI. Sessions provided as part of this initiative will delve deeper into creating a better understanding of DEI issues.
In Japan, the topic was about having “courage to bring your authentic self to the workplace.” In addition to sharing stories, participants reviewed case studies that encouraged a two-way dialogue with team members about innovative ideas to be respectful of the Japanese culture while also displaying courage. The session ended with attendees committing to be courageous and speak up at work on behalf of underrepresented communities.
For Malaysia team members, the meaning of inclusion started their conversations. The team in Malaysia voted to commit to inclusive behaviors to keep allyship going throughout the year.
In Singapore, real-life scenarios of stereotyping were at the core of discussions. Team members talked about using gender neutral terms and assessing accountability through self-reflection to break down stereotypes.
In the United States, Rabbi Dan Fink with the Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel in Boise, Idaho, and Dr. Melina Abdullah, California State University, discussed the importance of allyship. Micron leaders from the U.S. and Europe also shared their allyship journeys. After hearing the sharing, Chief People Officer April Arnzen said that, for her, hearing personal stories is a strong reminder of what allyship means: the need to listen, to learn and to be self-reflective and self-aware. No matter where we are on this journey, we can all do better. And that’s what we all need to commit to.
At Micron, nothing is more important than our people. They provide the innovation, the collaboration and the tenacity to make and keep Micron a leader in the semiconductor industry. The Day of Understanding provided the opportunity for invaluable discussions around diversity, equality and inclusion.
But creating a culture of inclusion require more than just a one-day conversation. We continue to make progress on our six DEI commitments for FY21 and look forward to more internal conversations around creating a more inclusive workplace.
