Gender Inclusive Environment

at Nike Corporation
A Recommendation Report

Prepared for: Mark Parker, CEO

Nike Corporation

Prepared by: Alyssa Stamets, Consultant of Social Presence

Corporate Sector

December 1, 2019

1 Bowerman Dr.,
Beaverton, OR, 97005.
 Table of Content
Abstract………………………………………………………………………………..………… 1
Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………..……….2
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………..………..3
Research Methods………………………………………………………………………..………4
Background #1: What is gender discrimination and the effects it has on workers……..... 4
Background #2: Closing the gender wage gap and working towards having
gender equality………………………………………………………………...…. 4
Background #3: Attempting to close the gender wage gap and determining
why it often fails ..…………………………………………………………......… 5
Results:……………………………………………………………………………….…….……. 6
Background #1: What is gender discrimination and the effects it has on workers …..….. 6
Background #2: Closing the gender wage gap and working towards having
gender equality…………………………………………………………….…..…. 7
Background #3: Attempting to close the gender wage gap and determining
why it often fails ..…………………………………………………………....….. 7

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………. 8
Recommendation………………………………………………………………….……………. 8
References…………………………………………………………………………………… .. 10
Appendices………………………………………………………………………………………11
 Abstract

“Gender Inclusive Environment

at Nike Corporation
A Recommendation Report”

Prepared by: Alyssa Stamets, Consultant of Social Presence in the Corporate Sector

On November 5, 2019 CEO Mark Parker of Nike Corporation approached Alyssa Stamets
(Consultant of Social Presence in the Corporate Sector) about the ability to regain momentum for
women as a part of the Nike Corporation to feel inclusive in the work environment. The
consultants of the firm began their insight on the company by getting some background research
on the ideation of gender inequality and how much it has increased over the years to a movement
of the #MeToo Movement. Then the consultants of the firm dived deeper into the social media
use of the company and how greatly of an effect it has on the work of showing a gender inclusive
environment to all. Members of the Nike Corporate staff will have some insight on women
looking to gain equal rights in the sports industry and having the ability to develop the
philanthrope of the Girl Effect started by Nike. Having members of the organization focus on
women working on making a difference in the areas of poverty around the world is an important
aspect of having all members of the organization engaged with making a difference. The best
ideas that would increase for a fair opportunity for workers of both genders and having members
of the LGBTQ+ community feel comfortable to be a part of a corporation such as Nike is to have
a more inclusive language and have the environment feel freeing to all. Nike needs to work with
members of the corporation on concluding that gender equality is a new part of the image of the
company and how it will lead to a positive insight to their corporation starting from the view of
the corporate staff. Unfortunately, there will always be the worry that gender inequality is taking
place especially with the members that have been a part of the corporation for such a long period
of time. The best solution is to allow for members of the Nike corporate field and potential new
members to learn more about their work ethic. This will allow for members to work for a
promotion or raise in the corporation. However, we recommend members of the corporate field
to talk to their supervisors and gain insight on reviewing their work and having a conversation
regarding how they are working in their current position. The feedback is used to improve the
work completed by all and lead to finding a better teamwork style and group members of the
corporate team that would work best together for collaboration. We recommend that if the
corporation cannot have a more open environment to changing to a gender inclusive
environment, we will have to dig deeper into providing fair rights to women in the corporate
sector of Nike. Nike can grow into a gender-neutral organization, it just needs to work with all
members of the staff.

Keywords: Women, Girl Effect, Corporate, gender equality, LGBTQ+, inclusive, #MeToo
Movement

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 Executive Summary

To determine the best course of action for integrating fair work conditions to all genders who
have or will work for Nike, the CEO of Nike Mark Parker has asked us to study the marketability
of the company after facing a lawsuit regarding gender discrimination. After the determination of
the company we will share our findings and present a recommendation of the changes
implemented in the company.

