Our team members are the key to becoming the world's best paper and packaging company. Supporting their success and promoting their safety is how we build a strong, sustainable future.
Committed to Our Team Members and Communities
WestRock is investing in education, safety and the communities where we live:
- Empowering our team members to build meaningful careers
- Advancing diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging at WestRock
- Striving for maximum safety
- Giving back to the places where we operate
We will provide access to technical training for one million individuals by 2030, while advancing our diversity programs, continually improving our safety culture and providing environmental, social and other programming to support our communities.
Protecting the health, safety and well-being of our team members is one of our core values and top priorities. Ensuring our teammates’ safety is critical to our business and to our sustainability goals, essential for attracting, retaining and motivating top talent–and the right thing to do. WestRock applies a robust approach to identify and control risk at every sites. We encourage our team members to drive continuous improvement by identifying, reporting and reducing risk in their work environment, and we provide positive recognition when they do.
Reduction in the number of life-changing events, 2019 - 2022
The WestRock community includes almost 50,000 team members across more than 300 locations in 30 countries around the world. Their success is a key driver in our ability to build a strong and sustainable future at WestRock. We strive every day to provide a safe, diverse and inclusive workplace through programs and policies that allow team members to thrive in their work and in their communities.
Team members
Total training hours
Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Belonging
We believe that diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging (DIEB) are competitive advantages that make us a better company. We are dedicated to creating a work environment where all team members feel they belong, are respected and valued and can do their best work.
WestRock has set targets to improve representation at all levels for women, people of color and veterans and are working toward inclusivity for underrepresented groups in a number of ways:
- Education. Our team members undergo training to identify and address unconscious bias, and our managers also participate in Inclusive Leadership training.
- Engagement. WestRock sponsors seven WestRock Resource Groups (WRGs) around the globe.
- Recruitment. Our talent acquisition team and programs focus on increasing our diverse hiring – overall, on college campuses, in our rotational programs and through veteran and military programs.
Looking Forward
We are continuing to invest in building an exceptional talent pool and a culture where all team members can be their authentic selves. We are excited to advance on several initiatives this year, including:
- A commercial academy to support learning and development of our sales teams worldwide
- Leadership Energize, which provides insight into our leadership model and the skills necessary for successful leadership at WestRock
- Our plan to achieve 100% completion of Blind Spots unconscious bias training among our global workforce by the end of 2023
- Partnering with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to offer financial assistance of up to $10,000 to 14 outstanding students attending historically Black colleges and universities in the 2023-2024 academic school year
- Our goal of achieving 10% representation of veteran and military talent by 2025, up from 8.1% in 2022.
Investing Where We Work
Our communities make us strong, and we aim to help strengthen them in turn. We leverage our skills and resources to drive real, lasting improvements, with a focus on environmental sustainability, education, workforce development and team member community engagement. WestRock engages in strategic philanthropy partnerships at the enterprise level, and we encourage each of our facilities to identify and participate in activities that will benefit its communities. Our locations connect to their communities through sponsorships, and team members volunteer to spruce up public green spaces, engage students in STEM activities, staff volunteer emergency services organizations and mentor the workforce of tomorrow, among countless other efforts.
Trees planted through our community partners
“We evolved our giving strategy in 2022, more closely aligning our investments with our focus areas and expanded engagement across our global operating footprint.”
- Mandy Burnette, Director, Corporate Giving
Organizations supported by WestRock team members through our Grants for Volunteers and Matching Gifts programs
Tons of recyclable material collected by WestRock from Truist Park, the home of the Atlanta Braves
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