Just.

The Stanley Center is proud of our commitment to the creation and maintenance of a gender-diverse workplace. Individuals who self-identify as women or nonbinary constitute more than half of our workforce and leadership team.

The Stanley Center strives for gender diversity and inclusiveness in our workforce. Gender diversity is intended to be equitable or fair representation of people of different genders. It most commonly refers to an equitable ratio of men and women, and also includes individuals who identify as transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming, or gender fluid.

Our goal is to have a workforce that is gender diverse in all job classifications and levels and to ensure that all genders are equitably represented in senior leadership, executive, and board roles. The Stanley Center also seeks to foster a culture in which the organization recruits, retains, and promotes traditionally underrepresented genders in areas/roles where that gender has historically been marginalized or otherwise discouraged from participating.

Since different genders may have different viewpoints, perspectives, ideas, and insights, a gender diverse workforce enables better problem solving. By promoting gender diversity, we strive to attract and retain more diverse talent.

January 2022

We know that diverse perspectives create better solutions, so we actively work to increase the racial and ethnic diversity of our staff, leadership, and governance—and strongly encourage Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to join our team. The center unequivocally upholds that Black Lives Matter and maintains a fervent commitment to being an anti-racist organization.

The Stanley Center is committed to the hiring, retaining, and promoting racially and ethnically diverse employees. Our retention and promotion strategies are focused on providing a culture and work environment where racially and ethnically diverse staff members have the opportunity to be successful in their careers and to be represented at all levels of the organization including senior leadership.

Our staff are our most valuable assets. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities, and talent that our diverse staff members invest in their work represents a significant part of our culture and long-term success. We aim to create a welcoming, supportive, and collaborative environment where full participation is valued and voices from diverse backgrounds and perspectives are heard.

We value diversity—in people and perspectives—because we know it strengthens what we do. The Stanley Center’s racial and ethnic diversity initiatives are applicable but not limited to our practices and policies on recruitment and selection, compensation and benefits, professional development and training, mentorship and sponsorship, work, and project assignments, promotions, transfers, social and recreational programs, layoffs, and the ongoing development of a work environment built on a premise of racial equity that encourages and enforces:

• Respectful communication and cooperation between and among all staff members.
• Teamwork and employee participation permit the representation of all
  groups and employee perspectives.
• Employer and employee contributions to the communities we serve to promote a greater understanding and respect for traditionally underserved and historically marginalized populations.

January 2022

While the center upholds our commitment to the creation and maintenance of an inclusive workplace and staff perception of inclusion is high, we can only achieve level 1 on the Inclusion indicator until our Ethnic Diversity indicator improves (above).

The Stanley Center is committed to fostering, developing, and maintaining a culture and atmosphere of inclusion. We work to ensure that all employees are made to feel welcomed, valued, respected, and heard. We believe it is important that each employee’s unique value is known and appreciated and that our employees feel a sense of belonging.

We recognize, embrace, and celebrate our employees’ differences in age, color, race, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, religious affiliation, socioeconomic status, citizenship status, and other identities that make our employees unique.

All staff members of the Stanley Center have a responsibility to treat others with dignity, empathy, kindness, courtesy, and respect at all times. All staff members are expected to exhibit conduct that reflects inclusion during work, at work functions on or off the work site, and at all organization-sponsored events.

January 2022

The center works proactively to advance a culture and work environment where employees feel inspired, motivated, and engaged.

The Stanley Center is committed to a workplace where all staff members give their best each day, feel committed to the Center’s vision, mission, and values, and are motivated to contribute with an enhanced sense of their own well-being. We define engagement as the emotional commitment staff members have to the organization and its goals. We understand that employee engagement is about staff members having a clear understanding of how the center fulfills its purpose and objectives and how it is evolving to better fulfill them.

The Stanley Center strives to operate transparently and encourages all staff members to voice their opinions for continual strategic improvement of the Center. The Stanley Center regularly schedules staff retreats as one way to build teamwork, share information, generate suggestions, and prioritize action steps. Employee engagement is based on trust, integrity, two-way commitment, and communication between the Center and the staff. We believe that employee engagement contributes to organizational and individual performance, productivity, and well-being.

