It's an issue that has seen a lot of press over the years, but that in no way diminishes its importance. And although concerns about diversity in the workplace remain a priority that's here to
stay, communications managers - and their executive-level peers - might be spinning their wheels when it comes to addressing the issue. No definitive measures have been taken yet to define this
rather nebulous concept as it applies to the realm of PR.
A recent PR News/Counselors Academy survey polled nearly 300 PR professionals and determined that diversity is a viable concern in the minds of many executives, with 59 percent of respondents
agreeing that hiring a diverse workforce is a "major issue" in the industry. However, it's not the sweeping majority that perhaps it once was, and Gigi de Mier, partner in Puerto Rico-based agency De
Mier & Sainz de la Maza, suggests that this reality may be the result of diversity's positioning as a "token fill-in-the-blank issue" for many organizations.
"Diversity is a positive thing, but I don't want to be the token Hispanic," she says. "The goal [in hiring] should be having qualified candidates to choose from; any additional qualities they
bring to the table should only be an added bonus. Besides, what does diversity really mean? Race? Ethnicity? It's very confusing."
Even without a universal definition for diversity as it applies to hiring, the survey suggests that it is a priority for the majority of industry representatives, with 56 percent stating that
senior management has specifically made diversity in hiring a core concentration of business goals. In addition, a healthy number of respondents take additional actions in checking the diversity box:
25 percent have an office just for diversity.
Given the amount of resources being funneled into diversity initiatives, it must be a priority to ensure that said resources are focusing on the goals with the most potential impact - and it's a
no-brainer that the businessgoal that packs the biggest punch is a sturdy bottom line. With that in mind, as de Mier suggests, defining diversity is the first step; using it as value-add and not as a
quota system is the second.
"Corporate America first needs to define diversity," she says. "Second, it must buy into the fact that you have to find the best person for the job. If it happens to be someone diverse, the best
part is that they understand certain markets. It's a way to bridge misunderstanding."
Contact:
Gigi de Mier, 787.751.9993, [email protected]
PR News & Counselors Academy Diversity Survey Sept- Oct 06
1. Do you feel diversity in hiring is a major issue within the PR industry today?
Yes 59%
No 41%
2. Do you feel that your company can be defined as a diverse workforce?
Yes 70%
No 30%
3. Has your senior management specifically made diversity in hiring a core concentration of your business goals?
Yes 56%
No 43%
No Response <1%
4. Does your company have a separate office relating solely to diversity?
No 74%
Yes 25%
No Response <1%
5. Does your company actively recruit new employees through job fairs designed to encourage diversity in the workforce?
No 56%
Yes 42%
No Response <1%
6. For your PR endeavors, does your office actively reach out to media outlets serving minority and/or ethnic audiences?
Yes 73%
No 26%
No Response <1%
7. For your PR endeavors, has your office translated press materials into other languages for distribution to minority and/or ethnic media outlets?
Yes 58%
No 41%
No Response <1%
8. Do you think diversity should be ?driven by the client-side and agencies/companies pressured to become ?more diverse?
No 56%
Yes 42%
No Response 2%
9. Will your agency/department be more diverse in 18 months than it is today?
No 49%
Yes 48%
No Response 2%