[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 35 (Thursday, March 24, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 24, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
          McDONALD'S CORPORATION WINNER OF 1994 CATALYST AWARD

                                 ______


                        HON. BLANCHE M. LAMBERT

                              of arkansas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 24, 1994

  Ms. LAMBERT. Mr. Speaker, I want to pay special tribute today to a 
company that is providing real leadership in an issue that is 
tremendously important to every working woman in America: making 
certain that equal opportunity is alive and well in corporate America. 
That's why I want to recognize the McDonald's Corp., for its ongoing 
efforts to help break the glass ceiling, that invisible barrier that 
for too many years has kept women from advancing into the board room or 
whenever else they deserve to be in the ranks of top management.
  McDonald's Corp., has earned the prestigious 1994 Catalyst Award for 
its continuing efforts to promote women within its ranks. Catalyst is a 
non-profit organization dedicated to helping women gain equal footing 
in corporate America, which is why its award is so meaningful, because 
it symbolizes the kind of bold leadership it will take to break through 
the status quo along with the glass ceiling itself.
  McDonald's has long been a pioneering company when it comes to 
employment leadership, from its long-standing record of hiring persons 
with disabilities, senior citizens, and minorities to its commitment to 
helping women advance commensurate with their talents and abilities. 
McDonald's is being honored by catalyst for its Partnership with Women 
program, an initiative that has helped expand entrepreneurial 
opportunities for Women throughout the McDonald's system. This 
partnership has produced the Women Operators' Network, a growing 
organization of women with growing clout within the company. It 
includes a training program for the wives of current McDonald's 
restaurant owners that helps them become qualified operators 
themselves. Additionally, the Women Operators' Network also makes 
certain that its members have access to top management and to the 
company's own business planning.
  As a result, McDonald's has shown an impressive 300 percent increase 
in women franchise owners during the past 5 years. And these women have 
quickly demonstrated an excellence in store operations, bottom line 
success, and quality community involvement.
  Once again, McDonald's has taken the lead in an area of real 
importance to its customers. I commend McDonald's. I urge other 
companies to follow its lead. Congratulations to the McDonald's Corp., 
on winning the 1994 Catalyst Award.

 Life Gets Better for Women at Work--Three Companies Win 1994 Catalyst 
                                 Award

       January 11, 1994.--Bank of Montreal, McDonald's Corporation 
     and Pitney Bowes Inc. have won the 1994 Catalyst Award for 
     their bold new initiatives to shatter the glass ceiling. 
     Catalyst, the not-for-profit organization that works with 
     business and the professions to effect change for women, has 
     helped spur the most significant labor market development of 
     the last three decades: the dramatic increase in the number 
     of working women. Since 1987, companies have vied for the 
     prestigious Catalyst Award, which annually honors American 
     business for innovative efforts to advance women.
       Bank of Montreal, the first non-U.S. based company to win 
     the award, ensures equal opportunity for women and minorities 
     and have achieved impressive result: women represented 54 
     percent of executive level promotions in 1993, up 
     dramatically from 29 percent in 1991. A 300 percent increase 
     in female ownership of McDonald's franchises during the past 
     five years reflects the leading fast-food restaurant's 
     outstanding commitment to women's progress. Finally, Pitney 
     Bowes' comprehensive diversity plan for each of its ten 
     business units formalizes the company's long-standing culture 
     of fairness and equality.
       ``Women today are better educated and better trained than 
     ever before. They are filling the management pipelines,'' 
     said Catalyst President Sheila Wellington. ``By investing in 
     women, this year's winning companies foster leadership by the 
     most able and promote their future economic viability.''
       Through its research and advisory efforts, Catalyst 
     continually learns about and monitors company programs and 
     policies; those nominated for the Catalyst Award are 
     benchmarked against the organization's comprehensive database 
     and undergo rigorous scrutiny. Members of the Awards 
     Committee carefully evaluate nominations on the following 
     criteria: originality, accountability, replicability, 
     measurable results, top-down support, percentage of women in 
     senior management, communication of and rationale for the 
     program and a supportive environment. Catalyst conducts 
     intensive, on-site audits at finalist companies in order to 
     gauge the programs' effectiveness. Evaluations include 
     interviews and focus groups with executive management, high-
     level women, human resources professionals and employees at 
     various levels.
       ``The Catalyst Award competition prompts genuine progress. 
     It educates the business community about model initiatives to 
     develop women's potential,'' said Wellington.
       Bank of Montreal, McDonald's Corporation and Pitney Bowes 
     Inc. will be honored for their winning programs at a dinner 
     to be held on March 23, 1994 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New 
     York City. Gary L. Tooker, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive 
     Officer of Motorola, will serve as chairman and host of the 
     dinner; Evelyn Lauder, Senior Corporate Vice President of 
     Estee Lauder Companies, will present the awards. F. Anthony 
     Comper, President and COO of Bank of Montreal; Michael R. 
     Quinlan, Chairman and CEO of the McDonald's Corporation; and 
     George B. Harvey, Chairman and President of Pitney Bowes 
     Inc., will accept the awards on behalf of their companies. 
     Representatives from each winning company will outline their 
     programs earlier on the afternoon of March 23 at a Catalyst-
     sponsored research conference.