The Center works to ensure that all staff members are:

• included fully as a member of the team.
• focused on clear goals, trusted, and empowered.
• receiving regular and constructive feedback.
• supported in developing new skills.
• thanked and recognized for achievements, milestones, and exemplary performance.

January 2022

The Stanley Center is committed to hiring full-time employees as the basis of our workforce. More than 85 percent of our total workforce meet the full-time employment definition.

The Stanley Center is committed to providing full-time employment as the primary basis of our workforce. To meet the varying needs of staff, options are also available for reduced-time and part-time employment. All employees are classified as either regular or temporary. Regular employees are employees hired for an indefinite term without a specific termination date. Temporary employees are employees hired for a defined and limited period with a specific, predetermined termination date.

Regular full-time staff members work 40 regularly scheduled hours per week. Full-time staff members are regularly scheduled to work the Stanley Center’s full-time schedule of 40 hours per week. These staff members are eligible to participate in all benefit programs in accordance with established policies.

Regular reduced-time staff members work less than full time, but not less than 30 hours per week and 39 weeks per year. These staff members are eligible to participate in all Stanley Center’s benefit programs with a proportionate reduction in salary and the Stanley Center’s share of the costs of benefit programs to reflect the reduced hours worked.

Regular part-time staff members work less than 30 hours per week. They are eligible to participate in self contributions to the 403(b) Plan (but not the Matching Contribution Plan), Flexible Benefit Plan, Unpaid Leave of Absence, and the Employee Assistance Program. They do not participate in any other Stanley Center benefit programs, except that part-time staff members who work 1,000 hours or more during a specified 12-month period may be eligible to participate in the Retirement Plan.

Temporary staff members are those employed for a limited period of time, usually less than one year. They do not participate in the Stanley Center’s benefit programs.

January 2022

As part of our commitment to pay equity, the center ensures equitable compensation in all job classifications that is reasonable and justifiable for all staff members. The compensation ratio between lowest and highest pay is also reviewed annually.

The Stanley Center is committed to pay equity, meaning equitable compensation in all job classifications that is reasonable and justifiable for all staff members. The Stanley Center recognizes that there are merited differences in employee compensation within and between an organization’s levels of employees and pay equity does not preclude merit-based increases based on performance. An annual review is conducted of the compensation ratios between the lowest and highest paid employees.

January 2022

Center leadership maintains constant two-way communication with employees to be sure voices are heard and concerns are addressed, including concerns related to compensation, benefits, workload, and well-being. The center also has formal, established protocols for addressing employee concerns.

The Stanley Center acknowledges that nonsupervisory employees have the right to engage in protected concerted activity under the National Labor Relations Act and will interpret and implement its policies accordingly. Protected concerted activity includes taking action for the pursuit of common goals regarding the terms and conditions of employment, such as working conditions, health and safety, benefits, organizational transparency, etc.

January 2022

The center is committed to providing compensation that reflects—at a minimum—what individuals need to support themselves and their families based on the actual costs of living for a 2-adult household, with one working.

The Stanley Center is committed to providing a living wage for all employees. A living wage is defined as financial compensation that reflects what individuals need to support themselves and their families above the poverty line, based on the actual costs of living in a specific community. A living wage helps with the basic and essential costs of living and helps to provide an adequate standard of living. The Stanley Center uses the MIT Living Wage Calculator as the standard framework for determining the minimum living wage for our staff.

January 2022

The center works to eliminate any gender bias in its pay practices through annual reviews.

The Stanley Center is committed to gender equity in pay and to ensuring that we have no systemic bias and discrimination related to the undervaluation of work traditionally performed by women or those who identify as women, non-binary, gender non-conforming, or gender fluid.

The Stanley Center is committed to ensuring that everyone is treated on the same basis in terms of compensation for the work they perform. All staff members responsible for the same or similar work or work of equal value based on performance will be compensated equitably.

