Stryker is committed to raising awareness against bias, acting for equality and celebrating our employees’ achievements at all levels of our organization. One way we empower our team members to help us make strides to increase diversity and drive equity is through our employee resource groups (ERGs).
Fast facts about Stryker’s Women’s Network (SWN)
Mission: Advancing women together. SWN is driven to improve Stryker’s results by fostering an open and inclusive culture with a focus on attracting, developing, and retaining talented women.
Founded: 2008
Where to find SWN: SWN chapters are located throughout the globe with chapters in each region we serve. To date, SWN’s membership is in the thousands.
About SWN
SWN was launched globally in 2008 to accelerate the growth of women through community building, networking and development.
Participating in SWN offers enhanced opportunities for personal and professional development through networking, leadership guidance, community outreach, and educational projects. These efforts help drive the attraction, development, engagement, and retention of talented women. SWN is open to all employees, both men, and women, and includes thousands of members across the globe.
Making Stryker more equitable
How is SWN living their mission to advance women together? SWN’s commitment to elevating women talent at Stryker can’t be summed up in a paragraph or two, so we’ll give you a few highlights on the impact SWN has had on Stryker’s culture.
Sub-committees: Dedicated to attracting, developing, and retaining women, SWN has built several sub-committees across the organization. A couple include a sales sub-committee which focuses on our women talent located in sale positions and a mentorship sub-committee, which focuses on enriching mentorship programs across Stryker.
Supporting the whole person: SWN’s commitment to supporting women both inside the workplace and out is shown through several internal initiatives including:
Returnity, a regional program for parents to find resources and support while they return from parental leave*
SWN podcast series, intended to highlight experiences of individuals across Stryker
Our team in Europe created a “menopause support” toolkit featuring content to help support physical and mental health*
Male allyship: SWN encourages both men and women across the globe to join. There has been an effort to increase male allyship and engagement so support will continue to exist at every level of our organization.
Connecting employees: Stryker has offices around the world with thousands of remote employees. Hosting in-person and remote events has created a well-connected network of employees.
A career destination for all talent
Since the start of SWN, they have been dedicated to improving Stryker’s culture by fostering an open and inclusive dialog focusing on attracting, developing, and retaining talented women. Looking forward, SWN has three strategic priorities that are guiding their efforts.
Diverse representation: Advocate for the representation of women on task forces, councils, and diverse slates
Belonging: Promote a culture committed to seeing the authentic self in others, recognizing the value all individuals bring to work, and engaging with others meaningfully to cultivate and inclusive culture.
Advocacy: Empower SWN members to be advocates for themselves and others to drive the advancement of other women within Stryker
Through SWN’s continued efforts they are helping create a more inclusive work environment that offers women new opportunities to grow as professionals, leaders, and individuals.
What SWN means to the Stryker team
“I have always had strong women role models in my personal and professional life. It is important that I pass on all the lessons I have learned from them and provide opportunities for women to reach their highest potential as defined by them." - Glenn B. | SWN Executive Sponsor | United States
“I want Stryker to be a place where women can thrive and reach their full potential, and SWN is a great platform to help amplify diversity, equity, and inclusion at Stryker”. | Jody P. SWN Global President
“I joined SWN to understand better and help. And wow, it has been quite an experience to listen and learn the amount and magnitude of challenges our women colleagues face every day not only at work but in every situation.” - Julio F. | SWN Member | Chile
“What I enjoy most about being involved with SWN is the networking. Through SWN, I have had an incredible opportunity to meet people from all walks of life at Stryker, some phenomenal women, and men that I quite frankly would not have met had I not been involved with SWN." – Claudia A. | SWN Member | France
“Through SWN I’ve learned to be open to your own personal growth that you may experience as an ally. In my journey of allyship, I have had to take the time to actively listen and learn from the women that I ally with, allowing me to understand how to offer better support “– Greg B. | SWN Member | United States
“I joined SWN because I feel it is my duty to do the best I can to support and advocate women personally & professionally and SWN provides the platform for that”. - Joselyn L. | SWN Global Steering Committee Member | United States
“I am very pleased to be a part of SWN. I can share different perspectives across cultures. And most importantly, I can help Stryker be a great place to work for all genders.” – Borom S. | SWN Member | Thailand
“I have a strong passion for mentoring, developing, and promoting female talent. SWN allows me a space to lean into this.” – Amber F. | SWN Member | United States
“As a leader of an all-female team at work, my job is to help develop their potential, and being a member of SWN gives me a good opportunity to learn from other SWN members, their experiences, and good practices that could help me do that job better.” – Roger Y. | SWN Member | China
Interested in joining our team? View open roles on our career site.
* Stryker benefits and programs vary by location