What's a DiversityInc Noteworthy company? It's a company we have determined is close to earning a spot on The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity® list and demonstrates increasing strength in the four areas we measure: CEO Commitment, Human Capital, Corporate and Organizational Communications, and Supplier Diversity.
The same criteria used to determine the DiversityInc Top 50 list is used to determine this list—and for both lists, companies that fail to offer domestic-partner health benefits to employees in same-sex relationships are disqualified.
These companies are not necessarily numbers 51 to 75, although many of them would fall into that category. They all show great promise as diversity leaders and deserve recognition. To that end, we are listing them here in alphabetical order, not in numerical ranking.
Of the companies on DiversityInc's 25 Noteworthy Companies list last year, five earned spots on the DiversityInc Top 50 this year.
Here are DiversityInc's 25 Noteworthy Companies, in alphabetical order, and a reason why each was chosen:
Automatic Data Processing
President and CEO Gary C. Butler personally signs off on executive compensation tied to diversity. He also chairs and appoints members to the diversity council.
The company offers a slew of work/life programs, including tuition assistance, a scholarship program for associates' children, on-ramping and off-ramping, Associate Real Estate Assistance Program, Matching Gift Program & Workplace Giving Campaign, onsite banking (ADP Federal Credit Union), a mobile beauty salon, shoe shiners, free video conferencing to far-away family during the holidays, a mobile post office, onsite passport renewal, onsite DVD rentals, a mobile vision center, wellness/quiet rooms or new-mothers rooms, film processing, a personal travel service, subsidized lunch on a daily basis and a personal concierge service.
BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina
While women dominate the work force of this industry, 66 percent of BCBSNC's total management employees are women, and women received 76 percent of the promotions into management.
BCBSNC has exceptional Tier II (subcontractor) supplier diversity, with 26 percent of total procurement going to minority-owned businesses, 50 percent to women-owned businesses and 21 percent to vendors owned by people with disabilities.
Brigham & Women's Hospital
Thirty-eight percent of the company's work force is Black, Asian, Latino and American Indian. Recruitment is critical to the hospital; 43 percent of new hires are Black, Asian, Latino and American Indian.
Bright Horizons Family Solutions
Commitment to diversity starts at the top, and Bright Horizons' CEO David Lissy leads the way by chairing and appointing members to the diversity council, meeting regularly with employee-resource groups, personally reviewing and signing off on diversity metrics and progress, including supplier diversity, and ensuring the corporate vision statement incorporates diversity. Bright Horizons actively recruits LGBT people, funding a Gay Lesbian Bi-Sexual Transgender Affinity Group, and reaching out to the LGBT community via its corporate web site.
Burger King Corp.
Burger King has mandatory diversity training for its entire work force called "Inclusion Training at BKC -- A Kingdom of Opportunities." It is held for a full day. Metrics used to assess its success include employee-survey responses, individual employee-development plans, and individual progress set against yearly goals. The company has a deep commitment to community philanthropy, including donations to the Cuban American National Council, the Gay & Lesbian Task Force, the National Urban League and the Committee of 100. In addition, Burger King spends 7.4 percent of Tier I (direct contractor) procurement with minority-owned suppliers.
Chrysler
Chairman and CEO Robert L. Nardelli is a strong advocate of diversity. He personally chairs and meets with the diversity council every month, meets regularly with employee-resource groups and personally signs off on goals and achievements for supplier diversity. Of his eight direct reports, two are women.
Cisco Systems
Also No. 3 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities; No. 4 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Global Diversity Companies; and No. 9 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for LGBT Employees
Seventeen percent of Cisco's employees participate in its 12 employee-resource groups. These groups include the Service Member, Veterans and Family Support Group and the Legacy Leaders (late-in-career) group, and they are used for marketing and recruiting purposes.
Citi
The company's board of directors is 20 percent Black, 7 percent Asian and 13 percent Latino. The company has 39 employee-resource groups spread across the nation. Its groups, ranging from Citi African Heritage to Citi Pride to Citi Working Parents, operate in many of the company's metropolitan offices. All groups are chaired by an executive member and are used for marketing and recruiting purposes.
Darden Restaurants
Darden Restaurants is one of the few companies in the DiversityInc Top 50 or specialty lists with a Black CEO. Chairman and CEO Clarence Otis Jr. personally signs off on executive compensation tied to diversity and meets regularly with the company's employee-resource groups. The company's board of directors is 25 percent Black and 8 percent Latino.
Dell
Dell has an internal diversity council, headed by chairman and CEO Michael Dell.
Eastman Kodak Co.
While undergoing difficult economic times, Eastman Kodak Co. has maintained its longstanding commitment to diversity. Led by Chairman and CEO Antonio Perez, the company continues to push to make its work force as inclusive and culturally competent as possible. Perez ties 10 percent of his senior executives' bonuses to diversity results and also chairs the internal diversity council. The 12-member board of directors has two Blacks, three Latinos and two women. The company also has an external diversity council, which has been chaired by Eric Holder, now U.S. attorney general.
Fannie Mae
Fannie Mae has 11 employee-resource groups, including one for LGBTs and one for employees based on age. Twenty-five percent of the work force, including senior executives, participates in the employee-resource groups, which are funded by the company and used to augment marketing and recruitment efforts. Fannie Mae spends 12 percent of its total procurement with women- and minority-owned entrepreneurs and requires both Tier I and Tier II supplier diversity.
General Motors Corp.
