Texas Children’s embraces diversity

Since the Women’s Rights Movement of the 1960s, a woman’s role in the workplace has changed significantly. Today, many organizations across the United States have female leadership and a diverse workforce. Texas Children’s is no different, and is in fact a place where women thrive and diversity is embraced.

Texas Children’s workforce of more than 14,000 employees is 66 percent ethnically diverse, which is well above the national benchmark of 30 percent for hospitals and health systems across the country, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. More than 80 percent of Texas Children’s employees are women.

“At Texas Children’s, diversity is about leveraging the capabilities, insights and ideas of all individuals,” President and CEO Mark A. Wallace said. “It’s also about providing the best possible care to our patients and their families, who are just as diverse as we are.”

As the largest freestanding children’s hospital in North America, Texas Children’s serves patients from all 50 states and nearly 70 countries around the world. Those patients and families speak a variety of languages, celebrate distinct customs and digest information – especially about the health of their child – in many ways.

To best serve these patients and make them feel comfortable during what might be a very trying time, it’s important for Texas Children’s to have employees who can understand where they are coming from and communicate at a level that fits their needs.

“By attracting a work environment that welcomes and supports each individual and their contribution to our mission, Texas Children’s is better equipped to serve its patients and their families,” said Executive Vice President Michelle Riley-Brown. “Our ultimate goal is to help sick children and women; and tapping a diverse set of people from which to do that is beneficial to all.”

The diversity of Texas Children’s has made an impact nationally. In 2018, Forbes released its first-ever ranking of America’s best employers for women, and Texas Children’s was ranked No. 11 among the best 300 companies in the nation – and the best in Houston.

The recognition was driven by Forbes’ work with independent market research company Statista, which surveyed 40,000 people, including 25,000 women, who work for companies with at least 1,000 employees. Those surveyed anonymously and candidly rated their companies based on work conditions, diversity, discrimination, parental leave and pay equity. The final list ranked 300 companies nationwide.

Women comprise 81 percent of the Texas Children’s workforce and dominate our executive leadership (71 percent), senior leadership (72 percent) and manager-level leadership (75 percent).

“We are extremely proud of Texas Children’s diverse and inclusive culture,” Riley-Brown said.