RECOGNIZING 109 ORGANIZATIONS FOR 
                                                  BEST PRACTICES IN DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

 NEW YORK, NY, July 30, 2019—Diversity Best Practices, a division of Working Mother Media, unveiled its third annual Inclusion Index. This index helps organizations understand gaps in demographic representation, and creates a road map to drive internal change and solutions through proven best practices. Organizations provided data and were measured in three key areas: best practices in the recruitment, retention and advancement of people from underrepresented groups (women, racial/ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and LGBTQ people); company culture including leadership accountability; and transparency and improvement in year-to-year demographic diversity.

Fourteen organizations are being recognized for the highest level of achievement, earning a score of at least 82 percent and qualifying as a Top 10 Percent Inclusion Index Company, a new category added this year.

The Top 10 Percent: Accenture, Baxter Healthcare, Boston Scientific, Ecolab, Ernst & Young LLP, General Motors, Intel, IBM, JLL, Johnson & Johnson, L’Oreal USA, Merck, Sodexo and Verizon. A full list of the Inclusion Index organizations can be found here.

This year, 148 organizations participated in the Diversity Best Practices Inclusion Index—a 17 percent year-over-year increase. Results reveal opportunities for all organizations to target their diversity and inclusion efforts for greater effectiveness.

An index, unlike a list, does not have a set number of organizations to recognize. Instead, a threshold percentage is set, at which point any participant with that percentage or better qualifies for the index. Eighty of those listed on the Inclusion Index achieved at least 60 percent of the available points. Fifteen organizations earned scores of at least 75 percent to qualify as a Leading Inclusion Index Company, another threshold level to recognize performance. Completed applications were collected online from December 2018 through March 2019.

“The Inclusion Index continues to grow as more and more organizations are willing to be transparent about their progress and workforce demographics,” says Deborah Munster, vice president of Diversity Best Practices. “We applaud their D&I efforts, and will continue to set a high bar in order to drive change and accountability.”

Key findings from the 2019 Diversity Best Practices Inclusion Index are:
 
●      Recruitment: While 100 percent of the top 10 percent require diverse interview slates, requiring diverse panels of interviewers remains less common at 71 percent (compared with 43 percent of all participants). Ninety-three percent of the top 10 percent and Leading Inclusion Index organizations train recruiters to ask culturally competent questions of diverse applications (compared with 86 percent of all participants). 
●      Advancement: Of the top 10 percent organizations, 93 percent have executive succession planning aimed specifically at women, racial/ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, veterans, and LGBTQ people (compared with 79 percent of Leading Inclusion Index organizations and 61 percent of all participants).
●      Company Culture: One-hundred percent of the top 10 percent organizations hold managers accountable for diversity and inclusion (compared with 97 percent of Leading Inclusion Index companies and 75 percent of all participants). Sixty-four percent of the top 10 percent organizations compensate managers for diversity-and-inclusion results (compared with 55 percent of Leading Inclusion Index companies and 35 percent of all participants).

The Inclusion Index Data Snapshot featuring highlights from the report can be found here. 
 
ABOUT DIVERSITY BEST PRACTICES
Diversity Best Practices, a division of Working Mother Media, is the preeminent
organization for diversity thought leaders to share best practices and develop innovative solutions for culture change. Through research, benchmarking, publications and events, DBP offers members information and strategies on how to implement, grow, measure and create first-in-class diversity programs.

Press Contact :

Stefanie McNamara | Director, Communications | SAVEUR | Working Mother2 Park Avenue | New York, NY | 10016Stefanie.McNamara@bonniercorp.com | 212.779.5119 | 516.729.9401 | @smac315