Employee-resource groups are a staple at General Motors. The company has 10 of them, which it calls affinity groups. Six are dedicated to race and ethnicity (African Ancestry, Asian Indian, Chinese, Hispanic, Mid-East/South-East Asian and Native American). The others are LGBT, People with Disabilities, Veterans and Women's groups. General Motors also has company-sanctioned employee-resource groups in its foreign offices. The company gets employee feedback by conducting mandatory employee surveys on diversity, ranging from focus groups to scheduled management-employee interviews.
HP
Also No. 10 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Asian Americans
Sixty-five percent of HP's operations are outside of the United States, and the company's commitment to diversity permeates to its foreign offices. HP has company-sanctioned employee groups in its foreign offices, and diversity training is mandatory as well. HP also refuses to do business in countries that don't have the same human-rights values as the company and works to change laws in countries perceived as oppressive.
Hyatt Corp.
Hyatt has strong work-force and management diversity. Sixty-four percent of its total work force is Black, Asian, Latino and American Indian. Forty-nine percent of its management is Black, Asian, Latino and American Indian.
Hyatt Corp. spends 27 percent of its total Tier I (direct contractor) procurement with minority- and women-owned suppliers and communicates supplier-diversity initiatives to all employees.
JCPenney
Also No. 9 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Executive Women and No. 3 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Latinos
Chairman and CEO Myron E. (Mike) Ullman III's personal commitment to diversity is clear, including his service on the board of Mercy Ships, a global charity that brings hospital ships to low-income people. Sixty-two percent of JCPenney's philanthropic endeavors were directed toward multicultural groups, including the Human Rights Campaign, National Urban League, National Council of La Raza and OCA (Organization of Chinese Americans).
The board of directors reflects the commitment to diversity. Of 12 board members, one is Black, one is American Indian, one is Latino and three are women. The company's work force is increasingly inclusive as its employee-resource groups develop, and it continues to have strong diversity training.
Kellogg Co.
Kellogg has 10 strong employee-resource groups, which include a young-professionals group, a multinational group and three women's groups. Kellogg also has a strong mentoring program, with 63 percent of managers participating.
The company has vigorous diversity training, sometimes lasting as long as five days. Training is customized for various groups.
Kraft Foods
The company has 10 employee-resource groups, which it calls employee councils. The councils are: African American Council; African American in Operations Council; Black Sales Council; Hispanic Employee Council; Kraft Rainbow Council, its LGBT council; Supply Chain Women; Women's Sales Council; Asian American Employee Council; Latin American Women's Council; and the new Hispanic/Asian Sales Council, which merges two specific groups. These groups are fully funded and are used for marketing and recruitment purposes.
More than half of Kraft's senior management (CEO and direct reports) are women. The company also has unbiased retention (meaning retention is equal across race and gender) in its total work force and in management.
Macy's
The company offers a range of diversity-training courses and programs that are mandatory for all employees and are offered every month. It uses metrics such as Employee Opinion Survey, EEOC Complaints, Tell Us What You Think Customer Feedback, Division Diversity Scorecard and Recruitment statistics of students and interns from traditionally underrepresented groups to assess the success of its diversity training.
Microsoft Corp.
Microsoft has 44 employee-resource groups, with 25 percent of its 58,000-person work force participating in groups such as Attention Deficit Disorder at Microsoft, Dads@Microsoft, Military Reservists at Microsoft, Visually Impaired Persons at Microsoft, or MS Adoption. Microsoft funds these groups, allows them to meet during the workday, has senior-executive membership, and uses the groups to augment with marketing and recruiting.
Rockwell Collins
Rockwell Collins' Chairman, President and CEO Clayton M. Jones personally signs off on executive compensation tied to diversity, chairs and appoints members to the diversity council, meets regularly with employee-resource groups, and personally signs off on goals and achievements for supplier diversity. Fifty-six percent of the company's managers participate in its mentoring program. Mentoring pairs have measurable goals and there is formal follow-up.
Sprint
Sprint has strong mentoring and work/life programs. The mentoring program has 25 percent management participation, measureable goals for mentoring pairs, training for mentors and formal follow-up. The work/life programs include telecommuting and flexible hours, adoption assistance, dependent-care benefits, and other programs such as homeownership assistance, employee-assistance programs and legal- and financial-assistance programs.
Target
Also No. 5 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Recruitment & Retention and No. 2 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for African Americans
Target's 11-member board of directors includes two Black members, two Latino members and three women members. The company's work force reflects its customer base; it is 42 Black, Latino, Asian and American Indian.
The company has very strong mentoring programs, with 90 percent of managers participating. The company also has excellent work/life benefits, including dependent-care flexible-spending accounts; discounts with nationwide childcare providers; group legal services; an employee-assistance program; onsite government services; a pharmacy/clinic; credit union; dry cleaning; photo service; post office; discount on cell-phone services; financial assistance for education; financial-service partnerships; and metro transit discounts.
Target also has mandatory employee surveys that include diversity. In addition, the company gets a perfect score for the way it communicates its diversity branding on its corporate web site.
Time Warner
Thirty-four percent of the company's work force is Black, Asian, Latino and American Indian. Thirty-one percent of the company's top 10 percent highest-paid employees are Black, Asian, Latino and American Indian, and 38 percent are women. The company also has unbiased retention, meaning retention is equal across race and gender, in its work force and management.
Wyndham Worldwide Corp.
Wyndham provides a strong environment for women, who comprise 56 percent of its total work force, 47 percent of total management, 29 percent of direct reports to the CEO and 37 percent of the 10 percent highest-paid employees.
There is a strong employee-resource group for women, which meets during the workday, has senior-executive membership and helps Wyndham with recruiting and marketing.
