Nike Chair, President & CEO MARK PARKER said that departures related to workplace behavior "will be completed in the coming days, a move that sought to reassure a work force jolted by allegations of misconduct and discrimination against women and gain closure on one of the most turbulent periods in the company's history," according to Draper & Creswell of the N.Y. TIMES. Parker on Thursday gave a "30-minute address to employees" where he apologized to workers and acknowledged that he and other top leaders at Nike had "missed signs of discontent among some employees." Parker said, "I want everyone at Nike to know their voices do matter and your bravery is making us better." Draper & Creswell noted Parker's "measured and occasionally meandering comments solicited little audible reaction, other than a round of applause after he thanked everyone who came forward with complaints." Parker in his address "reiterated that Nike is continuing to review its human resources processes with a goal toward improving the process 'that underserved us in recent years,' and to 'restore trust in places where it has eroded.'" Parker said of making Nike a more collaborative and inclusive workplace, "Someone told me recently that they didn't fit the Nike profile. That hurt to hear that, because I believe, and this is the way it should be, and maybe not the way it is in some places in the company, but there is no Nike profile. There are many ways to succeed here." Parker added that the company "plans to be more open about its work force representation and equal pay goals, starting with women and minorities." Draper & Creswell noted that reaction from Nike employees to Parker's speech was "mixed" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/6).
