Corporate Responsibility: Workforce Engagement
Global Workforce Strategy
EDS' Enterprise Global Workforce Strategy is an essential element to establishing a world-class, globally integrated workforce. Our objective is to provide clients with the right resources – the right skills, where and when they need them, and at the right cost. To accomplish this, Global Workforce Strategy focuses on three distinct areas that align to support EDS' and our clients' needs:
- Global Workforce Planning – Provides a consistent view of resource needs across the enterprise. We use traditional processes with some distinguishing differences, such as a patented Skills Catalog that outlines the skills aligned to each role and capability in the company, resource management processes and tools, and a Web-based Workforce Analytics Dashboard.
- Global Workforce Intelligence – Builds an intelligence network that increases communication among the demand, supply and fulfillment areas across the enterprise.
- Global Workforce Operations – Provides operational support by aligning processes, tools and reporting. This includes employee skills maintenance and Global Reporting Services, which provides access to staffing, workforce activity, diversity and global people-related data.
Recruitment
Recruiting Program Highlights
- EDS' Global Campus Recruiting Program increases our opportunity to hire students at the undergraduate and MBA levels.
- Our eight-week Summer Intern Program provides valuable work experience, exposure to EDS leaders and the opportunity to participate in a case-study competition.
- EDS' numerous global academic relationships focus on education and research and development that promotes new ideas and solutions that ultimately benefit EDS and our clients.
As an equal opportunity employer and a company dedicated to helping our clients meet their commitments, EDS looks for hard-working people who achieve results. EDS Global Recruitment leads that effort with regional recruiting teams that work with our leaders around the globe to ensure the right personnel resources are placed in positions in a timely manner.
EDS careers span multiple industries and governments worldwide, with opportunities in a variety of business and technical areas. All careers provide opportunities for employees to update their skills, build their knowledge and increase their career options through training and other valuable resources.
Learning & Development
Global Learning & Development's (GL&D) vision is to become a differentiator for EDS and its employees by delivering business results through effective people development. EDS adopts industry best practices with regard to learning – tying learning to business impact, treating learning as a process, advocating a blended learning approach, creating an EDS learning culture and developing an integrated HR approach.
myWorkLife Portal
EDS' innovative myWorkLife portal is an intranet site that provides a searchable, online gateway to a wide range of career planning and development resources. Employees can use it to search for jobs and assignments, perform career analysis, explore development options and paths, gain access to coaches and mentors and build individual development plans.
Employee Development Fast Facts
EDS employees have access to the following learning and development resources:
- Performance consultants
- More than 6,500 courses, including Web-based, CD-ROMs, podcasts and lecture-style
- A blend of internally built and externally supplied content, services and technology
- A learning management system for tracking, history and reporting
- Learning support 24/7
- Measurement strategies
In 2006, mentoring and coaching opportunities were available in 180 different subject areas, including career development. Employees had access to more than 350 role-based development paths outlining key options to support development of defined job family skills and competencies.
EDS employees completed an average of 20.4 hours of training per employee in 2006.
Training Area |
2006 Completed Hours |
| General topics, such as business, finance, legal and corporate systems, language, communications and personal development | 1,066,998 |
| Sales | 77,120 |
| Leadership | 83,475 |
| Program and Project Management | 146,036 |
| Technical Development | 564,098 |
| Business Unit Specific | 474,707 |
| Total Hours: | 2,412,434 |
Program Highlights
Leadership development is a strategic focus and a critical component in supporting EDS' goals. In 2006, EDS implemented the Account Executive Development Workshop, the First-Line Leaders Program and conducted 44 Coaching Skills for Leaders virtual workshops reaching more than 800 leaders.
EDS offers a comprehensive curriculum for all technical employees. In 2006, EDS offered two new programs for entry-level employees: the eight-week Accelerated Professional Development (APD) Program for recent college graduates and the Professional Rapid On-Boarding Program for new hires with two to five years of technical experience.
EDS also offers a comprehensive on-boarding program for all new and transitioned employees. As part of our Best Shore® strategy, we provide our call center staff with innovative client delivery skills development, cutting-edge technology resources and best-practice process training. EDS' tuition assistance program gives eligible employees financial assistance for tuition-related expenses during their pursuit of job-related education for undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
Performance Management
Strong employee performance is critical to EDS' success. We must work in ways that help our clients solve complex business issues and achieve maximum return on their investment. Our Performance Management program enables an active partnership between leaders and employees to improve performance and align contributions with EDS' goals, values and business imperatives. This process has three cyclical phases: Plan performance, Review progress and Assess annual performance.
