Our Social Responsibility Goals
Promote a culture of safety which results in zero injuries
- Demonstrate year-over-year improvement of OSHA TRIR <1.55, DART <0.80, LTIR <0.40
- Achieve preventable vehicle accident rate at or below 1 incident per million miles
Develop teams that reflect the communities in which we operate
- Launch Inclusion and Diversity (I&D) Committee
- Facilitate inclusion and diversity training for managers and team members that fosters and promotes the Company’s culture and Shared Values
- Improve engagement survey inclusion and diversity score by 3% through our I&D initiatives
Establish US Ecology as the employer of choice
- Maintain voluntary turnover at 12% or lower
- For business units with engagement scores less than 60%, improve scores by 5+% between 2020 and 2021
Permission to Play
Our team members are committed to the highest standard in the industry with the utmost integrity and moral standing. These are the basic “permission to play” values that each of us must embrace to be part of our great organization. The following characteristics set US Ecology, Inc. apart from others, build our shared values, and drive our culture. Our team members are passionate about:
Protecting the Environment
Safety and Compliance
Doing the Right Thing, the Right Way
Living the Humble, Hungry & Smart Virtues
We are Committed to
These are the values we aspire to each day to achieve our vision to be the premier provider of comprehensive environmental services: each of which are critical to our success.
Service Excellence
Being a Trusted Partner
Innovative Solutions
Being “One Team”
12 Principles of Success
These 12 Principles of Success reinforce the importance and provide practical application of our Shared Values. They ensure we have clarity on strategic direction and the types of behavior that allow us to achieve our mission and goals. These principles will continue to strengthen our organization and better position us to succeed.
Diversity
We believe that diversity is essential to providing the best service to our customers. This is achieved through teams that include people from various backgrounds, groups, and cultures. Inclusion throughout the enterprise enables innovation and ultimately results in the creation of better solutions. Through our Diversity and Inclusion Program, our team is focused on identifying our greatest opportunities to attract and develop diverse, high-performing talent that matches the tapestry of the communities in which we live and work.
Our commitment to improvement starts from the top of the organization and is apparent in the publishing of our people metrics in our Employment Value Proposition. We look forward to showing improvement in our diversity data as we periodically update these pages.
OVERALL
78.3% | 21.7%
Male Female
as of 2021
Inclusion
Many companies talk about diversity, but we believe strongly that a company’s culture should be even more. It should be unconditionally inclusive. At US Ecology, every voice is heard. Our Team Members feel safe to participate, engage, and freely share ideas and feedback. Our commitment to open communication creates trust and partnership. Beyond serving the needs and ambitions of our customers, our inclusive culture also serves our Team Members as they confidently progress through their US Ecology careers.
A Culture of Engagement
Leaders at US Ecology care about the Team Member experience and continuously measure and improve employment practices. Engagement positively influences organizational outcomes and performance. Engaged Team Members are more committed, innovative, and customer focused. Through annual surveys, town-hall meetings, and an open-door policy, Team Members influence and affect change in our policies, programs, and practices. Our annual Speak Up survey measures our progress while collecting anonymous feedback to provide perspective on what matters most to our people. This leads to better decisions about resource deployment, benefit programs, leader effectiveness, and the overall employment experience.
2021 Speak Up Survey Results
♦ 72.7% Engaged employees consistently exceed expectations. They are energized and passionate about their work, leading them to exert discretionary effort to drive organizational performance.
♦ 15.4% Almost engaged employees sometimes exceed expectations and are generally passionate about their work. At times, they exert discretionary effort to help achieve organizational goals.
♦ 5.9% Indifferent employees are satisfied, comfortable, and generally able to meet minimum expectations. They see their work as “just a job,” prioritizing their needs before organizational goals.
♦ 6% Disengaged employees usually fail to meet minimum expectations, putting in time rather than effort. They have little interest in their job and the organization and often display negative attitudes.
