Our people are the source of our strength and what drives our business forward. Their collective skills and experiences contribute to our competitive advantage, and we are committed to the continuous improvement of their experience throughout the employee lifecycle. Atlas Air Worldwide employees understand that what we do matters, and we care for the world they carry. Pride is a fundamental characteristic of our culture and the essence of who we are.
We actively nurture our culture through our commitment to our Company Values, Leadership Principles and Employee Handbook. We trust that our employees come to work each day with the best interest of the Company and their colleagues in mind. Our employees are encouraged to actively participate in programs that influence the ways in which we work today and how we will work in the future.
We leverage diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as a business strategy and driver of innovation. We are committed to the continuous expansion of diverse perspectives that enhance the thought leadership throughout our organization.
We are guided by the following DEI philosophy that ensures we are focused on the priorities of all our constituents:
Our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are designed to celebrate different dimensions of diversity, often providing our employees with growth and development opportunities. To attract, engage and develop women in our organization, we launched our Women’s Network in 2018. The Women’s Network is focused on connecting and developing women to support their professional growth and the success of the organization. In 2021, we developed the Atlas Welcome Group to serve as a key resource and knowledge center for orienting new hires and internal transfers. In addition, our Veteran’s Network brings together Atlas employees who are military veterans and allies.
We constantly strive to elevate our employee experience and establish ourselves as a career destination. In 2020, we launched the ELEVATE program, which is focused on improving the quality of work life of our employees so that they can operate more efficiently and be better prepared to serve our customers. The ELEVATE program brings together a group of cross-functional employees who dedicate time outside of their key role to focus on specific initiatives that will improve the overall quality of work life for their colleagues.
Over the course of the pandemic, our employees transitioned to a variety of new ways of working to ensure that goods kept moving and that our business continued to operate safely and efficiently. We view the transition from the traditional in-office approach to remote work as an opportunity to incorporate more flexibility into our ways of working for the future.
We believe it is our responsibility to contribute to the continuous improvement and economic development in the areas in which we operate. Since 2016, our teams have been actively involved in a number of initiatives focused on providing opportunity in the Ohio and Kentucky region near our Global Control Center, including:
Runway to Giant is for aspiring aviators who are passionate about becoming a pilot and need additional financial support to get started, particularly individuals from underrepresented populations. Candidates can apply for a $10,000 scholarship to attend a flight training program through our accredited educational organization partner.
Runway to Success helps pilots who have most of the qualifications they need to fly our fleet but need to obtain an Airline Pilots License (ATP).
Regional Runway is for pilots working for regional carriers who meet all the qualifications to fly at Atlas but have low flight-time. Through established partnerships with other airlines, we offer those pilots a guaranteed interview once they have enough hours to fly the aircraft in our fleet.
We operate in a highly regulated environment, and we depend on local and federal governments to understand our business and how policy decisions can impact our internal and external talent pipeline. Along with our industry partners, we are working with legislators and regulators across the U.S. to forge career pathways for new pilots, mechanical and technical personnel and other aviation services professionals. We are working on initiatives to attract underrepresented groups to the pilot profession, and we actively seek to create more opportunities for training and certification and to reduce the out-of-pocket cost of those programs, particularly for underrepresented minority groups where cost is a significant barrier.
Creating a resilient and diverse organization requires an ongoing commitment that continues beyond the hiring phase. Learning and development is a key tenet in how we invest in our people. We provide opportunities for employees to develop both leadership and industry-specific skills through various learning formats and methods. In 2021, we focused on areas that presented the greatest opportunities to introduce, support and manage skill development over time, which included our Onboarding Process, New Hire Orientation, Atlas Values and Leadership Principles.
CLEAR THE RUNWAY
Leaders work across departments and remove all obstacles to deliver for customers.
ONBOARD & ELEVATE TALENT
Leaders hire, promote, differentiate and reward the best talent.
OPERATE EFFICIENTLY & EFFECTIVELY
Leaders operate with fierce efficiency and effectiveness to fuel our growing Company.
INNOVATE & INSPIRE
Leaders know that execution pays off today and innovation pays off tomorrow.
NAVIGATE COURAGEOUSLY
Leaders are transparent with themselves and others, even when it is unpopular.
In recent years, we have expanded our health and wellness offerings to include classes, workshops and webinars on topics such as meditation, anxiety, sleep, nutrition and financial fitness. The Atlas Benefits team partners with select hospitals and healthcare providers to bring a diverse set of offerings to employees almost every day.
In 2021, we made significant progress through the following initiatives:
We continued to support and care for our employees throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including:
