Ricoh selected from among more than 1,300 ERGs, Councils and their chapters for promoting diversity and inclusion within the company 

MALVERN, PA – Ricoh USA, Inc. has been recognized as one of the top 20 organizational diversity councils in the United States as part of the 9th Annual ERG & Council Honors Award. The Ricoh Diversity and Social Responsibility Council was honored for its commitment to and success in promoting diversity and inclusion within Ricoh, creating measurable results in its workforce, workplace and marketplace. Part of Ricoh’s success can be attributed to its deeply ingrained commitment to corporate social responsibility, as embodied in its global corporate philosophy, The RICOH Way. Ricoh proudly accepted the ERG & Council Honors Award at the 2017 ERG & Council Conference on October 6th in Orlando, Florida.

The Association of ERGs & Councils is the premier resource for diversity and inclusion professionals dedicated to increasing the impact, effectiveness and recognition of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), Business Resource Groups (BRGs) and Diversity Councils.

“Top-25 organizations set the standard of excellence for employee resource groups and diversity councils in the U.S.,” said Fernando Serpa, Executive Director, Association of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) & Councils. “By honoring these standout organizations, we hope to showcase diversity councils’ successes. It also incentivizes more organizations to fill out the in-depth application, which offers an opportunity for diversity councils around the country to ask themselves probing questions about the actions they are taking to drive tangible improvements. Top-25 organizations like Ricoh are able to emerge with a sense of confidence that they are living up to their commitments to diversity and social responsibility.” 

Recipients of the 2017 ERG & Council Honors Award were chosen from a pool of 1,330 applicants. The online application is free to fill out, encouraging greater participation in pursuit of the program’s goal of fostering self-reflection as well as honoring successes. Applicants and recipients come from a wide array of U.S. organizations, representing a variety of industries, geographies and sizes. Applicants were evaluated based on their contributions in achievements in four focus areas: demonstrated results, demonstrated management commitment, measurement and accountability, and communication and education. 

Among the metrics that elevated Ricoh’s application was its work in backing up its commitment to supplier diversity spend. Ricoh purchased close to $110M in goods and services from small and diverse-owned businesses in 2016. Of that, $41.7 million were purchased from minority-owned businesses, $36.7 million were from woman-owned businesses, and $18.8 million were from disabled veteran business enterprises.

Ricoh’s submission also stood out due to its dedication to a diverse workforce and community outreach, both in proactive job recruitment and supporting diverse members of the communities around and within Ricoh. For example, a team led by a member of Ricoh’s corporate Diversity and Social Responsibility Council designed a program to increase access to veteran candidates and build stronger company recognition within the veteran community. Council members became more engaged in the veteran community, attending 72 veteran career events over the course of the year. As a result, veteran hiring experienced a 103 percent year-over-year increase. Additionally, Ricoh takes part in the annual Relay for Life each year. This year, Ricoh fielded 32 teams comprising 284 participants across the country, who worked together to raise substantial funds for the American Cancer Society. Local councils also play an important role in Ricoh’s annual United Way campaign, which has raised more than $1 million annually over the past seven years. 

“We take diversity and social responsibility very seriously. We are a global organization with offices around the country and around the world, and we believe it's vital to promote and ensure a culture that inspires inclusion at every level – globally, nationally, and locally. In the United States alone, we have an overarching, cross-functional Diversity and Social Responsibility Council as well as 45 local councils with the same mandate,” said Donna Venable, Executive Vice President, Human Resources and Deputy General Manager, Shared Services, Ricoh Americas. “Diverse voices and viewpoints foster innovation, which in turn fosters success. We know making diversity a priority is both good business and the right thing to do.”