Edward Jones Joins 150 Companies with Unprecedented Commitment to Advance Diversity and Inclusion

DEWITT, Mich. - June 16, 2020 - PRLog -- Edward Jones Managing Partner Penny Pennington was one of more than 150 CEOs to sign the "CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion" pledge, a nationwide initiative to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace as a means to improve corporate performance, drive growth and enhance employee engagement.

The pledge –the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion –involves  more than 150 companies that have agreed to work more closely together to advance diversity and inclusion within the workplace.

The three primary elements of the pledge align well with Edward Jones core value of valuing and respecting individuals and their contributions.  All the signatories serve as leaders of their companies and have committed to advance diversity and inclusion by implementing the following:

• Continue to make our workplaces trusting places to have complex, and sometimes difficult, conversations about diversity and inclusion.

• Implement and expand unconscious bias education (this refers to a bias that one is unaware of, and which happens outside of one's control and influenced by background, cultural environment and personal experiences).

• Commit to share best—and even unsuccessful—practices with one another and track the progress of such practices.

Edward Jones has moved forward on creating a more diverse and inclusive environment. The firm began the conversation around micro-inequities (the repeated sending or receiving of negative micro-messages) 11 years ago, and introduced a course on "Unconscious Bias" four years ago.

Edward Jones received a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation's Corporate Equality Index in 2020. The firm incorporates programs to help attract and support women and diverse financial advisors. And for 10 years, Edward Jones has held a highly successful Inclusion and Diversity week, including a career fair for diverse job candidates, at its St. Louis headquarters.