At Olympus, valuing people with diverse perspectives and backgrounds is a part of Our Core Values. We believe that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are equally important, and only when DEI becomes integrated into our daily work, will people be their true self, release their full potential, and perform at their best.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Olympus
OUR STRATEGY
At Olympus, we aim to create an environment where Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are engrained in the fabric of our culture; driving innovation and empowering every employee to thrive in an environment of respect, fairness, and belonging. We strive to dismantle barriers, amplify all voices, and celebrate our differences through education, advocacy and inclusive practices. Embracing DEI enables us to unlock the creativity and resourcefulness necessary to making people’s lives healthier, safer and more fulfilling.
We embrace DEI globally by prioritizing four key themes:
- Gender and Life Priority
- Nationality and Culture
- Career and Experience
- Inclusive Environment
These global themes are at the heart of all our initiatives.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION AREAS OF FOCUS
Locally in the Americas, we work toward specific strategic priorities by focusing our DEI efforts in three areas:
Build a diverse, high-performing workforce
Cultivate a collaborative work environment that empowers all employees
Embed DEI into our culture to create a healthy organization
We value the diversity each of our colleagues brings to the organization, and we strive to assure that everyone feels they are treated respectfully and fairly, are valued, have a voice and sense of acceptance and belonging, and are confident and inspired.
After all, opportunities can only be realized when we practice unity and work together, harnessing the diverse strengths within us.
EXECUTIVE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION COUNCIL
The Executive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council provides organizational-wide governance and oversight necessary to improve and sustain workforce diversity, health equity, inclusion, supplier diversity, and related corporate social responsibility partnerships across Olympus Corporation of the Americas (OCA) regional companies and business units, while aligning with the Global DEI strategy. These executive members represent workforce diversity intersectionality with contributions from different races, ethnicities, genders, generations, and perspectives.
Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion begins at the top. The Council members ensure that OCA achieves success by leveraging diversity, equity, and inclusion as a platform for change and competitive advantage to sustain innovative capabilities in medical technology and precision manufacturing. An environment where all employees feel included and valued creates greater commitment and motivation, making OCA a stronger company.
The CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ coalition is the largest U.S. CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion within the workplace. This commitment is guided by a realization that addressing diversity and inclusion is not a competitive issue but a societal issue. Recognizing that change starts at the executive level, more than 900 CEOs of the world’s leading companies and business organizations are leveraging their individual and collective voices to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
As an organization, we are committed to these same values worldwide, and at Olympus Corporation of the Americas (OCA), we are an active participant in the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion coalition.
Employee Resource Groups
At Olympus, we support Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). The goal of Olympus ERGs is to provide affinity and allyship. These groups focus on creating a more inclusive workplace to allow all employees to fully contribute to and thrive in our company. Our ERGs accomplish this by supporting Olympus business objectives through diversity education and awareness, and by building networks of people and resources throughout the organization. Every employee has a role to play in developing these connections and resources that make us stronger as an organization.
OUR CURRENT EMPLOYEE RESOURCE GROUPS
- African American
- Asian
- Emerging Professionals
- Hispanic-Latino
- enABLE+
- Intercultural (San Jose location)
- Interfaith
- LGBTQ+
- Women’s
- Veterans
Our Leader’s Commitment to D&I
Pride Wishes from Julien Sauvagnargues, President, OCA
Pride Month and the LGBTQ community have been close to my heart for many years. I was a teenager when I first learned that my older brother is gay. After he came out, our bond as brothers became stronger. Our family dynamic also became stronger as my parents expressed nothing but love and support for my brother. This experience started what has become a lifelong journey of proudly being an advocate for the LGBTQ community.
In my later teens, I met many more LGBTQ people. I fondly remember meeting others in the community and being welcomed with open arms when I would visit my brother in New York City. As I grew into my 20s, many of my friends also began to come out as LGBTQ. It was hard for me to understand that celebrating and supporting people like my brother is not how everyone in society views this community.
I take my role as an ally and advocate very seriously. As the President of Olympus Corporation of the Americas, I feel it is imperative to outwardly champion diversity and inclusion efforts from the top of the organization. I always want to ensure I am setting an appropriate tone and supporting the efforts of the rest of the organization. As I have said many times, I believe that a diverse organization is a more efficient organization, with more opportunities to succeed in a very competitive world. If we manage to embrace our unique identities, we will be stronger than if we all look and think the same.
At Olympus, we encourage the involvement of our employees in D&I efforts through membership in activities and organizations that give people the opportunity to educate and support one another. It’s another way in which we bring our Core Values to life. Our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) regularly design engaging and effective workshops and activities that help equip our employees with fundamental knowledge that helps us all become stronger allies in our professional and personal lives. Never underestimate the power of simply listening to one another to develop stronger empathy.
Thank you for supporting Pride!
Designations & Awards
Olympus Corporation of the Americas was recently recognized for the Military-Friendly Employer award (2024), Military-Friendly Spouse Employer award (2024), Medtech Breakthrough award (2024), Mogul Workplace/People Leaders (Top 100) award (2024), Adoption-Friendly Workplace award (2024) and the DEI Best Place to Work Disability Inclusion award (2023).
