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This We Believe: Our Company Values Have Guided SC Johnson for Five Generations
SC Johnson’s company values statement, This We Believe, articulated the company’s principles back in 1976.
“The goodwill of people is the only enduring thing in any business. It is the sole substance. The rest is shadow.” – Herbert F. Johnson, Sr.
Goodwill is never negotiable – in family, in business or in products. Since our founding in 1886, SC Johnson has been guided by our commitment to keep earning the goodwill of the people around us. It matters to us that we do right by employees, consumers, the public, our communities and the world at large, and treat everyone with integrity and respect. These are our values and principles.
Our core beliefs were first summarized by Herbert F. Johnson, Sr., the second-generation leader of our family company, in a 1927 speech to employees.
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The goodwill of people is the only enduring thing in any business. It is the sole substance. The rest is shadow.
In 1976, our fourth-generation family leader, Sam Johnson, formalized our principles in a document known as This We Believe. This was long before companies had values statements or even codes of conduct. Few were thinking about topics like the environment, safety, diversity or corporate social responsibility. But Sam believe that principles are powerful, and should be formalized and celebrated.
Since then, This We Believe has been a guide for the company through both good and challenging times. As our Chairman and CEO Fisk Johnson has explained “This We Believe provides a sounding board against which we can test ideas and consider options, and a true north from which we will not waver. Being a family company enables us to uphold its aspirations as few other organizations can.”
It has been translated and shared around the world, and everyone in the company is accountable for upholding its tenets.
This We Believe
This We Believe is SC Johnson's true north. We have been guided by our fundamental principles since 1886. They are articulated in This We Believe in 1976.
This We Believe states our beliefs about the five groups of people to whom we are responsible and whose trust we must earn...
- Employees: We believe that the fundamental vitality and strength of our worldwide company lies in our people.
- Consumers and Users: We believe in earning the enduring goodwill of consumers and users of our products and services.
- General Public: We believe in being a responsible leader within the free market economy.
- Neighbors and Hosts: We believe in contributing to the well-being of the countries and communities where we conduct business.
- World Community: We believe in improving international understanding.
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This We Believe calls on us to act with integrity, respect people, make responsible choices and pursue growth so we can keep doing good in the world.
The sincerity of our beliefs encourages us to act with integrity at all times, to respect the dignity of each person as an individual human being, to assume moral and social responsibilities early as a matter of conscience, to make an extra effort to use our skills and resources where they are most needed, and to strive for excellence in everything we do.
We safeguard these beliefs by remaining privately held. We’re not beholden to Wall Street. Rather, we’re fully committed to you – the people who make, use and benefit from our products. We believe we can earn profits and remain true to our principles. This way, we make a positive impact today and for generations to come.
We work to help families at the base of the economic pyramid gain access to opportunities.
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We believe that the fundamental vitality and strength of our worldwide company lies in our people, and we commit ourselves to...
Maintain good relations among all employees around the world based on a sense of participation, mutual respect and an understanding of common objectives, by:
- Creating a climate whereby all employees freely air their concerns and express opinions with assurance that these will be fairly considered.
- Attentively responding to employees’ suggestions and problems.
- Fostering open, two-way communications between management and employees.
- Providing employees with opportunities to participate in the process of decision-making.
- Encouraging employees at all levels and in all disciplines to work as a team.
- Respecting the dignity and rights of privacy of every employee*, and treating all people with respect.
* SC Johnson goes to great lengths to respect individuals privacy. Company systems, such as email, however, may be monitored to enforce policy and protect company confidential business information.
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Maintain good relations among all employees around the world based on a sense of participation, mutual respect and an understanding of common objectives.
Manage our business in such a way that we can provide security for regular employees and retirees, by:
- Pursuing a long-term policy of planned, orderly growth.
- Retaining regular employees, if at all possible, as conditions change.
- However, this may not always be possible, particularly where major restructuring or reorganization is required to maintain competitiveness.
- Retraining employees who have acceptable performance records and are in positions no longer needed, provided suitable jobs are available.
Maintain a high level of effectiveness within the organization, by:
- Establishing clear, high standards of job performance.
- Ensuring that the performance of all employees meets required levels by giving appropriate recognition to those whose performance is good and by terminating those whose performance, despite their managers’ efforts to help, continues below company standards.
Provide equal opportunities in employment and advancement, by:
- Hiring and promoting employees without discrimination, using qualifications, performance and experience as the principal criteria.
Remunerate employees at levels that fully reward their performance and recognize their contribution to the success of their company, by:
- Maintaining base pay and benefit programs both of which are fully competitive with those prevailing within the relevant marketplaces.
- Maintaining, in addition to our fully competitive pay and benefit programs, our long-standing tradition of sharing profits with employees.
Protect the health and safety of all people in SCJ work environments, by:
- Providing a clean and safe work environment.