The Stanley Center is committed to perform annual gender pay equity audits by job title.

January 2022

The Stanley Center wants employees to be physically healthy in order to thrive personally and professionally. Since the time of application for our current Just label, we are actively building-out a physical fitness room in our new headquarters and are exploring the US Center for Disease Control’s Workplace Health Model to help assess the progress of our physical health promotion.

The Stanley Center promotes physical health in the following ways:

• Encourages the use of frequent breaks
• Ensures that people with disabilities can access spaces
• Maintains a drug-free workplace and a tobacco-free workplace
• Provides facilities such as bike racks to encourage biking
• Provides a fitness reimbursement benefit of up to $300 annually
• Promotes healthful foods (including plant-based menu selections) and drinks at center events and in breakrooms
• Provides standing desks and ergonomic furniture
• Sponsors occasional group exercise classes and group fitness activities
• Demonstrates a duty of care for employees while traveling

January 2022

The center is proud of our efforts to reduce the amount of work-related stress—and prevent stress—by creating an environment that nourishes and energizes employees. A number of benefits and policies comprise our comprehensive employee well-being program.

The Stanley Center believes that it is important to promote the mental health and emotional and psychological well-being of our employees and to foster a healthy work environment. We believe that the use of effective workplace well-being programs and policies can reduce stress and improve the quality of life for our workforce. We are committed to optimizing the emotional, social, and spiritual well-being of our staff and to create a work environment and atmosphere that allows employees to feel recognized as multidimensional, complex, and evolving individuals. We invest in workplace well-being programs to improve employee mental health, work-life balance, productivity, recruitment and retention, organizational culture, and employee morale.

We are committed to a comprehensive employee well-being program that incorporates the following components:

• Flexible work arrangements
• Meditation and stress reduction education programs, including apps
• Dedicated space for lactation, meditation, prayer, reflection, etc.
• Employee Assistance Program
• Paid Health Care Leave (to attend to physical or mental health needs)
• Paid Vacation Leave
• Two days of paid leave for personal business and two individual paid holidays
• Workplace Culture Committee, which focuses on maintaining work satisfaction, inclusive staff activities and celebrations, and health and wellness
• Paid parental leave, pregnancy and childbirth leave, and adoption leave
• Unpaid leave

January 2022

The Stanley Center offers robust healthcare insurance coverage—including medical, dental, and vision—as part of an employee’s total compensation package and makes this coverage available to family members. The center covers more than 75 percent of our comprehensive healthcare plans.

The Stanley Center offers a comprehensive package of health care benefits, including group medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage, to all regular full-time and regular reduced-time staff members. Eligibility for the following benefits begins the first of the month following employment.

Provided for all regular full-time staff members at the Stanley Center’s expense:

• Short-term disability insurance
• Long-term disability insurance
• Life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance
• Employee vision insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Workers compensation insurance

Offered to all regular full-time and reduced time staff members at shared cost:

• Medical and prescription drug insurance
• Dental insurance
• Family vision insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts are offered to all regular full-time, reduced-time, and part-time staff members.

January 2022

As part of an employee’s total compensation package, the center offers a generous retirement plan to help employees save income for their retirement years. Employees are eligible for participation from day one.

The Stanley Center provides a defined contribution 403(b) retirement plan with auto-enrollment for regular full-time, reduced-time, and part-time staff members who are age 21 or older. Regular full-time and reduced-time staff members have immediate eligibility for the 50% employer match of up to 3 percent of the staff member’s salary. Employees can choose to make elective deferrals at a higher level, up to annual IRS maximums. Employees can choose to opt out of making contributions to the retirement plan. Regardless of whether the employee makes elective deferrals, the Stanley Center makes an annual contribution equal to 7 percent of salary. All contributions, including the employer match and 7 percent annual contribution by the center, are immediately fully vested. Participant accounts are self-directed and managed by the staff member within the guidelines of Ascensus.

