Which companies best create an ambiance of inclusiveness, where blacks feels comfortable and confident of their chances of upward mobility?
According to DiversityInc.com, the following companies make the Top 10 list after an examination of several factors that create an “inclusive culture” including: mentoring; employee-resource groups, diversity training and communication. The publication then analyzed the actual demographic makeup of the 449 companies in the 2010 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list.
The publication states each of the companies share the following four major characteristics:
-
They average 20 percent blacks in the workforce, compared with 14 percent nationally (EEOC).
-
Black women comprise 23 percent of their workforces, compared with 8 percent nationally (EEOC).
-
Black women are 16.5 percent of their managers, compared with 3 percent nationally (EEOC).
They average 8.2 percent of their tier I (direct contractor) spend with minority business enterprises (MBEs), compared with a 4.3 percent average for the DiversityInc Top 50 and 2 percent nationally (industry estimates).
Here are the 10 companies and a brief explanation as to why they were the 10 best companies for blacks to work at, according to DiversityInc:
No. 1: Marriott International
CEO and chairman Bill Marriott meets regularly with employee-resource groups, which are very strong at this company, including its group for black employees. Marriott also has mandatory diversity training for its entire workforce.
No. 2: AT&T
With strong talent-development efforts throughout the company, AT&T notes that black women are 19 percent of all managers and received 16 percent of all promotions into management.
No. 3: Sodexo
Forty-one percent of managers participate in mentoring programs at this company, which is the best at measuring the success of its diversity initiatives. The results show in its representation, especially at the crucial level of direct reports to the CEO’s direct reports, where blacks are 11 percent of the total and black women are 18 percent of all women at that level.
No. 4: Northrup Grumman
The defense contractor has devoted a great deal of effort to connecting with multicultural communities, especially the black community, with 51 percent of its philanthropic endeavors allocated to multicultural nonprofits.
No. 5: Altria
The company has made a concerted effort to recruit, retain and promote blacks. Almost 20 percent of its workforce is black and 22 percent of promotions to women in management went to black women.
No. 6: McDonald’s
Also a strong company for supplier diversity, McDonald’s states that 15.4 percent of its managers are black.
No. 7: Verizon Communications
With very strong results for blacks in almost all demographic areas, Verizon notes that blacks are 23.7 percent of new hires and 19.2 percent of all managers.
No. 8: Southern Company
Also one of DiversityInc’s 25 Noteworthy Companies
In its first time on the list, the utility company has 35 percent of its managers in its strong mentoring program and communicates its commitment to black employees and customers clearly on its Web site and via internal messaging.
No. 9: InterContinental Hotels Group
Also one of DiversityInc’s 25 Noteworthy Companies
With blacks representing 21.5 percent of the workforce and 22 percent of new hires, InterContinental shows an effort at increasing emphasis on talent development.
No. 10: Target
Target has mandatory diversity training for its entire workforce and strong outreach to the black community in terms of marketing and philanthropy.
–terry shropshire
