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.
While our Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee provides oversight of our corporate sustainability initiatives and strategies, 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 employees in our diverse and inclusive workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, 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, and strengthens our culture.
Wave and its Executive Team are committed to creating and maintaining a diverse, inclusive, equitable, culturally competent, and supportive environment for all 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. Our DEI Steering Group defined our DEI Vision: At Wave we celebrate diversity and the power of unique perspectives. Together, we are building an inclusive and empowered culture where everyone is valued, able to thrive and feels a sense of belonging. By embracing our differences, we inspire each other, spark innovation, and drive meaningful impact for our patients, their families, and the communities that we serve.
- As of December 31, 2022, women made up approximately 53% of our global workforce and approximately 48% of senior management (defined as vice president level and above)
Women in Global Workforce
Women in Management Positions
- As of December 31, 2022, approximately 36% of our global workforce and 22% of our senior 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)
Racial Diversity in Global Workforce
Racial Diversity in Management Positions
Some of our DEI initiatives include:
- In 2023, we launched our first two DEI-related Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), including the Women+ of Wave ERG that provides a sense of community and development opportunities for employees that identify as women and their allies, and our Black Employee Network ERG that aims to create a supportive and empowering space for our Black employees and their allies.
- We have a supplier diversity program that allows us to effectively meet the needs of our organization while expanding our pool of suppliers to create more competitive business opportunities, strengthening our commitment to our DEI vision, and ultimately creating positive social impact by generating economic opportunities for those in our community who may be under-represented.
- We partner with Project Onramp, which is an organization that is working to bridge the opportunity gap for Massachusetts college students in underserved and minority communities. Through this partnership, we provide students with summer internships.
Compensation, Equity and Benefits: Investing in our Employees
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 serious diseases.
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. We believe that the overall well-being of our employees and ensuring that their basic health and wellness needs are met is fundamental for us to achieve success as a company. Our commitment to employee well-being includes having a robust environmental, health and safety (EH&S) program to ensure compliance with all EH&S laws and regulations. We foster a culture that strives to embed safety into all aspects of our operations and take a proactive, risk-based approach to prevent workplace injuries and protect the health and safety of our employees and the communities around us. Some of our well-being and 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
- We provide our employees with access to mental health, behavioral health, and/or substance abuse services; we also offer an Employee Assistance Program as a cost-free benefit
Patient Advocacy: Catalyzing Meaningful Progress with and for People Battling Devastating Diseases
Partnering with and understanding the experiences of those living with and affected by serious diseases, including families and caregivers, connects us more deeply to our mission and enhances our ability to discover and develop potential therapies. Some of our patient engagement activities include:
- Utilizing insights and perspectives from those impacted by serious 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, including educational and volunteer events
- Composting at our Lexington facility
- 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