Abdi Wege: Building Connections Onsite and Beyond

February 14, 2024 | 3 min read

For Abdi Wege, seeing his parents taking care of kids who weren’t their children was a caring act that stuck with him. Wege grew up with a lot of aunts and cousins in a tight-knit community in Ethiopia where everyone shared meals and daily life together.

“We were taught to always look out for our cousins, neighbors and friends,” he says. “I learned how to be inclusive, welcome people and accept people for who they are.”

As a young adult, Wege moved to the United States. He arrived alone as an 18-year-old knowing no English. Through grit, hard work and an unwavering determination to succeed, he completed university. He took a strong interest in leadership and mentorship as an undergraduate student and has never looked back. In the years since, his commitment to advance Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) has never wavered.

Wege joined Merck in 2018. During the first four years in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, he managed a team of about 50 distribution associates and helped make sure everything moved smoothly on the operations floor. Along with his daily tasks and duties, he supported DE&I initiatives within his team and at the site.

Recently, he moved into a new position as the site engagement project manager. In this role, he builds a positive culture onsite and represents Merck in the surrounding community. He visits local high schools, colleges and universities where he mentors students and hosts events to inspire students and introduce them to careers at Merck.

For him, making people feel comfortable at work is a top priority. “My goal is to make people feel like they're coming to a place where they belong and where they’re part of something,” says Wege. For him, the decision to shift career focus to inclusion was easy. He believes promoting inclusion is critical and sees the tremendous value it brings to the business. The more people feel like they’re part of something, the more likely they will feel inspired and work hard as a team.

He brings that mentality to his work onsite and during outreach efforts with surrounding communities. As part of his engagement work with community members, he often talks about his personal journey at Merck with high school students and other groups.

Joining the Black Leadership Network (BLN), one of Merck’s Employee Resource Groups, was a natural step given his commitment to DE&I efforts, and he quickly got involved. He served as a champion for essential employees and eventually transitioned to a co-leader for the LN in mid-2022 and now works closely with Chevon Adams. The pair, along with other co-leaders and members, regularly bring together Black employees and allies to learn, develop and network together. Over the years he has led numerous events — both onsite in Milwaukee and virtual events available to employees across Merck.

Year-round, BLN members also engage with their local communities through service projects, special events and programs. During Black History Month this year, the BLN is hosting several employee events, including featured external speakers, a development opportunity and, at some sites, food offerings that celebrate African American food culture.

For Wege, the sign of a successful event is when people ask questions and continue talking about it after it concludes. The energizing feeling after an excellent speaker or conversation keeps him motivated. He knows that attendance numbers are important in gauging event impact, but relishes individual moments with attendees. “If one person comes up to me and says, ‘That changed my life,’ how beautiful is that?”

Uplifting Diverse Voices

At Merck, we foster a culture where employees can bring their true selves to work. We are committed to promoting a strong sense of inclusion among our employees. Therefore, we approach Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) with the same purpose as our other global business objectives and aspirations. While we have always been a diverse organization – we currently span 66 countries and have over 64,000 employees from 139 nationalities – we recognize that our success depends on our ability to foster an environment that champions equity and inclusion.

One important way that Merck supports employees from diverse backgrounds and identities is through Employee Resource Groups. These groups connect employees with others who share similar backgrounds and beliefs and/or support their communities.

We work to showcase employees across our company, providing a space for them to share their perspectives and personal stories.

Learn more about our commitment to DE&I.