                           about the winners

       A fully integrated approach to cultural change, Bank of 
     Montreal's Workplace Equality initiative was implemented to 
     address the barriers to women's advancement. A task force 
     researched and dispelled beliefs commonly held by employees 
     about women's lack of progress. The newly created Workplace 
     Equality division monitors a business plan that includes 
     goals for all managers on hiring, retaining and advancing 
     women and minorities. Quarterly tracking of progress is 
     undertaken through a variety of channels, including employee 
     feedback compiled in a report to the chief operating officer. 
     Some of the programs that Workplace Equality monitors for the 
     entire bank include work/life initiatives, a series of gender 
     awareness workshops for executive and senior management, a 
     revision of all training and education programs to include 
     diversity perspectives, and a national career information 
     network. The success of the initiative is borne out by 
     statistics: between October 1991 and October 1993, women's 
     representation at the executive level has increased from nine 
     to 13 percent; in senior management, from 13 to 17 percent; 
     and in middle management, from 34 to 39 percent.
       A key component of the McDonald's Corporation's Partnership 
     with Women is its Women Operators' Network (WON). Dedicated 
     to the expansion of entrepreneurial opportunities for women 
     through the McDonald's franchise system, WON has the full 
     support of the chairman and senior management. The network 
     offers women participation in the corporation's business 
     plan, with its management liaison reporting directly to the 
     top officers of the company. An important element of the 
     network is the Spouse Certification Program, which offers the 
     spouse of an existing owner/operator who is already active in 
     running a restaurant the training necessary to gain his or 
     her own owner/operator status. Through the partnership, 
     McDonald's has produced a 300 percent increase in female 
     franchise owners during the past five years; their stores are 
     producing some of the top level financial rewards in the 
     system; women are gaining recognition for operational 
     excellence; and contributions made by women operators are 
     recognized by business and community organizations.
       In August 1992, Chairman and President George Harvey 
     initiated the development of an overall Strategic Diversity 
     Plan at Pitney Bowes Inc. A task force drafted a diversity 
     vision statement and created a strategic plan that functions 
     as a model for each of the company's ten business units. The 
     various units' individual plans incorporate such actions as 
     mentoring, preparing competency models for management 
     positions, strengthening the employee career planning 
     process, conducting and analyzing exit interviews, and 
     including a diversity component in orientation and manger 
     training. Each unit's progress in carrying out its diversity 
     strategies is measured monthly; the bonus of each business 
     unit head will be affected by the unit's year-end diversity 
     results rating. Through various communication channels, 
     including an employee publication and a corporate video, 
     employees are kept apprised of the goals of the Strategic 
     Plan.
                                  ____


