There's one at nearly every PR-related conference: a session devoted to how crucial it is that the profession build a more diverse workforce if it wants to be able to respond
to dramatic and ongoing changes in the nation's complexion. What's more, there is a growing number of PR forums that strictly focus on diversity alone.
No doubt the conversation in PR circles about the challenges of diversity is expanding. But for all the chatter, the advice seems to be falling on deaf ears.
A 2004-2005 study of Black and Hispanic PR professionals in the U.S being released this week reveals significant dissatisfaction with the PR profession's commitment to
diversity; perceived pervasive discrimination; and widespread concern that multicultural practitioners are relegated to a slow professional track.
The online survey, which will be discussed at a press conference tomorrow (June 9) at the CUNY Graduate Center in midtown Manhattan, polled members of several
multicultural PR organizations, including the National Black Public Relations Society and its New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Atlanta chapters; Hispanic Public
Relations Society Miami Chapter; and the Public Relations Society of America's multicultural members. The findings are based on 132 completed surveys roughly reflecting
a 10% response rate. (PR News received an advanced copy of the report.)
The survey, paid for by RF Binder Public Relations and conducted in October 2004 and January 2005, paints a less than flattering portrait of the profession's
efforts to enhance diversity. While about 57% of respondents describe the industry as somewhat successful in retaining diverse practitioners, 36% said that management is not
committed to their success.
"There are a significant number of [minority] pros out there who just don't know about PR as a career option and the profession has done a poor job of telling people that PR
is not just a job but a destination," says Rochelle Ford, assistant professor of Advertising and PR at Howard University in Washington, D.C., who conducted the study. "The
profession can no longer just talk about diversity. We're not going to be able to say we're effective strategic counselors to management if we don't have people who can do
outreach to subsets of groups that are increasingly important to corporate America. PR can't say, 'Diversity is something for human resources.' If the profession doesn't start
taking diversity seriously, it will become less relevant."
One scenario if the profession continues to give diversity short shrift: multicultural practitioners will vote with their feet and decide to join affinity groups: "They'll
say, 'Why should I shell out this money?'" Ford says. "Dues at the larger PR organizations are sometimes an impediment, and they have to do a better job at inclusion."
Adds Lynn Appelbaum, Associate Professor, Chair, Department of Media & Communications Arts at The City College of New York, who conducted the study along with
Ford: "Management wants to have a number of different perspectives at the table, and if the profession doesn't start to do things differently, it's just going to be the same old
same old."
If the stats uncovered by the study are any indication, concrete changes will be hard to come by unless PR pros in the majority start to change their behavior. According to
the survey, 45% of respondents felt they had experienced "overt" discrimination by their employers and colleagues while 53% felt they had experienced "subtle" discrimination.
"When you look at the work-related racism stats, in 2005 we should be beyond that," says Vickee Adams, senior VP and director of the U.S. media communications practice for
Hill & Knowlton (New York City), citing the survey as a "wake-up" call for diversity training/consulting to become integral to the professional development of PR.
"There hasn't been much done in terms of better recruitment and intern programs. There's been some sporadic development, but in terms of statistically making a difference we have
a ways to go."
Maria Russell, Professor of PR and Director of Executive Programs in Public Relations at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, says part of the problem is
that PR "is not a very philanthropic profession." She adds: "It needs to put up some real money for education, mentoring and internships. Unless there's some long-term
investment, the gaps in diversity are going to get larger and larger."
Still, the profession is starting to take steps, albeit small ones, to address the problems associated with diversity in PR, or lack thereof. The online survey comes on the
heels of a White Paper on Diversity released earlier last month by the Public Relations Coalition, a partnership of 23 PR organizations representing more than 50,000
members. Titled "It's Time To Do The Right Thing," the document was generated from a PR Coalition Summit last winter in which the challenges of diversity were debated (see PR
News, Feb 2; Feb. 9).
While the consensus at the summit was that diversity is simply smart business, many companies are still hamstrung at changing the status quo.
To wit: A PR Coalition study of 362 constituents, conducted in October 2004, found that 68% of organizations do not have a formal process in place to administer diversity and
only 15% say it is a "top management" priority; 40% of the companies have no programs to implement diversity and 90% of respondents believe diversity recruitment could be made
more effective.
Contacts:Vickee Adams, 212.885.0355, [email protected]; Lynn Appelbaum, 212.650.6561, [email protected]; Rochelle Ford, 202.550.7218, [email protected]; Maria Russell,
315.443.3368, [email protected]
Top Barriers To Attract Diverse Pr Pros:
- PR industry's lack of persuasive recruitment campaign to attract multicultural employees.
- PR recruiters don't know how to find multicultural candidates when job become available.
- Qualified candidates don't know about opportunities in the PR profession.
Source: Howard University/City College of New York
Diversity Study: Highlights:
Racism:
- 54% of respondents felt that some employers did not want diverse practitioners working for them.
- 28% felt that clients did not want a multicultural professional working on their account.
- 45% felt they had experienced "overt" discrimination by employers and employees.
- 53% felt they had experienced "subtle" discrimination.
- 63% feel they have to be more qualified than a Caucasian American to do the same job.
- 55% feel they are not afforded the same opportunities in the PR field as their Caucasian counterparts.
- Multicultural practitioners at mainstream organizations/firms were more likely to be assigned to mainstream clients as they were to be assigned to race-ethnic accounts.
Job Satisfaction:
- 46% of respondents expressed a high level of job satisfaction.
- Black and Hispanic satisfaction levels are lower than the general population.
- Overall job satisfaction declined among Black practitioners from their 1999 levels compared with Tillery-Larkin's 1999 study.
- Black practitioners report a significantly higher level of job satisfaction (3.45 mean on a scales of 1-5) compared with 2.67 for Hispanics.
Recruitment:
- 61.6% of respondents said the PR industry is somewhat successful in recruiting a more diverse workforce
- 1.2% identified the industry as successful, and 24.2% felt the industry was not successful.
Source: Howard University/City College of New York