McKinsey & Company recently released its 2018 “Delivering through Diversity” global diversity report. Their research reinforces the link between diversity and company financial performance — and provides best practices for organizations to activate inclusion strategies for business growth.

McKinsey’s data tells us companies with the most ethnically diverse executive teams are 33 percent more likely to outperform their peers on profitability. And yet, progress remains slow.

In the public relations industry, which Beehive benchmarks against, awareness around diversity issues is increasing, but the numbers aren’t yet. A PR Council Diversity Census published this month paints a very clear picture of the employee demographics of its member agencies, which is just 17% racially and ethnically diverse.

Beehive Is Taking Action.

Equality is a key value at Beehive. Our culture is grounded in respect and appreciation for each person’s unique perspective, strengths and abilities. And we are putting these values into action.

Learning. Last month, Beehive hosted a fearless workshop about the power of words in our workplaces, facilitated by The BrandLab. We dove into the difference between intent and impact and learned more about microaggressions and how they affect marginalized communities.

The BrandLab gave us tools for recognizing and correcting our own biases through self-reflection, checking in with others, apologizing and committing to change. They also helped us better understand how to be a fearless ally when we see unaddressed biases in the workplace through the steps below. We each left the workshop with a fearless commitment to addressing and reducing unintentional workplace bias.

  • P.A.U.S.E.
    • Pay attention to your own emotions and interpretations
    • Assess the actual behaviors and patterns occurring
    • Understand other possible interpretations
    • Search for the most empowering strategy
    • Execute your action plan
  • Share your observations with the person you see displaying the behavior
  • Relate it to your personal experience
  • Explore how the affected person may experience the behavior
  • Discuss the intentions behind the behavior and action steps
  • Express appreciation for the conversation and invite feedback from the other person

Pledging Support. Diversity and inclusion is a priority for the PR Council and its member agencies. The Council and member agencies – Beehive included – just this month pledged to increase efforts in building and promoting greater diversity and inclusion in our industry, signing the PR Council’s Diversity & Inclusion Action Pledge. The Council is committed to creating resources, providing tools and holding informative seminars to foster productive and inclusive conversations around these issues. With this pledge, they are encouraging agencies to learn from each other and work together.

Evaluating Hiring & Recruiting Practices. Beehive will strive to recruit and retain diverse talent within our organization and is actively reviewing our recruiting and interviewing processes for unintentional biases. We are also committed to proactively engaging with outside organizations and programs, including higher education institutions, affinity groups and professional organizations to foster diverse talent.

Diversity and inclusion are critical to strong partnerships, better businesses and a better world. We are still learning, but we are committed to taking action and making change. How will you join us?

purpose, mission, values alignment


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