Noodles & Co joins PwC, McDonalds and Verizon on corporate diversity pledge

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Noodles and Company CEO Dave Boennighausen has joined other top leaders in signing the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge, in an effort to create a company culture that is more equal and inclusive.

Less than 1% of Fortune 500 CEOs are Black, according to research from the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion group — an initiative started by PwC. Only 25% of female CEOs are in the S&P 500 and just only 29% of employers have programs focused on the retention of LGBTQ talent.

Almost 2,000 CEOs at some of the world’s leading companies and business organizations have signed the pledge. CEOs commit to elevating and supporting a more inclusive workplace by cultivating environments that support an open dialogue around diversity and inclusion.

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"Our mission is to nourish and inspire every team member, guest and community we serve. By pledging our commitment to CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion, we are advancing that mission,” Boennighausen said in a release. “As a national business with millions of customers and thousands of employees, we have a unique opportunity — and responsibility — to influence and enact positive change in our society."

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Other companies whose CEOs have taken the pledge include Domino’s, BIC, Nordstrom, McDonald’s and Verizon. PwC chair Tim Ryan led the creation of the coalition in 2017 with 150 companies committing at the time.

As part of its own diversity and inclusion efforts, Noodles regularly connects with its employees through listening forums in order to become more aware of what employees need and what they are going through in their daily lives. The company has also implemented an internal inclusion and diversity advisory council and created an inclusion and diversity resource library. Noodles makes regular investments in its employees through a foundation that distributed grants to over 800 employees last year.

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"This pledge complements and amplifies our proactive inclusion and diversity strategy," Sue Petersen, executive vice president of inclusion, diversity, and people at Noodles, said in a release. "Our goal is to make Noodles the best place to work in the industry and that starts with listening, learning, and acting.”

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