It was found at the start of 2018 Nike had four women who worked in the corporate headquarters
of the company come forward to sue stating that Nike violated the Equal Pay Act by taking part
in discrimination of gender pay and having accusations of sexual harassment in the company.
That then lead to an internal investigation of the corporation to find the nature of the work
environment for all employees.

To complete a successful study of the corporation, we plan to get some background information
on the interview process as well as the negotiation of pay that is taking place at Nike and present
the issues at hand. The goal is to increase a gender inclusive environment for all current workers
and members looking to join the Nike Corporate team. Nike also has to take a look at the
products being displayed in a social network. The image of a company gives a view of whether
or not someone will apply to a company. The posts that Nike should showcase more is gender
neutral posts that will lead to a more inclusive environment for workers.

Our main findings begin with the increased amount of gender inequality over the years. One of
the major stands that has come forward from the issue of gender inequality is the #MeToo
movement. With the increased focus on the MeToo movement, gender inequality has become a
topic that has been under discussion for a large amount of time and needs to come to a closer
decision of who is the most affected by this issue. We have concluded that we need to make the
#MeToo movement subside from an issue of inequality to making it a place for workers to get
the employment they deserve. Women and those of the transgender community deserve the
ability to work for the pay that they deserve which would include the ability to have a fair
interview processes and the ability to negotiate the wages that fit the education and training they
deserve for the position.

We recommend a course of action that includes the ability to have a more gender inclusive
interview process for new employees. We believe reevaluating the framing of questions will
allow for a more open interpretation and allow for the candidates to feel comfortable answering
questions. Using gender inclusive language will also allow for members of the community to feel
more comfortable to even apply for the position because they will believe they are in a safe work
environment. We also suggest the ability to have workers in the company to be able to negotiate
fair wages for the education and training they have for the position they are working. Negotiation
of wages is avoided by most because of the uncertainty in finding the best approach, but
members of a corporation need to feel open to having these difficult discussions.

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 Introduction

To determine the best course of action for fair work conditions at Nike, we need to get a closer
look into some settings of the jobs and history of the hiring process for the company and the
ability to negotiate fair wages. As a consultant in the business field the best course of action is to
look at the application, interview questions and requirements for all job positions that will help
current and new workers of the corporation. Workers of the corporation need to have the right to
negotiate wages for the work they are providing as well as be able to find a position that fits their
education and work skills best. Due to the increased issues of gender inequality women during
2019 have sued regarding the lower paying rates, decrease the likeliness of receiving a bonus,
and not being able to receive a promotion. Seeing the effects the lawsuit had on women will help
us present the findings and come up with a recommendation to gain fair rights for all in the work
place.

Prior to the first lawsuit filed against Nike for their gender inequality, there were no findings of
lawsuits for this pressing issue. To begin Nike has been viewed as a more male dominate store,
we need to get a better look at the promotions and how women are being portrayed throughout
the stores, and on ads that are being posted by Nike. Some ideas to look for through ads include
are they sexist? Who is the target audience? How will those react to the active wear? Will it
increase/decrease profit margins? Another idea to keep in mind is laws that may come into play
with gender inequality and how genders should be equal in 2019.

Listed below are some of the ideas that need to be look at in order to find the underlying issue of
the corporation. Therefore, Nike wants to determine the best options to make gender equality
possible for all workers in the departments offered by the company and find equal pay for all
workers.
• Analyze the interview process for Nike for errors in the language being used.
• Determine if gender inclusive language used in the interview questions asked to allow for
a fair shot for receiving any position offered for their skills.
• Determine if the candidates gender influences the rate of pay offered when hired.
• Determine how the negotiation process for Nike and its affects on workers in the
corporate sector.
• Conducting recommendations for Nike that can be implemented in the hiring and
promotional processes in the corporation.

We have established with the lawsuit filed in 2019 there is an increased need to assess how
widely the gender inequality is affecting the work environment of Nike, and how we will work
backwards to correct the errors found in such a well-known organization. Nike is a dominant
athletic company that sponsors many universities with apparel and needs to have a more
inclusive environment for both women and those of color to want to take part in the corporate
work environment in this industry. Having the insight of how women feel, our firm sees that
there is room for improvement for both interviews and wage negotiation at Nike.

