Social Accountability

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Social Accountability: All Are Welcome Here

DE&I efforts must be a way of life and a way of work, ingrained in our culture as individuals and as a company, so we take proactive steps to ensure the people — at all levels — who create our culture and influence our business have the resources to make DE&I a priority and a habit.

We believe in, support and defend the inalienable rights of individuals to participate freely in democracy, to live without fear as their true and whole selves, and to be afforded equitable, just and fair opportunities to exercise and experience their freedoms as human beings.

Every day, CARS team members contribute their perspectives and insights to four Employee Resource Groups, foster understanding and growth through mentorship programs, and become smarter, more empathetic professionals by participating in learning and development programs, such as our quarterly unconscious bias training and events focused on highlighting the LGBTQIA+ community, International Women’s Day and Black History Month.

CARS is powered by a commitment to recruit, retain and develop diverse, smart, dedicated professionals who provide unique points of view and contribute to high-functioning teams. Intentional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives and robust professional development programs help us live this commitment every day, and it starts at the top.

Put into practice, these metrics have driven changes to talent acquisition processes that further encourage diverse hiring. We have:

  • Increased career development and training opportunities by 25%, including the introduction of a quarterly unconscious bias training.
  • More than 40% of our employees engaged in some form of additional voluntary learning outside of annual compliance training requirements; CARS offers individual instruction and certifications across thousands of topics and interests, all designed to expand skills and knowledge and advance careers.
  • Conducted anonymous, company-wide surveys twice per year to gauge employee satisfaction and engagement, and to seek ways to continually improve the culture of the company. Participation consistently exceeds 80%, and the insights are shared with the executive management team and the Board of Directors to help identify areas for organizational improvement.

We have also implemented top-down diversity initiatives, taking Board-level action in the areas that matter most, including adding ESG oversight by the Environmental, Social and Governance Committee and establishing five key DE&I metrics linked to executive compensation:

  • Diversity in talent acquisition
  • Retention of diverse employees
  • Pay equity
  • Learning and development
  • Succession planning

As of Dec. 31, 2020, CARS had approximately 1,500 full-time employees. In total, 46.3% of our employees identify as female and 22.7% identify as having a racial and ethnic background other than white.

Our CARS executive management team consists of 10 members, and 30% identify as female, 30% identify as having a racial and ethnic background other than white and 30% self identify as LGBTQIA+. In addition, our Board of Directors consists of 11 members, three members (27%) who identify as female and three members (27%) as having a racial and ethnic background other than white.

CARS understands diversity, equity and inclusion is a journey, and while we are proud of the milestones we’ve reached, we know there’s more road to travel.

 

Political Advocacy Statement

Cars.com Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively, “CARS”) are committed to transparently sharing our advocacy efforts and our participation in policy. We engage in activities that are (i) significant to our dealer customers to help protect their business efforts and enable them to help car buyers, (ii) meaningful to consumers in enabling them to shop for and buy cars in efficient and informed fashion, and (iii) respectful of the environment by promoting electric vehicles and other emission-reducing technologies. Our Chief Legal Officer and our Chief Communication Officer, both of whom report to the Chief Executive Officer, are responsible for the management of our advocacy process and efforts, which are ultimately subject to the oversight of the Environmental, Social and Governance Committee of our Board of Directors. This disclosure describes how CARS participates in political advocacy and also identifies the ways in which CARS does not engage in the political environment.

Direct Advocacy

CARS engages with government officials and policy makers at the federal, state, and local levels on policies that affect us and the automotive industry generally. In general, CARS works with outside counsel to support our engagement with government officials and policy makers, and CARS personnel occasionally meet directly with government officials and policy makers.

Federal, state, and local lobbying regulations may require entities and individuals who engage in public policy advocacy to register and disclose relevant activities and expenditures. Some procurement lobbying efforts also require registration and disclosure, CARS complies with all of these regulations. Federal disclosure reports for CARS and its consultants are available in the United States Senate lobbying disclosure database.

Indirect Advocacy & Trade Associations

CARS belongs to, and supports the activities of, trade associations and organizations at the local, state, and national level that are focused on issues affecting us and our industry. We believe our engagement with these associations is worthwhile because these organizations work to advance our goal of creating a strong voice for our dealer customers, help to foster minority participation in the automotive industry, and can promote electric vehicle adoption in ways that are consistent with the dealer model. The associations include the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers, the National Automobile Dealers Association, and the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association. Although CARS belongs to trade associations, we do not participate in any of the trade associations’ political contribution activities.

Political Contributions

Further, CARS does not make any political contributions to individual candidates or parties, and we do not have a political action committee (PAC). Additionally, we do not make contributions for ballot measures and initiatives.