Rewards of Work
US Ecology values our Team Members and is committed to their overall health and wellbeing. Our total rewards approach includes a heavy investment in an industry leading benefit package that allows our Team Members to see more of what they earn. Our Team Members can customize their benefits based on their unique personal and family needs. Packages range from 100% employer paid high-deductible medical plans to low cost traditional deductible plans.
As of April 2020, a full 98% of our eligible Team Members were saving toward retirement by participating in the Company-sponsored 401(k) plan. US Ecology contributes $0.55 on each $1.00 up to 6% of a Team Member’s contribution. US Ecology goes further by providing a full suite of incentive bonus programs that reward Team Members for their contribution to our successes. These programs are directly tied to health and safety, compliance, and performance - that means the better the Company does, the more our Team Members are rewarded. US Ecology’s approach to total rewards not only ensures we are taking care of our people but enables us to remain competitive in local markets.
Professional Development
We are committed to the professional development of all our Team Members through internal and external training programs, regardless of position, tenure, or location. US Ecology is where invaluable skills are obtained and goals are achieved. It is where knowledge, experience, and values are fostered and passed on. We believe that learning is a lifelong pursuit, and we encourage all our Team Members to participate.
Our education reimbursement program removes barriers to higher education. Up to $4,500 a year is contributed to each participating Team Member to continue his or her collegiate or advanced education. We also reimburse our Team Members for completion of pre-approved certifications, new licenses and endorsements, or other professional trainings and certificates.
US Ecology’s learning and development team partners with industry thought leaders and have developed in-house, on demand, management courses for both new and experienced leaders. Through our technical training programs, we equip our Team Members with the critical thinking skills and capabilities required to grow in their careers while achieving our high safety and compliance standards.
Health and Safety
Safety is a “Permission to Play” value at US Ecology. We seek out potential Team Members who are passionate about safety. The Company’s programs promote engagement and encourage all employees to take personal responsibility for the safety of themselves and their work colleagues. US Ecology’s Health and Safety Commitment Statement describes the Company’s approach to establish a safe work environment by providing Team Members with the knowledge to proactively identify and correct hazards in the workplace and continuously improve our programs and procedures.
US Ecology has an extensive over-the-road vehicle safety program that includes annual performance goals and benchmarking performance against industry peers. Extensive training is provided, and internal roadside audits ensure US Ecology is operating in a safe and compliant manner on our public roads.
Total Recordable Incident Rate or “TRIR”. The TRIR is a measure of the frequency of work-related injuries. [(Number of recordable injuries x 200,000) / Employee total hours worked]
Days Away Restricted Time or "DART". The DART incident rate is a measure of the frequency of work-related injuries that result in an employee requiring time away from work or a restricted job role. [(Number of DART incidents x 200,000) / Employee total hours worked]
Lost Time Incidents or "LTI". The LTI incident rate is a measure of the frequency of workplace incidents that result in an employee requiring time away from work. [(Number of LTI incidents x 200,000) / Employee total hours worked]
The lower the number the better.
♦ US Ecology
♦ Industry*
These metrics represent US Ecology data from 2021.
*Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics for the Industry sector we predominately provide services in.
Veteran Support
We are passionate about our veteran team members and the service they have provided to our country. US Ecology has teamed up with the US Army for its Partnership for Youth Success (PaYS) program, which connects new and transitioning soldiers with civilian employment opportunities. As part of our commitment to the veteran population, US Ecology collaborates with PaYS to guarantee job interviews for qualified veterans. Our efforts to connect veterans with opportunities at US Ecology have resulted in 7.4 % of new hires in 2020 being veterans. US Ecology has also teamed with Idaho’s Mission43, a veteran outreach nonprofit, to provide résumé and interview coaching to veterans transitioning into the workplace.
Our Community
At US Ecology, we support charitable organizations and contribute to causes that build relationships throughout the communities in which we operate. We encourage our Team Members to contribute their time and leadership, compensating them for up to eight hours a year for time spent volunteering with a charity of their choice. US Ecology enjoys participating in partnerships and projects that promote and reflect our shared values. Each US Ecology location is encouraged to identify local community needs that our employees and Company can support through charitable giving, volunteering, or providing charitable professional services.
