We believe diversity is all about the unique ways we differ as associates and as customers, and the value those differences bring to our workplace and our stores. Some of our differences are physical, such as nationality, gender, race and age. But we also share less visible differences such as culture, personal values, and religious beliefs. Valuing diversity means appreciating our individualism and behaving in such a way that we also respect each other's differences.

In AAFES, we encourage a diverse workforce that will initiate innovative business solutions. We value diversity as more than cultural awareness or a moral imperative. We see diversity as a unique business opportunity, where we stand united together by the commonality of our company's core values and our customers' needs and expectations.

WHAT IS OUR DIVERSITY STATEMENT?

In AAFES, diversity is defined as valuing the concerns and desires of both the workforce and customers by establishing a common bond with them, where the individual uniqueness is appreciated and differences are respected. Diversity in AAFES promotes a corporate community and harmony, which maximizes personal talents and experiences, responds to the needs of all associates and enriches the climate for customer and associate satisfaction.

HOW IS DIVERSITY PART OF OUR BUSINESS STRATEGY?

One of our long-term corporate goals is to attract and retain a quality workforce by providing job satisfaction, training and opportunities for personal and professional growth at a fair level of compensation. Our business strategies reflect this awareness in everything we support. As our company has grown over the last century, we've become citizens of many different, worldwide communities. This has made it more important to value and embrace diversity, because our success is directly connected to satisfied customers, niche marketing and new business opportunities. As we look ahead to the future, keeping in mind our associate and customer diversity, we are committed to having a mix of merchandise and a workforce that is responsive to our military and civilian customer needs.

WHY IS DIVERSITY IMPORTANT TO US?

Developing and managing a strong, diverse organization is critical to our ongoing success.

• Our business opportunities are increasingly related to the global world. We must foster our ability to deal with a broad and diverse base of suppliers and customers alike in order to provide products and services of superior quality and value.
• Diversity takes advantage of our differences and infuses our company with new business ideas and approaches.
• Associate diversity translates into customer satisfaction. Because we see ourselves as an employer of choice, we value associates' contributions and input.
• Diversity provides a richer, more fertile working environment for creative thinking and innovation. We are committed to fully developing associate talent from a full range of opportunities. It is from this increasingly diverse pool of talent and abilities that our future leadership will come.

WHAT IS THE AAFES GOAL OF A DIVERSE WORK FORCE?

The goal of a diverse workforce is to attract and retain a quality pool of associates by providing job satisfaction, training and opportunities for personal and professional growth at a fair level of compensation, regardless of race, gender, and any other differences within the workforce. At AAFES, we operate on the fundamental belief that individual differences are encouraged, and such differences will produce a genuine competitive advantage.

WHAT IS AAFES DOING TO DEVELOP AND SUPPORT A DIVERSE WORK PLACE?

• We've established an executive management committee to strengthen and support diversity awareness in AAFES. This committee is called the Diversity Advisory Committee and their charter is to keep their finger on the pulse of what's happening in AAFES regarding diversity issues as well as providing leadership for the future direction of our diversity efforts.
• We continually analyze employment data to identify our progress in eliminating unnecessary barriers.
• We are examining policies and practices that could potentially create a barrier to specific groups.
• We are concentrating on race/gender-neutral selections that will have long-lasting effects on tomorrow's workforce.
• We have a commitment to work/life initiatives that includes flexible work schedules, mentoring opportunities, and career pathing programs.

This is just the beginning. As we work towards the new millennium, we will continue to develop our associates to their fullest potential. How? By regularly reviewing our human resource systems in light of work force representation, mentoring and promotional opportunities and making sure these systems work well for everyone, including women and the various groups that make up our minority workforce.