Responsibility

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

We are committed to building on our culture of inclusion and belonging that reflects the communities where we operate and the patients we serve. Read how we bring the power of diversity to life in our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) report.

Our Commitments

Our approach to DE&I and our culture has matured during the past several years — and we continuously evolve to meet the expectations of our employees, patients and the communities we serve. We are working to advance our overall DE&I strategy and we check our progress by looking at the data.

47.6%

Women in director level and above

35.8%

U.S. workforce1 who are a racial or ethnic minority2

.99

Gender pay gap for professionals3

11.8%

Supplier diversity spend of total U.S. spend4

DE&I STRATEGY LONG-TERM GOAL PROGRESS HIGHLIGHTS
1. Build company-wide awareness, capability and urgency to foster and sustain a diverse and inclusive environment
  • 95% of managers are trained on inclusive recruiting, hiring, promotion and retention
  • 60% of all employees participate in DE&I training
  • 89.9% of people managers trained by December 2021
  • 70% of employees interacted with DE&I workshops and training modules
2. Build an intentional, high-performing, engaged, diverse and inclusive talent pipeline
  • 30% increase in women in director-level and above roles globally, until gender parity reached
  • 30% increase in underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities1 in U.S. manager positions and above
  • 30% increase in representation of people identifying as veterans, people with disabilities and LGBTQ+ in the U.S.
  • 47.6% of positions at director level and above were held by women
  • 28.5% of manager-level and above positions were held by ethnic or racial minorities in the U.S.
  • 3.69% U.S. employees who identify as having a disability
  • 1.28% U.S. employees who identify as LGBTQ+
  • 3.3% U.S. employees who identify as veteran and/or protected veteran
3. Improve health outcomes for African American, Black, Hispanic, Latino and other minority communities in the disease areas we treat
  • Meet industry diversity benchmarks in clinical trials and medical publications on underserved and underrepresented communities
  • 100% of our Phase 1–4 studies in the U.S., led by Global Clinical Operations, included a plan to recruit participants from underrepresented communities to ensure the study population is representative of the intended treatment population
  • Expanding our Community Advisory Board
4. Promote economic empowerment and expand sourcing with minority-owned businesses
  • 50% to 100% spending increase with minority-owned businesses in the U.S. by 2023
  • Explore expanding use of minority-owned banks for a portion of cash balances
  • Surpassed our minority-owned business spend goal by $5 million. In total, we spent $230 million with diverse suppliers.
  • Sustained our $10 million deposit with a minority-owned bank

Read how we’re progressing against our goals and other highlights in our DE&I report and Year in Review report.

How DE&I Comes to Life at Biogen

While our commitment to DE&I starts at the top, it is carried through at every level of our organization. Nowhere is this more evident than through our Employee Resource Networks — groups for those who share characteristics, life experiences and interests, along with their allies. These groups offer opportunities to support and advance business objectives, exchange knowledge, find mentors, volunteer and receive support — all of which are invaluable for career development.

AccessAbility

For those with disabilities, caretakers of individuals with a disability, and their allies

Veterans Network

Focuses on engaging and empowering veterans

IGNITE

For early-career professionals and their advocates

Mosaic

Our multicultural network that aims to foster awareness

Parent Networking Group

For parents and caregivers

OurIMPACT

Focuses on environmental sustainability and its links to human health

ReachOUT

For lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) employees, along with their straight allies

Women’s Innovation Network

Ensuring women are fully included, engaged and valued at all levels of our company

Our Commitments and Sign-Ons

  • Supported “Yes on 3” vote, which aimed to uphold protections for transgender people in Massachusetts in spaces of public accommodation.
  • Signed open letters denouncing the repeal of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and an immigration ban of Muslim countries.
  • Responding after the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor: A Message to Biogen Employees Around the World.
  • Healthcare Access: Firmly supporting equitable access to healthcare including reproductive health and personal choices.
  • Signatory of the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™, the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance DE&I within the workplace.
  • Signatory of the Pledge for a More Equitable and Inclusive Life Sciences Industry.
  • Supporter of the Workforce Development, Diversity, and Inclusion principles (WDDI) adopted by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization.

Stories

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Responsibility

Increasing diversity in clinical trials: A collaboration with Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development

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People & Culture

Wanda Castro-Borrero: carrying on legacy of care

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Multiple Sclerosis

The hidden face of MS

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Alzheimer's Disease

One day at a time: Kamaria’s story

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Responsibility

Helping community health clinics address climate risks

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Responsibility

Youth Neurology Program: building a more diverse neurology workforce

Awards and Recognition

  • 100% on the Disability Equality Index for the fifth consecutive year.
  • 100% on Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index for Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality for the ninth consecutive year.
  • #5 in Fortune and Refinitiv’s Measure Up ranking of leaders in DE&I data transparency.
  • #17 on 3BL Media’s annual ranking of its 100 Best Corporate Citizens.
  • #36 on JUST Capital’s JUST 100 list.
  • Received Best Workplaces awards from the organization Great Place to Work for our offices in France, Italy, the U.K., Canada and Poland.

Workforce and Data

Biogen welcomes all job applicants and we strive to provide all employees with equal opportunity for advancement. We will not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment based on an individual’s sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, race, color, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, religion, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information or any other basis protected by local government agencies or law.

We choose to make our EEO-1 reports available publicly. Although we publish our EEO-1 reports, our job levels and titles differ from the categories provided in the EEO-1. As such, we do not rely solely on the report to measure our progress.

References
  1. Biogen currently only asks U.S. employees to voluntarily self-identify demographic information such as race and ethnicity.
  2. Racial and ethnic minorities include Asian American, Black, African American, Hispanic, Latino, Indigenous, Native American, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and two or more races.
  3. The gender pay assessment includes data covering all permanent global employees adjusted for the number of females and males at each level within the organization for base compensation only. The ratio is calculated by averaging the mean base pay for females in the stated role in comparison to the mean base pay of males in a similar role.
  4. In 2021, minority-owned suppliers accounted for 19% of the diversity spend (2% of all Biogen supplier spending).

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