The practice of using diverse suppliers (small businesses owned and operated by disadvantaged owners) has been increasing as time goes on. Many companies have seen and are reaping the benefits of tying up and working with small and diverse-owned businesses. In fact, working with these businesses can promote a lot of positive things like giving opportunity to the said businesses, sharing profits and at the same time, fulfilling corporate and social responsibility in the business industry.
There are a lot of companies that are considered diversity-friendly. These companies utilize their diversity programs and allows different small businesses to work with them. A survey is held and published by Diversity, inc., the most sought after publication in terms of news and trends in the diversity side of enterprise. This year, Diversity, Inc. unravels the top 50 companies for diversity for the 15th time.
Diversity Inc’s Scorecard
Like many other studies/surveys, Diversity Inc. has its own criteria to include a company in their list.
The first category is the Talent Pipeline. This first category encompasses the diversity of talent in a corporate workplace. It also reflects on the workforce breakdown, talent recruitment and structures that affect workers. The second category is Talent Development. Here, there is more emphasis on what the company does for its workers. Most of the issues in this category include employee resource groups or HR, mentoring of future leaders, career and workplace issues and mobility of a worker within the company. The third phase is CEO or Leadership Commitment. The CEO is the head of the corporation and should be seen as a visible and committed leader for the company and its workers. As a leader, it is the CEO that leads the company to a vision, but also upholds the order and discipline within the company. The last category deals with supplier diversity or how many underrepresented companies does the business interact and work with. Aside from supplier diversity, a company can also be noted for its philantropic work towards the underrepresented and its treatment of talent from these groups.
And here are the notable companies in Diversity Inc.’s books:
1. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
The top spot is claimed by Novartis Corp. The reason for their top spot is their focused plan involving improving human-capital results. In addition, the company has a process to attract not just businesses owned by women, veterans and other disadvantaged business owners but also talent as well. The company is improving and building its diversity-training curriculum for its diverse talents and a flexible workplace.
2. Sodexo
Sodexo has been on the top of Diversity Inc’s top employers for diversity. Sodexo continues its efforts to workplace diversity that includes diverse recruitment and the development of that diversity talent. Sodexo also has a corporate board, which reflects its own grown diversity, ranging from people in private and government sectors and corporate and nonprofit entities. Sodexo will try to continue its progressive endeavor. Its head, Global CEO Michel Landel, pledges that the company will have 25% women in its top 300 employees by 2015.
3. EY
EY is another company that has long, strong and lasting commitment to diversity. Like many other companies, EY strives to have a very diverse and flexible workplace both internationally and domestically.
In a recent move, EY has broadened its category for its diverse talent. For them, age, education, culture, personality, life experience, skills and other attributes are part of being a diverse talent.
EY makes every effort to make its diverse talent to thrive during their stay. The company has a workplace design called Workplace of the Future that emphasizes employee engagements. Like Sodexo, EY has a diverse board and allows studies on diversity.
4. Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is in the medical industry – it’s a hospital/insurance-company. It’s also an organization that has been promoting and applying diversity. At Kaiser Permanente, there is a strong mentoring program that is cross-cultural. Kaiser also uses its resource groups for diverse talent. Community outreach and talent development. To add, the company has a formal sponsorship/political advocacy from many underrepresented entities.
5. PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers reflects its diversity outlook on a variety of methods. First, it has used the multimedia platform (in the form of audio-visual testimonials) to affirm its commitment to diverse talent and goals. Second, it’s a mentoring initiative that is considered world class. In this mentoring initiative, there is an element of cross cultural approaches. Like other companies, the company also has a great resource groups for talents that implements diversity talent, engages and connecting with under-represented groups like LGBT, people with disabilities, ethnic minorities and women. Aside from talent, the company also connects with role models from each group.
6. MasterCard Worldwide
We all heard the great tagline, “for everything else, there is Mastercard.” Mastercard is also surprisingly good when it comes to diversity.
Like many international companies, MasterCard committed itself for an open and flexible work environment. This includes a great office environment and even the availability for a telecommuter. Aside from these, its office caters to the employees’ well being by providing religious spaces, assistance for adoption, career service or healthcare concerns.
7. Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is one of the most recognized companies in the world.
In terms of talent, the company has a diverse workforce and gives strong initiatives for minority and disadvantaged talent. They are very keen on helping people with disabilities and provide them with an inclusive welfare. The company has its own resource group called People With Disabilities that helps in achieving the goal of helping disabled people. To add, P&G is also a supporter of LGBT equality in the workplace. Like disabled workers, LGBT workers have their own resource group called GABLE.
8. Prudential Financial
In Prudential Financial, talent development is a must. It is especially true for women and workers coming from ethnic minorities like Asians, Latinos, Blacks and American Indians. These workers can fill executive positions in both external and internal recruiters that are mandatory reserved for them. Right now these positions are open for women and ethnic minorities. The company plans to broaden the choices and make slots for people with disabilities and veterans.
9. Johnson & Johnson
Like many international companies, Johnson & Johnson has a global presence and identity. It also has numerous products and headquarters around the globe. As an international company, it provides work for a lot of people from different backgrounds and work with many local companies. It is safe to assume that Johnson & Johnson has a strong diversity supplier program. This program and other supplier diversity strategies are carried out by the Human Resources department and the Office of Diversity & Inclusion.
90 percent of Companies included in Johnson & Johnson Supplier Diversity program were retained this year. This sends the message that the company values the program and the companies who joined. In addition, these companies (in the program) are included in request in proposals and procurement-management compensation.
Its efforts have been recognized as the company was awarded the Distinguished Supplier Diversity Award given by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). This makes Johnson &h Johnson one leader in terms of supplier diversity and talent diversity.
10. AT&T
Like many other companies, AT&T does its share on increasing its talent development, including its workers from underrepresented groups. At&T is currently a work in progress and has some meritable initiatives like World of Women (WOW) portal for women advancement, a growing membership in employee resource group and a large recruitment of 4,000 veterans. Aside from talent diversity, AT&T also strives to find ways to help its suppliers in the form of sharing technology in growing and maintaining their own business operations. This initiative helps maintain AT&T as a world leader in terms of supplier diversity. AT&T has been named as DiversityInc’s Top Company for Supplier Diversity in 2013.
The rest of the list includes:
11. Deloitte
12. Accenture
13. Abbott
14. Merck & Co
15. Cummins
16. Marriott International
17. Wells Fargo
18. Cox Communications
19. Aetna
20. General Mills
21. KPMG
22. Target
23. IBM
24. ADP
25. New York Life
26. BASF
27. Eli Lilly and Company
28. Northrop Grumman
29. WellPoint
30. Colgate-Palmolive
31. Kellogg Company
32. Dell
33. The Coca-Cola Company
34. The Walt Disney Company
35. Kraft Foods Group
36. TIAA-CREF
37. Allstate Insurance Company
38. Toyota Motor North America
39. Wyndham Worldwide
40. Rockwell Collins
41. Medtronic
42. Time Warner
43. Verizon Communications
44. Comcast
45. TD Bank
46. Monsanto
47. KeyCorp
48. JCPenney
49. AbbVie
50. Nielsen
If you are business eligible for supplier diversity, count on these companies for a very good treatment and large potential for profit. The same can be applied for diverse talent or employees, looking for a good company that pays well and initiates for a flexible and pleasant workplace environment.
