Behavior at Nike Surveyed -- WSJ
March 20 2018 - 3:02AM
Dow Jones News
By Sara Germano and Joann S. Lublin
This article is being republished as part of our daily
reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S.
print edition of The Wall Street Journal (March 20, 2018).
A group of female employees at Nike Inc. last year circulated an
informal survey about alleged inappropriate behavior by men at the
world's largest sportswear maker, people familiar with the matter
said, a move that preceded the ouster of two veteran executives
last week.
The women were frustrated with what they saw as pay disparity
and a gender imbalance at the highest ranks of Nike, the people
said, amplified by the exit of several female senior operating
executives last year.
The women were also concerned about allegations circulating
internally of inappropriate workplace behavior by some men and drew
up the survey to gather information about these issues, the people
said.
The distribution of the survey came to the attention of longtime
Nike Chief Executive Mark Parker in recent months and triggered a
formal review of workplace behavior by an outside firm, the people
said. The results of the survey couldn't be learned.
A Nike spokesman declined to comment. The company is scheduled
to report its latest quarterly results on Thursday.
Last Thursday, Mr. Parker sent a memo to Nike employees
disclosing the continuing internal review and said the company's
second-ranking executive, Trevor Edwards, had resigned as Nike
brand president effective immediately and would retire from the
company in August.
Jayme Martin, a top lieutenant to Mr. Edwards, was also forced
out of the company, people familiar with the matter said. Nike on
Friday confirmed Mr. Martin's exit after The Wall Street Journal
reported it.
The company hasn't specified why either executive is leaving.
Both Mr. Edwards and Mr. Martin had spent decades at Nike in
various roles, and Mr. Edwards was considered the heir apparent to
Mr. Parker, 62 years old, who has been CEO since 2006.
Messrs. Martin and Edwards protected male subordinates who
engaged in behavior that was demeaning to female colleagues,
according to one person familiar with the matter. Their lieutenants
bullied people who weren't in their work group, this person said,
such as women and individuals from foreign countries.
Neither Mr. Edwards nor Mr. Martin have responded to requests
for comment.
Nike, which has more than 74,000 employees around the globe, has
fostered a competitive internal culture, borrowed from the world of
sports and channeled into the sneaker industry. It has prized
loyalty and groomed talent from within -- its highest ranks are
filled mostly by men that have spent decades at the Beaverton,
Ore., company.
Leadership turnover in the last year has left fewer women at the
top of the organization. The highest-ranking female executives are
the company's general counsel and head of human resources, the
latter of whom was promoted last July.
Write to Sara Germano at sara.germano@wsj.com and Joann S.
Lublin at joann.lublin@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 20, 2018 02:47 ET (06:47 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2018 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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