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America's Best Employers For Diversity 2019

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Photo Courtesy: Ball

While it may often seem that no employer is getting diversity and inclusion right, many organizations have struggled to cultivate cultures that welcome and support all workers. Headlines have abounded, with incidents ranging from the unconscious bias incident at Starbucks in Philadelphia in April that resulted in the arrests of two African-American men for asking to use the bathroom to the age discrimination lawsuit filed at IBM after the company dismissed more than 20,000 older workers in five years to the countless sexual harassment allegations that have shaken workplaces across the nation. Yet at the same time, some companies have been making progress.

Forbes partnered with market research company Statista to create our second annual ranking of America’s best employers for diversity. The list was compiled by surveying 50,000 Americans working for businesses with at least 1,000 employees, and it features some businesses whose appearance on the list, in light of recent events, may come as a surprise. Starbucks and IBM, for example, both appear, their claims to the No. 44 and No. 217 spots a reflection of the thoughts of their respective workforces.

Making its debut among the ranks, and at No. 1 with a score of 85.85, is metal packaging company Ball. Based in Broomfield, Colorado, the 139-year-old business’ commitment to diversity and inclusion starts at the very top, illustrated by the way CEO John Hayes has structured his team. Rather than tucking diversity and inclusion under the umbrella of human resources, as so many employers do, Ball Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion Manette Snow reports directly to the chief executive. “It gives diversity and inclusion a visibility, a recognition of its importance at Ball,” says Charles Johnson, senior director of diversity and inclusion at Ball. “It’s part of the culture here. It’s what we do, who we are—you can see that.”

This reporting structure might seem at first glance like nothing more than semantics. But Johnson knows commitment when he sees it, in part because he’s seen a lot: Prior to joining Ball in 2017, he worked as an outside diversity and inclusion consultant for Ball, among other organizations. “What’s really impressed me in the time I’ve been here is how open leadership is to giving definition to the word ‘inclusiveness,’” says Johnson. “Diversity and inclusion is more than just talking points—it’s something we take extremely seriously.”

Photo Courtesy: Ball

Employees first glimpse Ball’s dedication to cultivating a diverse, inclusive culture before they even join the company. As a firm that primarily hires engineers, the makeup of new hires could too easily mimic that of the nation’s engineering workforce: 79.3% white, 83.8% male. But Ball isn’t interested in maintaining the status quo. “We’re creating a workforce that looks like America, that looks like the world,” says Johnson. And so, Ball has created a pipeline for more diverse talent, developing relationships with organizations including the National Society of Black Engineers, the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and the Society of Women Engineers, assigning dedicated liaisons to each. “We want to demonstrate commitment to the organizations, not just as sources for diverse talent, but as our partners. We want to make sure their good work is sustainable.”

Those dedicated liaisons are representatives from Ball’s nine employee resource groups, collectively called Ball Resource Groups, a nod to the value placed on diversity and inclusion at all levels of the organization. The groups—which include the Abilities, African-American, Asian, Cultural Awareness of the Religions of Employees (CARE), Hispanic, LGBTA, Veterans, Women’s and Young Professionals Ball Resource Groups—receive funding from the company, which enables them to put on events that move their missions forward. Last year, for example, the African-American and CARE Ball Resource Groups teamed up with two members of Ball’s board of directors to host a diversity and inclusion town hall, while the Women’s group joined forces with three board members to present Talent Focus, a conference focused on improving gender equality in the workplace. These efforts appear to be paying off: Not only has participation in the Ball Resource Groups increased 30% year-over-year, but Talent Focus has helped propel more women to the top, with six female leaders being promoted into director or vice president roles since the event. “It’s refreshing to see diversity and inclusion come into focus in a way that’s relevant to business objectives and not just a nice-to-have or a feel-good story,” says Johnson.

Photo Courtesy: Ball

Board member participation in Ball Resource Groups isn’t unusual—it’s just part of the culture. As the executive hierarchy is structured in a way that promotes diversity and inclusion, so tooare those of the Ball Resource Groups—each group must have executive sponsors, leaders at the vice-president level or above. The minimum number of executive sponsors required to helm one of the resource groups is two, but some have as many as four. “We have engagement from the very top of our executive team, and that’s something John Hayes has made a priority here,” says Johnson. Hayes leads by example, serving as an executive sponsor of the Women’s group.

Make no mistake, Ball still has a long way to go. Even the company’s inclusivity training, which has educated more than 500 employees throughout the country about unconscious bias, is on the its list of initiatives slated for improvement, as is the recruitment of a more diverse group of engineers. But if there’s one thing Johnson is certain of, it’s that the company is on the right track. “The work we’re doing right now is planting the seed, so we can reap the benefits as a company and as a community,” he says. “We’ve come a long way in a relatively short period of time, but where we’re going, all I can say is: Watch out.”

For the full list of America’s Best Employers For Diversity, click here.

Photo Courtesy: Ball

Methodology

To determine the list, Statista surveyed 50,000 Americans working for businesses with at least 1,000 employees. All the surveys were anonymous, allowing participants to openly share their opinions. Respondents were first asked to rate their organizations on criteria such as age, gender, ethnicity, disability and sexual orientation equality, as well as that of general diversity. These responses were reviewed for potential diversity gaps. So if workers from minority groups, for example, rated an organization poorly on diversity, but nonminority groups rated it highly, Statista would take that into account and adjust the company’s score accordingly. Statista then asked respondents belonging to minority groups to nominate organizations other than their own. The final list ranks the 500 employers that not only received the most recommendations, but also boast the most diverse boards and executive ranks and the most proactive diversity and inclusion initiatives.