Diversity and Inclusion

ONEOK believes that a diverse and inclusive workforce is essential to the long-term sustainability of ONEOK's business. We are committed to proactively embracing diversity and inclusion by providing resources, training and programming throughout our organization, and working to create an environment where all employees know that their unique skills, abilities, experiences and identities are valued.

Dedicated employee resources, outlined in the chart below, help our organization work towards our diversity and inclusion goals. These include an executive council that oversees ONEOK's diversity and inclusion efforts as well as a diversity and inclusion team that is part of the ONEOK talent management group.

During 2020, our employees engaged in more than 3,500 hours of training related to diversity and inclusion topics. Last year ONEOK contributed approximately $3.5 million, or more than 40% of total corporate and foundation giving, to diversity and inclusion-related organizations.

Throughout 2021, the Tulsa community commemorated the 100-year anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre through events and community projects to honor the victims who lost their lives during one of the nation's worst acts of domestic terrorism. This recognition is the result of several years of planning by members of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission, a volunteer organization whose steering committee includes ONEOK employees.

ONEOK has continued its long-time support of Tulsa's Greenwood District - formerly known as Black Wall Street and site of the race massacre - by committing $1.5 million to the Greenwood Rising History Center, the commission's flagship project that honors the legacy of Black Wall Street before and after the Tulsa Race Massacre. ONEOK also supported commemoration events led by the John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation and Greenwood Cultural Center, and ONEOK's Black/African American Resource Group held a series of learning and recognition events for employees.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION LEADERSHIP AT ONEOK

Diversity and Inclusion Executive Committee: Made up of executive management and other members of senior leadership, this group serves in an advisory capacity to guide ONEOK's diversity and inclusion efforts.

Diversity and Inclusion Council: This group of approximately 15 employees provides insight on how diversity and inclusion can improve ONEOK's organizational performance, drive overall business results and help the company achieve its diversity-related goals. The council is made up of employees from different business units, work locations and seniority levels and includes members with different demographics, personal backgrounds and points of view.

The council is chaired by our CEO. Diversity and Inclusion Executive Committee members and liaisons from our legal, corporate communications and human resources teams attend council meetings.

Business Resource Groups: Employee-led business resource groups promote the development of traditionally underrepresented segments of our workforce. All employees are invited to become an ally of one or more of these groups, and each is advised by two vice president-level executive sponsors. Each business resource group is allocated an annual budget to support educational programming, mentorship and other activities.

ONEOK Business Resource Groups:

  • Black/African American
  • Indigenous/Native American
  • Latinx/Hispanic American
  • Veterans
  • Women

Diversity and Inclusion Work Group: A team led by our director of diversity and inclusion supports and implements a variety of inclusion and leadership-related initiatives throughout the organization and as part of ONEOK community partnerships.

Continuous Support and Improvement

We recognize our responsibility to strive for continuous improvement in our diversity and inclusion efforts.

In 2020, ONEOK implemented a software application that allows us to better source diverse candidates and market positions to groups that are historically underrepresented in our industry. We also strengthened our transgender-inclusive medical benefits and updated ONEOK Foundation donation guidelines to address discrimination against protected groups, including discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. These improvements contributed to our perfect score of 100 on the most recent Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index. Sexual orientation and gender identity were included in our company's Anti-harassment and Non-discrimination Policy prior to the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling finding that federal civil rights laws protect LGBTQ individuals from workplace discrimination.

In response to national events that have highlighted racial inequity across our country, ONEOK has offered additional diversity and inclusion programming and educational resources to employees aimed at supporting our Black employees during times of racial unrest.

Examples of actions taken in 2020 include:

  • Creation of a virtual workshop open to all employees teaching the skills necessary to be an effective ally in the workplace. This workshop held a specific focus on the Black community, but all skills taught are transferable to other non-dominant identities. More than 100 employees enrolled in the initial rollout of the training and more of these trainings are being offered based on demand.
  • Multiple avenues were provided for employees to share their stories and feelings about racial injustice, including a listening event hosted by the Black/African American Resource Group.
  • We created opportunities for employees impacted by events of racial injustice to access mental health support services, individually and in a group setting.
  • Multiple internal communications focused on allyship and support were distributed including messages from our CEO to all employees; an internal opt-in series of emails that included resources on race in the workplace; and content in our employee magazine about the role of allyship and its importance to ONEOK and the broader community.
  • ONEOK sponsored and presented at workshops hosted by the Tulsa Area Human Resources Association that addressed supporting inclusion during unsettling times. All of the events were free and open to the public.

ONEOK will continue promoting individual and group support opportunities during difficult events in our community and nation by hosting allyship workshops; deploying educational resources; and continuing to provide platforms for employees to engage in honest conversations about race, identity and inclusion. We will continue to evaluate additional opportunities to support our diverse employee community.

Business Resource Group Program Highlights

Our Business Resource Groups have continued their employee engagement and development efforts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic by hosting committee meetings and employee events online. This move to virtual meetings has resulted in allowing more employees from multiple field locations to attend events and regular committee meetings, strengthening ONEOK's employee network of allies from across our locations.

In addition to support, allyship and education specific to events of racial injustice last summer, our 2020 diversity and inclusion programming included a five-week, virtual speaker series to recognize Global Diversity Awareness Month. Topics covered in this series included unconscious bias; a presentation on leadership essentials led by ONEOK Board Member Eduardo Rodriguez and hosted by the Latinx/Hispanic American Resource Group; and a presentation focused on ONEOK's partnerships with Indigenous/Native American tribes, hosted by the Indigenous/Native American Resource Group.

Other examples of training offered by ONEOK's Business Resource Groups in 2020 included:

  • Black/African American Resource Group: The year-long Mentoring Circles program provided development opportunities by pairing senior leaders with small groups of employees to discuss topics related to sponsorship, career management, leading from any level and more.
  • Black/African American Resource Group: Virtual Learning Table events provided an opportunity to discuss relevant issues facing historically underrepresented minorities while building workplace relationships across racial boundaries.
  • Indigenous/Native American Resource Group: In recognition of Native American Heritage Month our INRG issued a four-part weekly newsletter series highlighting numerous aspects of the vast diversity present within the Indigenous/Native American community.
  • Latinx/Hispanic American Resource Group: Local Business Resource Group leaders gathered for an intelligence sharing session to discuss best practices and common focus areas to support Latinx/Hispanic American employees and customers.
  • Veterans Resource Group: Our Veterans Resource Group hosted a three-part Veterans and Allies Leading Organizational Readiness (VALOR) series focused on military leadership principles for increasing resilience during challenging times.
  • Women's Resource Group: Our Women’s Resource Group hosted the Leadership Development Roundtable, a series of six webinars, focused on building leadership development skills. During 2020, the group also launched a four-month pilot program where leaders met in an informal setting to discuss relevant topics and seek mentorship on a peer-to-peer level.