January 2022

The center applies an inclusive definition of ‘family,’ believes in accommodating special life situations as they arise, and, as part of our core values, promotes empathy in human relationships and interactions. Since the time of application for our current Just label, we are seeking ways to enhance our leave policy so employees can fulfill their parental responsibilities, care for loved ones, and care for themselves.

In order to support work/life balance and the needs of families, the Stanley Center provides the following leave options and other policies:

• Adoption Leave
• Bereavement Leave
• Extraordinary Circumstances
• Family Medical Leave for Serious Health Condition of a Family Member
• Flexible Work arrangements
• Healthcare Leave
• Pregnancy and Childbirth Leave
• Parental Leave
• Short-term and Long-term disability benefits
• Unpaid Leave of Absence

January 2022

All employees are encouraged to pursue learning and development that builds personal and professional skills, and contributes to purpose. The center allocates funds annually for staff to participate in external training, professional development, and continuing education.

The Stanley Center believes in the importance of supporting and contributing to the training, continuing education, and professional development of all staff members. We encourage staff members to participate in training, continuing education, and professional development opportunities, as work priorities permit, to advance individual and organizational knowledge. External opportunities may include leadership development, language training, or other skill development such as technology/software competency. The Stanley Center allocates at least $500 per employee per calendar year for external training, professional development, and continuing education purposes. This allocation may be used for conference or program registration fees, travel, lodging, and other related expenses. The Stanley Center may also directly provide or organize training, continuing education, and professional development opportunities for staff.

Training, continuing education, and professional development needs and interests will be regularly discussed by the staff member and their immediate supervisor. Before any commitments are made for external opportunities, the staff member should confirm approval with their supervisor. It is expected that the staff member will share knowledge gained through external opportunities with co-workers and/or at staff meetings.

The staff member will receive their standard pay during the approved training, professional development, or continuing education activities. The staff member will receive their standard pay during approved training, professional development, or continuing education activities. If out-of-town travel is required to attend the activity, please refer to Reimbursable Travel Expenses in Policies and Procedures. For non-exempt staff, please also refer to the Fair Labor Standards Act rules for overtime (available from Human Resources) and discuss with your supervisor your travel and the training, continuing education, or professional development schedule to determine how the rules apply.

Beyond training, continuing education, and professional development, the center also provides tuition support for higher education through the center’s separate Tuition Reimbursement policy.

January 2022

Stanley Center co-founder Betty Stanley believed ardently in the value of global education in local classrooms and throughout the community. The Global Education program at the Stanley Center is the primary means by which we engage area students, educators, and families to foster inclusive dialogue, celebrate diverse perspectives, and promote equity to build a more peaceful and just world. The center also strives for a healthy relationship with its home community of Muscatine, Iowa, in other ways.

The Stanley Center strives to maintain a direct relationship to the communities where our office is located and where our employees live. We pursue opportunities where we can engage with local communities through volunteerism, mentorship, and partnerships with organizations who are constantly striving to improve social, cultural, and environmental conditions, especially for vulnerable groups. Local community members are a part of our governance structure.

The Stanley Center recognizes the importance of community involvement and encourages all employees to participate in volunteer activities. This engagement ensures that our communities will benefit from our decisions and investments, as well as allowing them to contribute valuable knowledge and perspectives that can aid our work directly.

In our strategic framework, we confirm that we value, promote, and strengthen global education to foster more globally minded individuals in our local community. Rooted in our core values, history, and legacy, we develop and implement programming to promote greater understanding and application of global education, global education standards, and global citizenship in our hometown of Muscatine, Iowa. Our global education programming is guided by goals and strategies captured in a work plan, convenes local community members and groups, and regularly seeks feedback and input from its intended audiences (local K-12 educators, interested organizations, and caregivers of youth).

January 2022

The center is pleased to offer employees a generous amount of paid volunteer time at an organization (or organizations) of their choosing.

Community volunteering is an important measure of the civic health of a community and a nation, and we know volunteering provides valuable community services and strengthens communities in many ways. The Stanley Center is committed to giving back to our communities by supporting our staff members in their volunteering efforts.