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 Research Methods

To begin out research our consulting firm needs to take a look at the human resource policies
that are in place The research that is being looked at additionally is some of the HR policies that
are successful for other corporations and some of the ways that HR policies are lacking and what
is needed to avoid. The research found will allow for a building of what needs to change in the
corporate viewing of gender equality and having fair pay be present for all workers in the
corporate sector of Nike.

To get a better understanding of what is being assessed, we broke the research into three
different sections.
1.What is gender discrimination and the effects it has on workers.
2. Closing the gender wage gap and working towards having gender equality.
3. Attempting to close the gender wage gap and determining why it often fails.

Background #1: What is gender discrimination and the effects it has on workers.
Gender discrimination is defined as the discrimination towards people based on how they
identify and by their gender. Gender discrimination is found to be a major factor in women more
than men. Women who face gender discrimination in regard to their gender affect around 42% of
women or four out of ten women that have been surveyed by the pew research center. The report
that is provided is showcasing the range of personal experiences, and how women have earned
less from taking part in completing the same tasks as men in the same position. The major issue
that was discovered when looking further at gender discrimination is the idea that around one-
third of men and women have determined that they are working in a balanced workplace (Parker
& Funk, 2017). What that means is women and men are more likely to be working in a female
dominate work environment or a male dominate work environment.

Some of the major findings causing the effects of gender discrimination in the workplace include
women who are working in a majority female workplace feel that they are treated fairly by their
employers. On the other hand, the women who are working in a mostly male dominate work
environment are missing additional gender diversity and are more likely to begin reporting
gender discrimination. (Parker, 2018) The determination of the gender discrimination and the
greater effects on women have also disclosed the findings that 25% of women have found out
that they are earning less than men and are four times more likely to be treated as if they are not
competent due to their gender. Women have also been found that they need a higher degree than
men in order to make more than what a man can with a bachelor’s degree. (Parker, 2018) All of
the items listed above are what led to a difficult decision when it comes to gender discrimination.
Women feel the suffering and that leads to the unknown effects of the wage gap and gender
discrimination and how to have a higher chance of equality.

Background #2: Closing the gender wage gap and working towards having gender equality.
The issue of the gender wage gap has been under debate of whether there is something that can
be done to lead to a decrease in the large wage gap that is present today. During a conference that
was held in New York City it was discovered that there is something that can happen in order to
lower the wage gap. The wage gap was talked about not being able to diminish in a short amount
of time, but there are suggestions as to being able to lessen the issue over the large amount of

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time. Siri Chilazi a research fellow at the women and public policy program at the Harvard John
F. Kennedy school of Government stated, “Pay fairness is a moral issue, but it’s also an
economic issue”. (Eisenberg, 2019) The ever-changing notion that fair pay is becoming an issue
of moral and what needs to be done to correct the issue. To give a little more insight the gender
wage gap is the average difference in pay between women and men and what they are being paid
in relation to positions. The size of the wage gap also depends on the type of jobs that are being
assessed.

Some findings surrounding the gender wage include the idea that the changes surrounding
coming to a more inclusive environment for all workers can lead to the continuous growing of
the wage gap. We could see that the wage gap could close in a round 40 years, but after some
factors being add it now could take closer to 100 years for an adjustment. The largest pay gaps
that can also be found are shown where you have the highest paying jobs. The wage gap also has
shown issues even with the ride-sharing app of Uber. Uber has an algorithm that has no idea of a
driver’s sex, but still the pay gap is shown to be working in favor of men.(Eisenberg, 2019) With
having pay working in favor of men, one of the ideas that was looked into the payrolls of a
company and conducting an internal audit to be able to make an analysis of what each person in
the company is making based on gender. Some companies even have leaned more towards
having a transparent approach that allows for a list that is available to the public showing the
whole staff and how much money each employee makes(Lam, 2016). Working to provide a
greater sense that gender equality is attempting to be reached with how open the workplace is
with salaries for all workers.

