Background 

Siemens wants to establish a dialogue addressing racial justice in the wake of George Floyd’s tragic death and the globally-trending Black Lives Matter movement.  

What did you want to achieve? 

We wanted to acknowledge that there is much more we need to do, beyond words and expressions of solidarity, not only as an organisation but as individuals. We decided that this must start with encouraging a more open dialogue and by engaging in courageous conversations. 

What did you do? 

We organised a series of podcasts – initially with our CDO, our Head of DEI US and our HR Head UK – to talk about the issues arising from the situation, asking: 

• What was their initial reaction to the news of George Floyd’s death back on May 25, 2020?  
• Why did this spark such a huge global response?  

• What do we really mean when we say “Black Lives Matter”?  
• What have we been doing in Siemens to support employees and address racial injustice since this happened?  

The conversation was open and very honest, focusing on how we should take a stand against racial injustice and also enact real change that ensures we have a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture at Siemens.  

We promoted the 20-40 minute podcasts internally with a global news article and invited employees to share feedback. 

What are the results so far? 

The SiemensWorld article received 3,591 clicks, and we had countless discussions on our internal social media platform. Employees have given us positive feedback. 

What have you learned? 

We have learned that:  

• Silence is not an option.
• It’s important to be authentic and human.
• Empty platitudes will not work.
• It’s important to enable employees to be heard.
• We have a responsibility – and there is an expectation for us – to follow-up with real action and meaningful progress.

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