Measuring Diversity

by Liz O’Donnell (Boston)

DiversityInc., the magazine dedicated to educating businesses on the benefits of a diverse workplace, this month announced The Diversity Inc Top 50 Companies for Diversity® list. The list, now in its ninth year, recognizes the winners of a competition which measures an organization’s commitment to diversity based on four criteria: CEO Commitment, Human Capital, Supplier Diversity and Corporate and Organizational Communications.

Companies and organizations with more than 1,000 employees are eligible for the award as long as they offer health benefits to same-sex partners of employees. In order to qualify, they must complete a detailed, analytic survey of more than 200 questions. The survey attempts, not just to track metrics, but to draw an accurate picture of a company’s culture. This year’s list is representative of 19 different industries from consumer packaged goods companies to industrial businesses.

Topping the list are the following companies:

1. Johnson & Johnson
2. AT&T
3. Ernst & Young
4. Marriott International
5. PricewaterhouseCoopers
6. Sodexo
7. Kaiser Permanente
8. Merck & Co.
9. The Coca-Cola Co.
10. IBM
11. Procter & Gamble
12. Verizon Communications
13. American Express Co.
14. Bank of America
15. JPMorgan Chase

The complete list can be found here.

DiversityInc. CEO, Luke Visconti, was pleased with this year’s results. “The results reflect substantial movement,” he said.

His organization defines diversity as race/culture, gender, orientation, disability and age and believes that diversity management can be defined and judged in absolute metrics, including human-capital statistics.

As such, CEO Commitment is the most heavily weighted area in the survey. Survey questions examine the CEO’s personal involvement in diversity, how she/he holds executives accountable for diversity success and board-of-director demographics. Human Capital looks at the race, ethnicity, gender and age of the workforce, new hires and management. Supplier Diversity looks at percent of procurement budgets spent with suppliers owned by Blacks,Latinos, Asians, American Indians, women, LGBT people and people with disabilities. Finally, the Corporate and Organizational Communications category examines the amount of employee-resource groups, mentoring and employee surveys, and such external factors as philanthropic contributions, multicultural marketing and web-site communication of diversity branding.

Tracy Lee, an employee with Verizon, says she has seen her organization change in the more than 25 years she’s worked there. “When I started back in 1983 it was basically all white and mostly male,” she says. Today, Lee belongs to both a women’s association and a gay association of Verizon employees.

Her colleague, Michelle Silva, says Verizon’s commitment to diversity is apparent throughout the organization. “Attending diversity training is a yearly objective for my organization,” she says. “I participate in a Verizon group designed specifically for women, but open to all. The association provides the guidance necessary to enable employee growth through individual development and promotes diversity in recruitment that fosters a positive work environment. The purpose of the association is to support Verizon’s leadership in developing and advancing women in a manner that benefits all employees.

“I think the company’s diversity program does help,” says Silva. “There seems to be more women and minorities in leadership positions. I think it helps to attract qualified people and fosters a better working environment for all.”