The center will provide up to 16 hours of paid time off work annually for each regular full time or reduced-time staff member to participate in volunteer activities of their choosing as a service to non-profit organizations or charitable groups. Such activities could include volunteering in the classroom, mentoring youth, assisting the elderly, advocating for social justice issues, stocking food banks, caring for animals in shelters, and environmental restoration work.

Annually, the Stanley Center may also sponsor at least 8 hours of organized volunteering activities that all staff members can participate in. Staff members will also be paid their regular pay if the organized volunteer activities take place over normal business hours.

January 2022

The Just program calls on organizations to contract with caterers and food suppliers that source certified humane animal products and the center does so as often as we can. Due to the nature of our work around the world however, it simply is not possible to guarantee this certification and therefore our indicator level is limited. We do, however, make plant-based food options available.

The Stanley Center is committed to the philosophy of animal compassion and welfare. We believe that we have an intrinsic duty to prevent the harm, abuse, and torture of animals. In order to better safeguard the welfare of animals and to develop a higher level of empathy for their plight, we support the following practices:

• Selecting catering menus for internal and external functions that are at least 50 percent plant based. If the menu is not 100% plant-based, selecting supplemental menu items that are plant-forward and contain only certified humane animal products.
• Best efforts to purchase or source supplies, materials, and ingredients that have not been tested on animals.
• Supporting a work environment welcoming of trained service and assistance animals.
• Staff volunteering at animal shelters or animal sanctuaries.
• Matching staff members’ charitable donations to IRS-designated 501(c)3 animal welfare organizations, including shelters and sanctuaries.

January 2022

The center is pleased to match employee charitable contributions and also makes charitable contributions aligned with our core values.

The Stanley Center is dedicated to supporting charitable causes through volunteer time and charitable donations. We strive to activate social change to benefit a wider population and address the significant inequities within the communities where our office is located and where our staff members live. The Stanley Center encourages charitable giving by our staff members to organizations designated as 501(c)3 by the IRS and will provide two to one match of employee contributions (for example, an employee contribution of $50 would be matched by the center at $100), up to a total annual match of $2,000 per regular full-time or reduced-time employee. Please see the Director of Finance for details.

We encourage charitable giving to organizations that uphold the vision of the Stanley Center where all people share and sustain a secure and enduring peace with freedom, justice, and dignity. The center may also make charitable contributions directly to IRS-designated 501(c)3 organizations. This may include gifts for a staff member’s retirement or at the end of a governance member’s service or in response to current events or community needs. These are made at the discretion of the president.

January 2022

The Just program calls for organizations to provide products or services that contribute positively to their communities and society. Through inclusive dialogue and partnership, the center seeks solutions to the biggest threats to human survival and well-being.

The Stanley Center is committed to a sustainable future and to improving the social, economic, and environmental well-being of the communities that we live and work in. In furthering our vision and mission, we develop and design programming that contributes to the betterment of human well-being and the environment.

January 2022

Due to the nature of our work around the world, we cannot fulfill a commitment to buying local to our home in Iowa. We do, however, support small and independent businesses wherever we operate, and always look to do business with Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and women-owned businesses as often as we can.

The Stanley Center is committed to furthering equitable local economic and community development by procuring products and services from small, locally-owned, independent businesses. We use our purchasing power to stimulate local economic development, create local employment, redistribute wealth, and to build thriving communities. We define local as where our office is located and where our employees live and, for our purchasing policy, where we conduct our business, including locations where we hold events. We also use our purchasing power to support minority-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned businesses, certified B Corps, JUST-labelled businesses, or worker cooperative businesses.

January 2022

Similar to the Equitable Purchasing indicator, the Just program asks organizations to help improve social performance and social responsibility through the selection of subcontractors or across the supply chain. Due to the nature of our work around the world and our small staff size, higher levels in this indicator would, unfortunately, be impractical.

The Stanley Center advocates for socially and environmentally responsible practices, including in supply chain management. We are aware of the role we play in the larger eco-system that involves supply chain management and in our work we strive to procure materials and services that are socially and environmentally positive.

January 2022