People
Employee engagement Global inclusion
Practices
Governance, ethics, & risk Environmental impact Sustainable sourcing
Products & services
Sustainable investing Consumer & product impact Financial inclusion
Making a difference
Volunteerism Sponsorships Principal Foundation
Sustainability Global inclusion

Global inclusion

Global inclusion

We strive to create and maintain a work environment where all employees feel valued, respected, and included, enabling them to do their best work.


2023 Global Inclusion Report:

Download full report (PDF)

2023 Global Inclusion Overview:

Download overview (PDF)

Principal employee Micah Greene, an Air National Guard member

We believe that a culture of inclusion is foundational to who we are, the change we have driven, and the future we are creating. That’s why we are building a workplace inclusive of all perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences.

Our global inclusion strategy is underpinned by three pillars:

  • In our workplace: We’re committed to nurturing an inclusive culture based on the highest ethical standards, and a dedication to fairness, respect, integrity, and trust.
  • In our business practices: Our focus on inclusion is central to how we operate as a global company with the purpose of helping more people build a bright future. We strive to implement business practices that serve a wide-ranging customer base, broaden accessibility to inclusive products and services, and incorporate an inclusive approach to supply chain management.
  • In our communities: Principal, together with Principal® Foundation is giving back to and strengthening the communities in which we operate.

Principal has a long-standing commitment to inclusion. We added our first person of color to our Board of Directors almost 45 years ago, and one year later, we added the first woman to our Board.

A visual timeline of Principal's commitment to global inclusion from the 1950s through present.

2023 Global People Inclusion Index (GPII)

Graph showing our global people inclusion index percentages

Global inclusion initiatives

At Principal, we prioritize inclusion and shared values-seeking to create a thriving environment of authenticity, action, and accountability within our company and our communities. We are united in our stance against discrimination, hate, and violence understanding immediate and lasting effects created by these destructive behaviors on our employees, our customers, and our communities.

Our focus on inclusion is central to how we operate as a global company with a purpose of helping more people achieve financial security throughout their lives.

Inclusion Summit:

We host an annual Inclusion Summit, providing opportunities for all employees around the world to learn, connect, and grow through conversation and education on our internal diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

Employee resource groups (ERGs):

Our fifteen ERGs and networks help create an inclusive and welcoming environment for employees across our global organization. They facilitate social/cultural learning and personal and professional development, and connect to our employees and business through programming, events, and initiatives. Each ERG is open to all employees, sponsored by a member of senior management, and establishes annual goals aligned with the global inclusion and business strategies.

Global mentorship:

Our Global Mentorships Program offers a development opportunity to all Principal employees by cultivating formal mentoring relationships. Each fall we enroll participants from across the organization, find strong matches, and support mentoring pairs as they connect with each other over an eight-month structured experience around specific goals. We also have mentoring opportunities within specific business units and locations such as the Retirement and Income Solutions Own What’s Next mentoring program and our Women in Latin America mentoring program.

Learning and development:

We’ve implemented NeuroLeadership Institute’s INCLUDE and DECIDE training, equipping employees and leaders to identify and mitigate bias, and lead more inclusively.

Equitable practices:

Pay equity is central to our compensation practices and policies. We conduct an annual pay audit with a credible third party to identify unexplained differences in pay between employees doing similar work in commensurate positions. On a global level, our pay audit includes a gender pay gap assessment, and in the U.S., our pay audit includes both a gender and a racial pay gap assessment.

2023 Sustainability report

Read more about our commitment to sustainability.

Download full report (PDF)

Our work supports the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:

Goal 5: Gender equality Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth Goal 10: Reduced inequalities

Featured stories