Performance Management at EDS
Diversity & Inclusion
EDS aspires to be recognized as a global leader in diversity and inclusion, to be the preferred employer for the best talent in the IT services industry, and to cultivate a self-sustaining culture of diversity and inclusion that fosters individual and company success. Our workforce – with employees who speak more than 43 languages and work in more than 60 countries – reflects the diversity that exists at EDS and provides many benefits including creativity, variety in approaches to problem solving and the ability to work effectively as a global company.
The Corporate Diversity Council, Regional Diversity Councils and Employee Network Groups support the foundation for EDS' diversity and inclusion strategy, which is integrated into corporate policies and practices.
EDS Canada Honors Inspiration Behind Global Women's Network
Elena Dragoi of EDS Canada won that region's 2006 Pacesetter Diversity Award in the Individual Performer category for her accomplishments as the driving force behind the creation of the EDS Global Women's Network. Elena is passionate about bettering the workplace for women and did an exceptional job laying the foundation for what EDS expects to be a long-term networking opportunity.
Program Highlights
We strive to achieve our goals by promoting cultural awareness, supporting learning and development through leader and employee training, and by investing in the present and future workforce through our investments and resources deployed to organizations that share our viewpoint. Here are some examples:
- Sponsored an event entitled "Celebration of People" in Auburn Hills, Michigan. This event featured the history and artifacts of 20 nations from around the world with activities such as sushi making, salsa dance lessons, Scottish bagpipes and showcases from many cultures.
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Conducted an International Nite Annual Dinner in Malaysia promoting cultural awareness relative to employees' countries of origin.
EDS Malaysia's International Nite Annual Dinner Invitation
- Presented diversity and inclusion training on topics that included Generational Diversity, Business Case for Equity, and Culture and Its Impact on Global Corporations.
- Initiated diversity internship program for indigenous students in Australia. The company sponsored three students with interest in business and technology with a paid internship.
- Increased U.S. INROADS student internships to 43, the highest participation since EDS developed the partnership several years ago.
- Partnered with Swadhar Institute for Development of Women and Children and Jagruti Seva Sanstha in developing underprivileged women and students in Pune, India. The partnership has enabled 80 children to start their education afresh.
- Achieved the prestigious Canada Bronze Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) rating. The PAR program helps companies benchmark their work with Aboriginal people, businesses and communities and is managed in partnership with the National Quality Institute.
- Participated in the National Skills Development Strategy, paying a percentage of our salary margin to the South African Revenue Service. Of this, 20 percent goes to the National Skills Fund and 80 percent to the IT industry education and training authority.
Global and U.S. Workforce Demographics
As of December 31, 2006, EDS' workforce was made up of approximately 118,000 employees who live and work in more than 60 countries.
| 2006 Global Diversity Demographics | Female % |
| Global workforce | 37 |
| Global managers and supervisors | 29 |
| 2006 U.S. Diversity Demographics | Female and Minority % |
| Officials and managers | 35 |
| Total workforce | 42 |
2006 Marketplace Recognition
The marketplace sees EDS demonstrating its commitment to diversity and recognized the corporation for its efforts in this area in numerous ways. Read more about EDS recognition, EDS diversity-related news and EDS-supported organizations that promote diversity, education, recruiting and professional achievement.
Compensation and Benefits
EDS' compensation and benefits programs provide flexible choices and multiple options to meet employees' needs. We offer health benefits, security benefits, pension and savings programs, time off, and flexible spending accounts. These benefits may vary slightly by country. Our programs align with market practice and local legal requirements.
EDS uses multiple avenues to educate and inform employees. We also regularly engage stakeholders, providers and employees to monitor the quality of compensation and benefits programs and improve offerings. Some examples follow:
- We perform an annual market analysis on compensation and benefits programs, benchmarking against peer groups in local markets, with periodic checkpoints during the year.
- Third-party auditors perform annual trust audits on retirement and health and welfare plans.
- We perform claims/appeals audits using third-party auditors to confirm health plans are administering benefits correctly according to plan.
- All health plans have performance guarantees in place, including operational and clinical metrics, which are measured and reported on at least quarterly.
Work/Life Benefit Programs
Employees and their families are increasingly challenged to balance work with the circumstances of everyday life. This led to our enhancing many existing assistance and discount programs in 2006 and making a strategic shift to broaden the area of work/life balance tools and resources. Our enhanced programs maximize employee engagement, promote synergy between work/life balance and wellness, and facilitate participation via remote/mobile access.