- Providing appropriate training and occupational health services.
Develop the skills and abilities of our people, by:
- Providing on-the-job training and professional development programs.
- Helping employees qualify for opportunities in the company through educational and development programs.
Create environments that are conducive to self-expression and personal well-being, by:
- Fostering a culture of respect and inclusion, with zero tolerance for discrimination or harassment.
- Fostering and supporting leisure-time programs for employees and retirees.
- Developing job-enrichment programs.
- Maintaining the long tradition of high quality and good design in our offices and plants.
Fortaleza Hall at our global headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin, gives employees a place to gather and socialize.
Encourage initiative, innovation and entrepreneurism among all employees, thereby providing opportunities for greater job satisfaction while also helping the worldwide company achieve its objectives.
We believe in earning the enduring goodwill of consumers and users of our products and services, and we commit ourselves to...
Provide useful products and services throughout the world, by:
- Monitoring closely the changing wants and needs of consumers and users.
- Developing and maintaining high standards of quality.
- Developing new products and services that are recognized by consumers and users as being significantly superior overall to major competition.
- Maintaining close and effective business relations with the trade to ensure that our products and services are readily available to consumers and users.
- Continuing our research and development commitment to provide a strong technology base for innovative and superior products and services.
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Develop and market products that are environmentally sound and do not endanger the health and safety of consumers and users.
Develop and market products that are environmentally sound and do not endanger the health and safety of consumers and users, by:
- Meeting all regulatory requirements or exceeding them where worldwide company standards are higher.
- Providing clear and adequate directions for safe use, together with cautionary statements and/or symbols.
- Incorporating protection against misuse where this is appropriate.
- Researching new technologies for products that favor an improved environment.
Maintain and develop comprehensive education and service programs for consumers and users, by:
- Disseminating information to consumers and users that promotes full understanding of the correct use of our products and services.
- Handling all inquiries, complaints and service needs for consumers and users quickly, thoroughly and fairly.
We believe in being a responsible leader in the free market economy, and we commit ourselves to…
Ensure the future vitality of the worldwide company, by:
- Earning sufficient profits to provide new investment for planned growth and progress.
- Maintaining a worldwide organization of highly competent, motivated and dedicated employees.
- Seeking the counsel and independent judgment of a board of independent directors.
Conduct our business in a fair and ethical manner, by:
- Not engaging in unfair business practices.
- Treating our suppliers and customers both fairly and reasonably, according to sound commercial practices.
- Packaging and labeling our products so that consumers and users can make informed value judgments.
- Maintaining the highest advertising standards of integrity and good taste.
- Not engaging in bribery
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Provide the general public with information about our activities so they have a better understanding of our worldwide company.
Share the profits of the company with those who have contributed to its success, by:
- Rewarding employees through a profit sharing program.
- Allocating a share of the profits to enhance the well-being of communities where we operate.
- Developing better products and services for the benefit of consumers and users.
- Providing to shareholders a reasonable return on their investment.
Provide the general public with information about our activities so they have a better understanding of our worldwide company.
We believe in contributing to the well-being of the countries and communities where we conduct business, and we commit ourselves to…
Contribute to the economic well-being of every country and community where we conduct business, by:
- Ensuring that new investment fits constructively into the economic development of each host country and local community.
- Encouraging the use of local suppliers and services where it makes sense strategically.
Members of the SC Johnson Indochina team
An SC Johnson manufacturing team in Canada
Contribute to the social development of every country and community where we conduct business, by:
- Providing training programs for the development of skills.
- Establishing and drawing from a global talent pool for leadership positions.
- Involving ourselves in social, cultural and educational projects that enhance the quality of life.
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Contribute to the economic well-being of every country and community where we conduct business.
Be a good corporate citizen, by:
- Complying with and maintaining a due regard for the laws, regulations and traditions of each country where we conduct business, as well as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
We believe in improving international understanding, and we commit ourselves to…
Act with responsible practices in international trade and investment, by:
- Retaining earnings necessary for reinvestment in our local companies and remitting dividends on a consistent basis.
- Making royalty, licensing and service agreements that are fair and reasonable and do not result in any hidden transfer of profits.
- Limiting foreign exchange transactions to normal business requirements and for the protection of our assets.
Promote the exchange of ideas and techniques, by:
- Encouraging the rapid diffusion of new technology to our local companies and licensees, while protecting our ownership rights and investment in such technology.
- Organizing worldwide and regional meetings for the dissemination and exchange of information.
- Providing support and assistance, especially in technical and professional fields, to develop skills throughout the organization.
- Following a balanced approach between transferring people to new jobs to gain experience and leaving people on the job long enough to make positive contributions in their assignments.
- Participating actively in non-political national and international activities with the objective of improving the global business climate.