For patients
Committed tocorporate sustainability
At Wave Life Sciences, we understand that delivering on our vision requires a focus on our values and corporate sustainability, including environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives with strong focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Human Capital (HC), and Patient and Community Engagement.
Our Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee provides oversight of our corporate sustainability initiatives and strategies. While corporate sustainability sits closely with our Legal and Investor Relations departments, the responsibility and commitment are company-wide.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI): Recognizing the Strengths in our Differences
Our commitment to maintaining a top-performing company means investing in and creating ongoing opportunities for employee development in a diverse and inclusive workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, religion, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), national origin, age, disability or genetics. We believe building and sustaining a diverse workforce and inclusive work environment fosters innovation, inspires us to achieve greater results, increases our collective capabilities, strengthens our culture, and cultivates ongoing opportunities for mentorship.
Wave and its Executive Team are committed to creating and maintaining a diverse, inclusive, equitable, culturally competent and supportive environment for all of our employees and stakeholders. As a company, and through our DEI Steering Group, we remain committed to diversifying our Wave team and achieving equity for all in the workforce.
Women in Global Workforce
Women in Management Positions
- As of December 31, 2021, women made up approximately 52% of our global workforce and approximately 49% of our management positions
Racial Diversity in Global Workforce
Racial Diversity in Management Positions
- As of December 31, 2021, approximately 36% of our global workforce and 30% of our management self-identify as racially diverse (those self-identifying as Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx, Asian, or being of two or more races)
- Our DEI Steering Group is in the process of assembling additional benchmarks for measuring our progress as we continue our work to achieve equity in our workforce
Compensation, Equity and Benefits: Investing in our Employees
“In order to inclusively engage and motivate the full Wave team, we go beyond what is expected and offer innovative and highly impactful benefits, total rewards, and wellbeing strategies, as well as opportunities for growth and mentorship. This enables us to attract, but also retain, a world-class team.”
– Jonathan R., Human Resources
Employees are our most valuable resource, and we aspire to provide them with the support, recognition and opportunities needed to thrive in their functions and our company. This includes a broad-based compensation program to reward our employees for their hard work and commitment. We provide our employees with an ownership interest in our company to increase employee engagement, enhance employee attraction and retention, and position us to be a leader in delivering innovative, transformational therapies for people impacted by genetically defined diseases.
We were also recently named a best-in-class employer, scoring in the top quartile of large and midsize employers who participated in Gallagher’s 2021 Benefits Strategy & Benchmarking Survey.
Our best-in-class benefits include:
- Access to a selection of progressive health insurance packages, with no premiums
- Annual bonuses and long-term incentive equity grants
- Matching 401(k) plan to assist with our employees’ retirement goals
- Open time-off policy to cultivate a healthy work-life balance
- Employee programs focused on personal development, leadership and management development
- Educational assistance to promote employee growth and career development
- Employee assistance program to help employees and their household members confidentially manage everyday life, work challenges, stress, and other personal issues
- Free daily lunches in our cafés that foster a sense of community and encourage employees to spend time together
Employee Wellbeing: Prioritizing the Health and Safety of our Team
Employee wellness is a priority at Wave, as it touches on all aspects of the business. Our commitment to employee wellbeing includes having a robust environmental, health and safety (EH&S) program to ensure compliance with all EH&S laws and regulations. We take a proactive, risk-based approach to prevent workplace injuries and protect the health and safety of our employees and the communities around us. Our team knows their wellbeing is always being considered. Some of our safety measures include:
- Our EH&S management system monitors and tracks the effectiveness of our EH&S programs to ensure compliance and to protect the health and safety of our employees, and all of those who visit our facilities
- Wave’s cross-functional safety committee meets regularly to discuss concerns and ways to improve our EH&S programs
- Our COVID-19 Response Team continuously evaluates guidance from federal and local authorities and has created polices and guidelines to ensure our employees’ health and safety comes first
- We provide our employees with access to mental health, behavioral health, and/or substance abuse services
Patient Advocacy: Catalyzing Meaningful Progress with and for People Affected by Genetically Defined Diseases
Partnering with and understanding the experiences of those living with and affected by genetically defined diseases enhances our ability to discover and develop meaningful potential therapies. Some of our patient engagement activities include:
- Utilizing insights and perspectives from those impacted by genetically defined diseases, as well as the organizations that advocate for them, to educate our workforce and inform our decision-making
- Building awareness and supporting educational and policy efforts, including recognition of and participation in disease-specific awareness initiatives
- Collaborating with advocacy organizations that provide support and critical resources, including employee participation in local events and activities
Community Outreach: Serving as a Partner to our Local Communities
Beyond our responsibilities to our Wave community and to the patient communities we serve, we also believe we have a responsibility as corporate citizens to meaningfully contribute to the local communities in which we work. Partnering with local service organizations provides opportunities for our employees to contribute directly to the community and provides a model for living our values. Through our volunteer work and outreach initiatives, we have learned that we are stronger when we work together as one team with shared purpose. Some of our recent initiatives include:
- Participating in an annual, company-wide service day contributing to equity and inclusivity in the Greater Boston area
- Participating in local food, supply and toy drives throughout the year
- Investing in our youth through partnership with Project Onramp, an organization dedicated to creating internship opportunities in the life sciences for underserved and minority populations within Massachusetts
Environmental Stewardship: Recognizing the Importance of Reducing our Environmental Footprint
“We are working to meet the needs of those with debilitating, life threatening diseases, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
– Mark V., Facilities
We strive to have a positive impact on our environment and community, as a corporation and as individuals. As we continue to expand our operations, we have initiated certain projects to begin tracking our environmental impact, and where feasible, have taken measures to increase our sustainability efforts. Some of our initiatives include:
- Establishing a Green Team to educate and inspire environmentally sustainable habits
- Providing reduce, reuse and recycle initiatives
- Incentivizing green/alternative forms of transportation, including E.V. charging stations at our U.S. facilities
- Facilitating energy efficient projects to lower energy use within our facilities
- Sending over 95% of hazardous waste to an energy conversion center