Background #3: Attempting to close the gender wage gap and determining why it often fails.
Having assessed some of the issues that are provided when it comes to handling a gender wage
gap, we need to now get a little more information as to why it begins to fail so often. The idea
that the gender wage gap is looking to have ways to gain equal opportunities for all and have
politicians and other public figures looking further into the issue of having lawsuits facing major
corporations as well as leading to a financial liability to the economy. The issues that are found
are unsure if they are either an HR issue or if it is a legal perspective issue that needs to be
addressed. When looking at some of the ideas why fixing a wage gap has failed, the greatest
effect has come down to the cost effectiveness for all of the employees. (David
AndersonMargrét V. BjarnadóttirCristian DezsoDavid Gaddis Ross, 2019) That has then lead to
the assessing of wages and finding wats to adjust them to have all workers receive equal or fair
pay for all working the same position.

Some of the findings that were discovered when looking at why closing the gender wage gap
often fails begins with the idea that men are making roughly 10% more than women. The idea
that men are given a higher rate of pay leads to the first issue that needs to be discussed including
how pay needs to be fixed to decrease the gap. The common pitfalls that are beginning to be
found in the gender wages gaps include closing the gender wage gap not helping women in the
way you would hope. The idea that giving a raise across the board of around 10% may have the
appearance to be leading to equal pay to all, but in reality some men are getting paid more to
give the appearance that women are getting a higher pay and look more equitable. The idea of
having corrupt incentives is another area that leads to the gender wage gap failing. (David
AndersonMargrét V. BjarnadóttirCristian DezsoDavid Gaddis Ross, 2019) Members of a

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company may see raises being blindly allocated leading to members with a poor work ethic
receiving higher salaries than those who perform better. Working on lowering the gap could lead
to a legal liability for the company. Meaning you could have lowered the wage gap, but what
was the need to race to get a lowered wage gap in such a short amount of time leading to workers
gaining a high number of raises? All of these questions are items that our firm assessed to give a
better idea of equality to all workers in a company.

Results

In this section we will present the results of our research. For each section we have a look at we
will present the most important data we gained about the ideas of gender discrimination and the
effects of the gender wage gap.

Background #1: What is gender discrimination and the effects it has on workers.
The views that are shown about gender discrimination such as only having around one-third of
both men and women who are working in a balanced workplace. The idea of a balanced work
area allows for members of a company to showcase their abilities of a position and how it will
further their ability to work in a balanced environment that is comfortable to all. We also had the
finding that workers are seeing that females having a higher comfort level working in a mostly
female-oriented company in the ability to distinguish fair work qualities as well. One the flip side
women who are working in a male-dominant work environment do not feel a sense of gender
diversity and find themselves more likely to be reporting gender discrimination. The idea that
women feel the need to report gender discrimination showcases the idea of fight or flight. Having
to find ways to take care of your well-being in a work environment bring a new level of finding a
level ground for all workers in a company.

Having an idea of gender discrimination and the effects it has on workers and finding ways to
have an inclusive environment for all we need to see how it affects all aspects of the work. The
first idea that has a lot of discussion is the idea that many women started to open up with the
#MeToo Movement where women began to come forward about their stories in the workplace
and seeking the need for equal opportunities. The new idea is to now have female college
students being prepared to go into a workforce that is going to be faced with inequality
throughout all stages of a job compared to the men working in the same profession. Having to
address another issue it is stated by the U.S Department of Labor Women’s Bureau “women
need a Doctoral or a Professional degree to make more than men with a Bachelor’s degree.”
(Eisenberg, 2019) The idea that women need to go above and beyond what men are doing in
order to get ahead of what a male is accomplishing with a Bachelor’s degree proves the point
that inequality has taken over the workplace.