                       About Catalyst--1993-1994

       Founded in 1962, Catalyst works with business and the 
     professions to effect change for women--through research, 
     advisory services and communication.
       An independent not-for-profit organization, Catalyst has a 
     dual mission--to enable women in business and the professions 
     to achieve their maximum potential and to help employers 
     capitalize on the talents of their female employees. With a 
     dedicated staff and board of corporate and professional 
     leaders, the organization works with senior managers to 
     create programs enhancing the development and retention of 
     female employees.
       Catalyst's pragmatic and solutions-oriented approach has 
     earned the confidence of business leaders, who know they can 
     count on Catalyst to help them address workplace challenges 
     and develop cost-effective responses. Following are 
     highlights of Catalyst's programs and services.


                                Research

       Catalyst researchers study and evaluate the best ways for 
     companies to move women to their highest levels of 
     achievement. Researchers conduct national studies as well as 
     confidential projects for individual companies. Recently 
     completed are studies of the impact of flexible work 
     arrangements on employees' careers, the obstacles facing 
     female engineers and corporate child care programs. Soon-to-
     be published research explores the experiences and 
     contributions of female directors of Fortune 500 and Service 
     500 companies, and women's success in nonretail sales within 
     a broad range of industries.


                           Advisory Services

       As partners in the strategic planning process. Catalyst 
     works closely with human resources professionals to help them 
     maximize the talents of a changing work force. Each year, 
     Catalyst conducts environmental assessments and advises 
     nearly 500 companies and professional firms on a range of 
     issues: women's leadership development, work and family 
     supports, mentoring, flexible work arrangements, succession 
     planning and valuing diversity. Catalyst also monitors and 
     advises 60 corporate women's groups nationwide, providing 
     them with publications, speakers and networking 
     opportunities.


                       Corporate Board Placement

       Increasingly, business leaders are seeking women to join 
     their boards of directors. Since 1977, Catalyst's Corporate 
     Board Placement, a confidential service, has helped over 100 
     companies identify and recruit carefully selected women to 
     service on their boards.


                              publications

       Catalyst publications give companies the facts needed to 
     respond to the challenges of a changing work force. Some 
     examples: the organization's monthly newsletter, Perspective, 
     reports on issues affecting women and business, as well as 
     current research findings, model corporate programs and 
     action steps for policymakers. Catalyst's recently published 
     Flexible Work Arrangements II: Succeeding With Part-Time 
     Options examines how part-time arrangements function over 
     time and how flexibility affects employees' career growth. 
     Catalyst's Mentoring: A Guide to Corporate Programs and 
     Practices is the first publication to profile innovative 
     mentoring programs that show how companies can identify and 
     advance high-potential women, recruit and train new employees 
     and address the challenges of a diverse work force.


                           information center

       Catalyst's Information Center specialists regularly screen 
     hundreds of business publications for data on emerging work 
     force issues and provide guidance and printed information to 
     contributors and the media. Containing hundreds of 
     periodicals, thousands of topically field articles, books and 
     statistical fact sheets, the Information Center represents a 
     vast resource on women's workplace issues.


                           The Catalyst Award

       The Catalyst Award is presented each March to three 
     corporations or professional firms that demonstrate 
     outstanding achievement in promoting women's career and 
     leadership development. The 1993 Catalyst Award winners were 
     Con Edison, Morrison & Foerster and Motorola.


                             media outreach

       Catalyst has a strong relationship with the media, which 
     relies on the organization's balanced perspective and its 
     Information Center for the most up-to-date facts and 
     statistics. Each year, Catalyst's research findings are cited 
     in over 500 publications, and its issue specialists featured 
     on major business and news broadcasts.


                        speakers and conferences

       Catalyst staff specialists annually deliver over 50 
     presentations to professional organizations, companies and 
     universities. Catalyst also communicates research findings 
     through regional conferences cosponsored by major 
     corporations. Recent conferences focused on workplace 
     flexibility, strategies to recruit and retain female 
     engineers and glass ceiling issues.

                          ____________________