Our Culture
At Ionis, we are driven. We are inquisitive. We are pioneering. We are confident. We are passionate. With limitless energy and ambition, we are creating bold breakthroughs that have the potential to change the course of human health.
We set our sights on providing new solutions across the spectrum of health – from intractable neurology conditions to common cardiometabolic disorders and other select areas of high patient needs – all with the aim of making life as full as possible for people with these diseases. We are always asking questions to learn and discover more and push the boundaries of science. We tackle tough problems with determination and humor. We strive for excellence and are committed to planned and well-managed change. We encourage open debate and the free expression of ideas. Learn more about our culture.
Our Culture of Fairness and Inclusion
At Ionis, we encourage diversity in our workforce. Prejudicial barriers to human potential and productivity are foreign to our values. We recognize that in order for the full potential of our workforce to be realized, we must cultivate an inclusive culture where all employees feel empowered to contribute fully within an environment that values different perspectives, leading to better ideas and increased innovation.
Our Fairness and Inclusion Strategy
Our four elements of fairness and inclusion: Engage, Empower, Evaluate, and Evolve help to guide our efforts and measure change over time as we execute on our strategy. From fostering inclusion through Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), to facilitating learning through inclusion training, to evaluating our demographics and the outcomes of our initiatives; our fairness and inclusion strategy is evolving to meet the needs of our community.
We endeavor to attract and involve our community through various programs, initiatives and outreach. Our community includes job candidates, patients, employees, suppliers and shareholders.
Goal
Increase overall employee engagement, ERG participation and community outreach; including students, suppliers and patients.
Initiatives
- New Employee Opportunity Network (NEON) ERG
- Heritage Months and Cultural Celebrations
- Patient advocacy and clinical trial recruitment outreach
- Ionis STEM student outreach programs
We provide leadership development opportunities, financial resources, training, and best practice guidance to support our inclusion events, initiatives and programs.
Goal
Provide adequate resources for our employees to thrive, our ERGs to develop and diverse groups to be represented.
Initiatives
- Access to Diversity Best Practices resources
- ERG Management Software
- Ion Mentoring program
We collect, review and report on our employee and demographic metrics. We analyze, interpret and share our outcomes as part of our overall Corporate Responsibility efforts.
Goal
Use data to inform our programs and measure our progress. Be accountable for our results through comparing against industry benchmarks and publishing our outcomes.
Initiatives
- Collect voluntary demographic data
- Review employee engagement data by demographic groups
- Annual review of key data with leadership
- Publish Corporate Responsibility Report annually
Informed by data and best practices, we experiment with different programs and initiatives to help us reach our fairness and inclusion goals. We make iterative changes to optimize our efforts to provide innovative and integrated solutions.
Goal
Add, change and expand fairness and inclusion programs and initiatives to meet identified needs of the organization.
Initiatives
- Inclusion Action Council
- Annual progress and initiatives review based on outcomes and feedback from our community
Our Fairness and Inclusion Journey
Since Ionis’ inception in 1989, our founders valued diversity and noted in our original Culture Statement that “prejudicial barriers to human potential and productivity are foreign to our values.” That language remains the foundation of our purpose and continues to drive our progress. In 2020, our leadership recognized the need to codify a formal strategy to foster an inclusive and equitable workplace to ensure our employees could thrive. In mid-2020, we launched our initial Employee Resource Groups (ERG) inclusion networks to promote diversity awareness and cultural understanding among employees. We also identified diversity metrics to track and introduced an inclusion training program, allowing the organization to measure progress and hold itself accountable. Since then, the organization has seen an increase in diversity, improved employee engagement and maintains a thriving culture of inclusion. We currently support eight ERGs and continue to work toward evolving our programs and initiatives to meet our goals.
Our Fairness & Inclusion Structure
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
We have nine employee-initiated and led inclusion networks that allow employees to create community around common bonds or similar backgrounds. These ERGs foster a positive work environment and important social connections at work. Many of our ERGs are also active in our local communities; engaging with students, patients, and collaborating with other life science companies and non-profit organizations.
Is Ionis for You?
At Ionis, we have a passion for helping people with serious diseases and driving the science that impacts their future. If you are interested in becoming an “Ion” and joining a work environment that is designed to foster innovation and excellence, visit our Careers page.