Today, we need to assess the idea that Nike is a major corporation that has faced a lawsuit in
regard to gender inequality and the need for equal pay. The idea that women are seeing the issues
such as receiving pay below what a male is receiving in the corporate sector. Having to see the
degree that someone is applying for in each position is an important aspect of any position, but
what needs to be addressed additionally is the idea that Nike needs to show that the all
educations that are provided to either male or females are equal to all and not one being higher
than the other for the same position. Nike also needs to have the openness of being able to

6
negotiate wages if members of the corporate sector believe that they are being paid below the
margin of what is necessary for their position. Leading to a higher chance of gaining gender
equality for all in that are working at Nike corporate.

Background #2: Closing the gender wage gap and working towards having gender equality.
To begin we need to address the major issue that was presented in our research. Siri Chilazi a
research fellow at the women and public policy program at the Harvard John F. Kennedy school
of Government stated, “Pay fairness is a moral issue, but it’s also an economic issue”. () The fact
that Siri Chilazi addressed the issue that fair pay is a moral issue and an economic issue shows
the effect it has on all workers especially in the United States where gender inequality and the
gender wage gap is so prominent. Companies tried to readjust and create a fix the gender wage
gap is by allowing for a transparent approach that has all employees of the company shown
public along with the salaries that they are making. Some of the information that was found with
the company known as Buffer was that there was still a gender wage gap present in their
company, and they were able to figure out that they women of the company were making 90
cents per every dollar the men were making in the company. What that says is that men are
gaining a lot more out of the company in regard to salary and leads to the wage gap still being
present.

When taking a look at the transparency of Nike the first idea was to run a study on some of the
members that currently work for the company while going through a new style interview
process. The idea with running the study is to be able to see if the transparency is there and
having the ability to see whether the HR process has the ability to be fair to all members taking
part in the study. The study can be found in the appendix with further information, but what was
shown was that members that participated that it went strictly off the answers given from those
taking the study. We can tell that gender-neutral language that was used can provided members
with a comfort to talk with the company about wage negotiation on top of the application and
interview process of Nike.

Background #3: Attempting to close the gender wage gap and determining why it often fails.
Having gotten a better look at the gender wage gap and how it has failed in a majority of
different ways. We need to dig a little deeper. The largest issue that was shown is why closing
the gap most often fails was the fact that trying to close the gender gap in all the correct ways
could lead to legal troubles. Fixing a mistake that has led to women wanting all rights to be even
could also lead to questions such as why did you need to close the gap? Why was there a gender
wage gap to begin with? Why are there such a high increase of raises in the company at this
moment? Making changes to the gender wage gap is an important task, but it needs to occur in a
slow increment because drastic changes could call to question the integrity of a workplace. Other
than the changes that are being made in the companies the other failures are standard and
expected to occur.

Some of the greatest ideas to keep in mind is the ability Nike has to make a different. Gender
discrimination and the gender wage gap is an issue that has been present in Nike. Addressing
issues such as fair wages and the ability to lead to an inclusive environment to all workers is one
that is necessary to all. Having the chance to decrease the gap even by a slight increment could

7
lead to the ability to have a greater impact on all workers in a corporate sector and make a
difference to companies around you.
Conclusion

In this section we present our conclusion based on our research related to the question they ask
us to answer.

Will Nike be able to provide a gender inclusive work environment that will provide women the
ability to negotiate equal pay for all working the same position in a corporation. Over the course
of time athletics have been seen as a more male dominant area of work. What this shows is that
women are more likely to see the effects of gender discrimination and as determined above be
more likely to report gender discrimination. Finding an even balance between having workers be
a part of a more gender inclusive environment could allow for a more open environment for
discussion on wage negotiation and the ability to work on finding pay that fits all workers with
their education and skills.

Being able to find ways to provide a more equal opportunity of work for women in the sports
industry is necessary because we need to see a more open environment that workers feel
comfortable negotiating for their rights. Workers should not have to worry about whether they
are male or females to determine if they are fit for a specific job. The work ethic and type of
skills that the candidate can offer is the information needed to provide a strong set of information
on whether a candidate is fit for the job.

