Citrix Commits to Increase Diversity and Inclusion among its Employees
APRIL 11, 2016: Trillium Asset Management is pleased to announce that we have successfully withdrawn our workforce diversity shareholder proposal at Citrix Systems (NASDAQ: CTXS) after the company committed to several initiatives which include:
- report annual EEO-1 workforce diversity data
- publish details, including oversight, of its diversity and inclusion programs, and
- set time-bound diversity and inclusion goals by December, 2016.
Trillium’s shareholder proposal requested that the company prepare a report adequate for investors to assess Citrix’s strategy and performance pertaining to workforce diversity, including a chart identifying employees according to gender and race in the major Equal Employment Opportunity Commission-defined job categories.
Prior to our shareholder filing, Citrix, like many of its peers stated a strong commitment to fostering a diverse workplace yet provided limited information and metrics.
Deepening initiatives to attract talent, retain and engage talent through mentoring programs, and strengthening community outreach, are key priorities identified by the company. Moving more women into management roles, for example, is an area of focus as women currently comprise 25% of the workforce – with 10% serving in management roles.
“We at Citrix firmly believe in a diverse workforce to drive greater creativity and innovation as well as richer collaboration,” said Donna Kimmel, Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer for Citrix. “Sharing the details of our diversity and inclusion initiatives on our website will bring more desired transparency to our shareholders, customers and employees.”
We applaud Citrix for engaging in productive dialogues with investors on the lack of diversity in the tech sector. Holding itself accountable to expand diversity in its workforce, by committing to a comprehensive strategy and clear benchmarks, is best practice and signals an important commitment to transparency.
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For more information: Randy Rice, Trillium Asset Management, rrice@trilliuminvest.com, 617-515-6889
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