The programs listed below, although primarily specific to U.S. employees, are representative of the types of programs we may offer worldwide.
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Awards
The Wellness Councils of America (WELCOA) awarded EDS a Gold award in the 2006 Well Workplace Awards. According to the Councils, "Gold Well Workplaces are companies that have successfully built comprehensive worksite wellness initiatives and are demonstrating and documenting concrete outcomes related to behavior change, cost effectiveness and return on investment."
Compensation
EDS strives to provide competitive compensation and believes employees should be rewarded based on individual and team contributions, within the boundaries of corporate performance and affordability. EDS' pay policies and practices are reviewed at least annually to ensure they are competitive in the global markets where EDS has an employee presence.
EDS provides cash incentives to employees through three primary, companywide bonus plans. The Corporate Bonus Plan unites senior leadership positions across the company into one plan. The Bonus Plan for Selling provides commissions and cash bonuses for employees participating in the sales process. The Project Performance Bonus Plan enables leaders to reward employees who have demonstrated exceptional performance with cash payouts throughout the year and the opportunity for additional bonus funding at year-end, based on EDS' financial performance.
Workplace Health and Safety
EDS is responsible for providing a safe and healthy work environment for employees, contractors and visitors. At sites not owned by EDS but where our employees office, we work with facility management, building landlords, security service providers and clients to fulfill this responsibility.
Health and Safety
A global, cross-functional Health and Safety Team meets quarterly and as needed to address health and safety issues related to our business environment. The team engages the necessary internal and external parties to mitigate health and safety concerns in normal day-to-day operations and crisis situations. The team also monitors world events, global travel advisories and health alerts that might affect EDS operations, employees and clients.
The EDS Workplace Safety Guide defines health and safety responsibilities (and accountabilities) for leaders and employees.
Crisis Management and Business Continuity
If a situation requiring heightened attention occurs, our Crisis Management Team (CMT) engages and leads the effort to ensure employee safety and business continuity. The CMT, facilitated by the Chief Security & Privacy Office (CSPO) organization, provides enterprisewide oversight of all extraordinary EDS emergency situations. The team improves operational processes through post-incident assessments.
EDS relies on a proven business continuity methodology. This ensures that if a disaster occurs, all EDS resources can resume business operations and deliver results for clients as quickly as possible. It is important that each geographic unit of an organization has a Business Continuity Plan.
Employee Communications
Effective communications enable us to meet the needs of our employees, clients and other stakeholders. We encourage two-way communications between leaders and employees by supporting an open, collaborative environment. We have developed a variety of communications channels for our employees and the clients they support. EDS emphasizes leader-led engagement with employees, supported by Web-based, e-mail and multimedia communications.
Innovative Communications are an EDS Strength
The EDS News Widget, added in 2006, is an interactive news scroller that brings up-to-the-minute EDS news, IT industry news, global news and stock quotes directly to employees' desktops. Podcasts are an increasingly popular way for employees and leaders to stay up to date by downloading audio and video from lectures, town hall meetings, and other EDS presentations and events.
Our major regions and business segments use similar channels, enabling news and information to be localized and communicated in multiple languages. Most employees are connected to EDS' intranet and communicate over a single e-mail system.
Leaders To Employees
EDS leaders at every level and in every organization communicate with employees using formal and informal techniques. In 2006, EDS expanded its Global Broadcast Network capabilities to include additional outlets and online access. EDS also made broadcasts available via an Internet-accessible live video stream for employees who work at home and on customer account sites. The company continued its successful By Request television program, which uses an interactive format for employees to ask questions and receive immediate responses from senior executives.
Employees To Leaders
Employees have numerous outlets for sharing their thoughts and opinions with leaders. Senior executives maintain e-mail centers that enable employees to send questions directly to executives and receive timely responses. The EDS intranet also enables employees to give immediate feedback on content.
EDS' Voice of the Employee Survey is another way for employees to share their thoughts. EDS annually conducts a global census survey to gather feedback from all employees. Quarterly "pulse" surveys collect employee perceptions from a global sample of EDS employees to identify trends.
More formal communications processes encourage employees to share ideas and concerns, seek guidance and advice, or report known or suspected business abuse. The EDS Office of Ethics and Compliance provides employees the ability to report any illegal, unethical or irresponsible act that may cause harm or loss to EDS, our employees or our clients.