Reinforcing inclusion and supporting equity

In the first of what will be an annual overview of its efforts to build a more diverse, equitable and inclusive company, Hearst published a set of data this week showing where its U.S. employee representation currently stands.

The theme of the report issued Feb. 2 is RISE: Reinforcing Inclusion, Supporting Equity.

President and CEO Steven Swartz said Hearst is committed to making progress on diversity and will share the results annually.  He said he hopes the report also will serve as a catalyst for conversations within operating units on how the company is doing.

He said, "We know that a more diverse workforce is a stronger workforce, and we achieve this by doing everything we can to make all of our people, with our different races, genders and sexual orientations, feel completely welcome and supported at our company."

As shown in the graphs below, 73% of all U.S.-based employees at Hearst (as of December 2020) are white, as are 78% of managers and above, and 64% of new hires.

Eight percent of all employees are Black or African-American; 8% are Hispanic or Latino; 8% are Asian; and 3%, other. Data excludes employees for whom race/ethnicity has not been disclosed.

Priorities identified in the report for 2021 are:

• Aspire to a workplace culture that encourages all of our colleagues to bring their full selves to work — backed by timely training programs, supportive conversations and robust employee resource groups.
• Widely adopt best-in-class recruiting strategies — including creative sourcing and objective assessment — so that we can better attract and onboard diverse talent.
• Evaluate and expand our professional development processes (mentorship, sponsorship, performance management) to ensure equitable access to and support for advancement opportunities.
• Communicate progress and successes with our colleagues in order to reinforce the importance of these efforts and hold ourselves accountable.
• Build programs and initiatives that further diversify our relationships with suppliers, content creators and e-commerce and affiliate partners.

View the Hearst RISE report