Our business is built around connecting people and communities. Every day, our work naturally intersects with societal challenges like maintaining public safety and bridging the digital divide. That’s why we have a greater opportunity to make an impact. Whether it’s through our daily work, our employees or our suppliers—we’re constantly looking for ways to make a difference. We believe that cultivating an inclusive culture drives engagement, inspiring employees to do their best work. Building partnerships with diverse suppliers makes our community, business and supply chain stronger. We’ll continue our mission for years to come—not only because it’s what we believe in, but also because it’s key to our success.
Our goal.
Reach 16% in diverse supplier spend by 2026, representing the top quartile in US diversity spend among 100+ large companies.1,2
Our progress.
of our addressable spend was with diverse suppliers in 20233
invested in communications infrastructure in low-income areas4
employees, representing around 50% of the workforce, actively participated in inclusion workshops focused on the everyday application of our corporate values to create a culture of belonging5
1 Diverse supplier spend is calculated as spend with diverse suppliers, divided by our total addressable spend. A diverse supplier is defined as a supplier that is greater than 50% owned and operated by one or more individuals that are either minorities, women, veterans, disabled or LGBTQ+ and are certified by a third-party certification agency.
2 The Hackett Group, 2021 Supplier Diversity Study. Quartile ratings are as of 2021, when our goal was established.
3 As of December 31, 2023.
4 Based on total capital invested in Crown Castle assets that are located within, or provide service coverage (entirely or partially) to, US Census blocks with 2023 median household income at or below $50,000, which is a key input within the Simplified Needs Test for federal student aid (dependent students).
5 As of June 2024.
Empowering communities.
Every day, we work with municipalities to create solutions that help bridge the digital divide, propel businesses forward and position them for the future. Whether it’s establishing foundational infrastructure in underserved communities, promoting public safety, creating desirable job opportunities, outfitting venues for large-scale events or helping businesses grow—our goal is to provide solutions that empower communities and build sustainable change.
Connected by Good.
We volunteer in the communities where we live and work through our program, Connected by Good, which focuses on advancing access to education and technology, promoting public safety and improving public spaces.
Prioritizing supplier diversity.
Suppliers are an important part of our business. We depend on them to deploy and manage our assets through tasks like site preparation, construction, engineering and maintenance. We have a goal to increase diverse supplier spend—because we believe it is important for our suppliers to reflect the communities in which we operate and also because it expands the pool of qualified partners to meet the varying needs of our customers.
Our General Procurement Policy and Supplier Diversity Program aim to make opportunities known and accessible to a wide range of suppliers. The policy classifies diverse suppliers to be greater than 50% owned and operated by individuals that are either minorities, women, veterans, disabled or LGBTQ+ and are certified by a third-party certification agency.
Diverse supplier spend6
Our efforts to increase business with existing diverse suppliers, proactively identify and assist diverse suppliers with obtaining certification and enhance our tools and resources to equip our decision makers with the insights they need to increase our diverse supplier spend have positioned us to make progress toward our goal.
6 Diverse supplier spend is calculated as spend with diverse suppliers, divided by our total addressable spend. A diverse supplier is defined as a supplier that is greater than 50% owned and operated by one or more individuals that are either minorities, women, veterans, disabled or LGBTQ+ and are certified by a third-party certification agency.
Dive deeper.
Building a diverse workforce.
We deliver our best work with team members who bring a variety of backgrounds, experiences and points of view. That’s why we’re committed to building an inclusive community. We’re investing in company-wide inclusion workshops focused on the everyday application of our corporate values to create a culture of belonging and continuous learning. We use diverse hiring panels and competency-based interviews during our recruitment process, which we believe strengthens our workforce and creates long-term benefits for our stakeholders.
Diversity among new hires7
7 Percentages calculated as of December 31 of each year represented. Percentages do not include employees who chose not to specify their ethnicity/race.
Employee racial diversity8
Job Categories | White | Hispanic/ Latinx | Asian | Black | Two+ Races | Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | American Indian/Alaska Native | Not Specified | Total People of Color |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Executive9 | 79% | 3% | 5% | 5% | 2% | 0% | 0% | 7% | 15% |
Management & Professional | 72% | 9% | 9% | 5% | 3% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 2% | 26% |
Support & Technical | 64% | 16% | 5% | 8% | 3% | 0.7% | 0.4% | 3% | 33% |
Total | 69% | 12% | 7% | 6% | 3% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 3% | 28% |
8 Data as of December 31, 2023. Amounts may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
9 The Executive job category consists of our Executive Management Team (EMT), Senior Vice Presidents and Vice Presidents.
Employee gender diversity10
- Women
- Men
10 Data as of December 31, 2023.
11 The Executive job category consists of our Executive Management Team (EMT), Senior Vice Presidents and Vice Presidents.
Listening to our employees.
Employee engagement is a key part of nurturing our talent, growing our business and maintaining our inclusive culture. Our survey helps us get an accurate pulse on employee sentiment and needs. Our participation rate and engagement scores for our employee engagement survey conducted in May 2023 exceeded Mercer’s US company norms. Each year we continue to reevaluate how we work together and how we foster our engaged workforce.
Employee engagement survey highlights.12
My immediate manager treats me with respect and dignity
My immediate manager openly supports Inclusion and Diversity
My immediate manager encourages teammates to suggest ideas for improvement
My organization gives clear guidance on acceptable and unacceptable behavior in the workplace
Different views and perspectives are valued within my team
I work in an environment that is free from harassment and discrimination
12 As of May 2023.
Promoting professional growth.
We invest in our employees by providing support for their professional growth and empowering them to build new skills. Employees have access to a wide range of training opportunities and experiences—including our Learning Management System, Linkedin Learning and in-person training events. We have launched our Purple in Action program, which is a series of interactive conversations and exercises facilitated by internally trained teammates to help employees apply our values to drive our performance culture. We also offer a two-year Business Immersion Program for recent college graduates. This rotational program helps them learn about our business, develop diverse skill sets and have a variety of experiences alongside a cohort of peers. In an industry that’s constantly evolving, we believe helping our employees continue to learn and grow is essential in creating a competitive advantage.
2023 learning highlights.
learners
training hours per learner
courses available across 75 topics
articles, videos, podcasts available through our learning platforms
training hours
course completions
Offering quality benefits.
We have a robust, market-leading benefits package that ranks fifth among 54 high tech companies in Willis Towers Watson’s benchmarking survey.13 Because we recognize the importance of holistic wellbeing, we provide quality healthcare, financial planning, time off and education benefits.
For physical health, we offer comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans. We partner with a leading healthcare navigation company, Included Health, which is committed to raising the standard of healthcare. This benefit program connects our employees and families to top providers, expert opinions, treatment decision support and more—at no cost to them. For mental health, we offer each employee and their family members up to 16 sessions of therapy or mental health coaching through Lyra Health annually, also at no cost to employees.
For financial security, we have a competitive 401(k) plan—ranking first of 54 high tech companies in Willis Towers Watson’s benchmarking survey.13 We also have tuition reimbursement and funded healthcare savings accounts. We provide flexible paid time off for vacations, holidays and personal reasons. We offer parental leave, adoption benefits and more. Also, we match charitable contributions and encourage our employees to help communities by volunteering through our Connected by Good program.
13 2023 High Tech BenVal benchmarking report. Ranking is based on value of employer-subsidized benefits.