Some main conclusions that you can get out of the work is that Nike needs to offer for more
gender inclusive insight for choosing the right candidate. Having that information provided in an
interview or application question will allow for a greater likelihood that women and other
members of the community feel inclined to apply for a corporate position in Nike. We also need
to have a more inclusive environment for women that are currently working in the company.
Women in the corporation should have the ability to fee l comfortable where they are working
and not having to question what they are making for a salary. All workers need to be able to have
an open line of communication for current and future employees of the company.

Recommendation

We recommend that Nike come up with a gender inclusive insight for applications, interviews,
and the ability to negotiate wages.

Nike has the ability to learn from the mistakes that have occurred over time from other
companies. Some of the ways that Nike will be able to improve on their interview and
negotiation processes is by making sure that all members are coming in on equal ground. Found
above women need to come in with a higher degree. Make sure that all workers that are applying
for the same job need a bachelor’s degree, but focus on the skills all workers are bringing in as
well to determine the rate of pay for the positions they are working in.

We also want to see how an open interview can allow for a better opportunity for workers to feel
a part of a more inclusive environment. The interview process should allow for new members to

8
come in without judgement of what gender they are. The interviewers need to be able to focus
more on the education and skills that can be presented by all members. We also recommend
adding a hands-on performance task that allows those that are being interviewed to showcase
what they will be able to provide to the company and why they believe they would be a good fit.

Another recommendation that should implement into the company is holding group interviews.
What a group interview comprise is having interactions between the candidates and members of
the current staff. Being able to see how well all members work together will allow for
interviewers to have a better assessment of who would work best at the company.

All recommendations can be subject to change and will prove to be a work that the company can
access how the consultant can help complete the tasks and increase workers that are a part of the
female and or LGBTQ+ community and how to proceed.

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 References

(n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.naceweb.org/job-market/compensation/equal-opportunity-

unequal-outcomes-exploring-gender-inequality-in-post-college-career-outcomes/.
David AndersonMargrét V. BjarnadóttirCristian DezsoDavid Gaddis Ross. (2019, January 22).
Why Companies' Attempts to Close the Gender Pay Gap Often Fail. Retrieved from
https://hbr.org/2019/01/why-companies-attempts-to-close-the-gender-pay-gap-often-fail.
Eisenberg, R. (2019, April 10). Closing The Gender Pay Gap: What Women, Employers And
Government Can Do. Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2019/04/04/closing-the-gender-pay-gap-what-
women-employers-and-government-can-do/#1df9ef946c73.
Lam, B. (2016, March 28). When Everyone Knows How Much Everyone Else Is Paid. Retrieved
from https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/03/pay-transparency-gender-
gap/475683/.
Parker, K., & Funk, C. (2017, December 14). 42% of US working women have faced gender
discrimination on the job. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-
tank/2017/12/14/gender-discrimination-comes-in-many-forms-for-todays-working-
women/.
Parker, K. (2018, March 7). Gender discrimination more common for women in mostly male
workplaces. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/07/women-
in-majority-male-workplaces-report-higher-rates-of-gender-discrimination/.

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 Appendices

A. Top finds of searching Nike in Instagram. We find easily nine out of the 11.

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 B. Compared are the followers of the original Nike Instagram and next is the Nike Woman's
page. Each showcase a large sum of followers with the original page still out lasting the
women’s.

Interview Questions and Weights Interviewees and Score Sheet Number Correlation
Vanessa (1) Rene (2) Jon (3)
Interview Question Weight Rating Score Rating Score Rating Score
History of Nike 2 4 8 7 14 9 18
Skills to Provide 4 5 20 3 12 6 24
Idea of a new Philanthrope 6 8 48 5 30 3 18
Total Score 76 56 60

C. The decision matrix provided is going through the process of an interview if we gave
members a number known as and how the ratings set for each question asked during the
interview process.

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