Council’s HR Roundtable Citizen Paine February 28, 2013 Meeting Agenda • 4:00 - Welcome • 4:15 – Diversity Distinction in PR Awards Best Practices • Jaya Bohlman -Founder and Chief Consultant, Designing Communication • Judith Harrison – SVP Staffing and Diversity & Inclusion, Weber Shandwick • Scott Widmeyer – Chairman & CEO, Widmeyer Communications Also, words from Gideon Fidelzeid, PRWeek • 5:15 – Future Meeting Topics and Wrap Up Update From the Council • “Take Flight with PR” Talent Initiative • Career Fairs – April 17, Chicago • 2013 Harvard Program – May 16-17th, NYC • 2013 Entrepreneur Forum – June 10-11th, Chicago Diversity Distinction in PR Awards • Five Award Categories • Awards presented at the Council’s Annual Dinner Diversity Distinction in PR Awards Key Dates for 2013 • April 26 – Submission Collection Begins • June 21 – Deadline for Submissions • October 23 – Awards Announced at the Councils Annual Dinner Scott Widmeyer Chairman & CEO Widmeyer Communications Best Diversity Initiative Firm Less Than $10 million in Revenue DIVERSITY STARTS AT HOME AND THE BUCK STOPS WITH THE CEO AND LEADERSHIP 2.28.2013 “Having senior level minorities among your workforce serves as a magnet for attracting minorities at all levels.” -- QEM 1992 9 What Has Widmeyer Done Walk the Walk; Talk the Talk 10 Diversity Comes in Many Shapes, Sizes and Colors • LGBT • Women • African-American • Hispanic • Geographic • People with disabilities 11 Timeline • 1993--Widmeyer begins Fellows Program to attract minority candidates; create new pipeline. • To date, more than 60 Fellows have gone through program including about 2/3 considered minority on some level. 12 • 1998—Widmeyer Communications Introduces Scholarship Program for First Generation and African American Students at West Virginia University. • Program is now in its 15th year and to date, about 40 students have benefitted. 13 Diversity Is a Multi-Step Process • What Does that Mean at Widmeyer? 14 • *We increased minority recruitment from Fellow to S.V.P. level. We strive to be the best we can be and reflect feedback from top clients (W.K.K.F.) • *Increased overall flow of new job candidates to get best qualified candidates without tag of “minority hire.” • Our HR director continues to seek out campuses with large minority populations—Fordham, Howard, CUNY, SUNY, Rutgers, Montclair. Works job fairs. 15 • CEO Scott Widmeyer sets aside time each month for key interviews/meetings with job candidates. Actively involved in POSSE, GW’s Prime Media Movers. • CSO Margaret Dunning on board of College Summit/DC and participates in other forums. • Widmeyer/NYC involved in PENCIL and partners with a local school as well as host for high school senior to get OJT in summer months. 16 • Two Widmeyer SVPs are teaching at local colleges and make connections with key up and coming grads. • HR Director Peg Toomey brought new interviewing skills to our staff so that they are more sensitive, inclusive and asking the right questions in interviews. Too often, many of us have been in a job interview and we were asked a question that is very off-putting. • Widmeyer also recruits at LGBT job fairs in DC and NYC. 17 Facts Tell Our Story 18 • In 2 year period (2011-2013), in our firm of 45 employees, we have hired 10 minorities from SVP, VP, Director to Fellow level. • Promotions of 6. 19 How Sustainable is the Widmeyer Approach? • Must keep focused. • Have an open mind set. • Skilled interviewers. • Keep up contacts. • Be sure your hires are part of the chatter. 20 THANK YOU! 21 Judith Harrison Senior Vice President, Staffing and Diversity & Inclusion Weber Shandwick Best Diversity Initiative Firm More Than $10 million in Revenue Weber Shandwick Building a Diverse and Inclusive Organization Weber Shandwick D&I Program Overview • Objectives Recruit, retain and develop more diverse talent Create an inclusive environment to drive peak performance • Strategies External Aggressively recruited people of color, particularly at senior levels Partnered with PRSA and other groups to raise awareness of local diversity challenges and share best practices Partnered with diverse organizations on sponsorship, leadership and recruitment Internal Live, customized, level-appropriate training D&I champions in multiple offices created events and ongoing activities Employee Business Resource Groups Career development for high-potential POC staff Start with a Strategic D&I Plan • • • • • • • DO Develop inclusive definition and vision Make a strong business case Build in collaboration of leadership, line and HR staff Sequence strategically Emphasize recruitment and talent development Include metrics, timing and accountability Measure everything relevant • • • • • • DON’T Focus definition and vision narrowly, i.e., compliancebased Fail to develop a business case Concentrate ownership with HR and/or Diversity Council Create ambiguous metrics and accountability Provide “one size fits all” education Be afraid to shift tactics if necessary Educate, Engage and Elevate • Educate Create understanding about what diversity is, what inclusion is, how they work together and how they benefit the business. Make classes interactive and include level-appropriate information and tools. • Engage Make D&I a shared commitment with active participation among people across levels, functions, offices and demographic groups. Create D&I Council to advocate for engagement and share best practices • Elevate Add D&I commitment to agency vision/mission/values CEO and agency leaders communicate importance of D&I internally and externally Watch your efforts take root and grow Jaya Bohlmann Founder and Chief Consultant at Designing Communication 2011 & 2012 Diversity Distinction in PR Awards Judge Observations & Insights 1. 2. Growth year over year in entries; improvement in quality of programs entered Unclear definition of diversity and inclusion 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Multicultural marketing Global operations Few leadership level programs Emphasis on events vs. integration and culture shift Minimal emphasis on inclusion Quality of submissions sometimes sub-par Many creative programs in place; commitment to D&I is clear Recommendations 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Create a clear, articulated and measurable D&I strategy that is enterprise-wide. Look at leadership teams and pipeline for senior management. Refine definition of D&I and remember diversity of background, professions, work environments. Learn from and partner with clients. Emphasize culture and mindset transformation (more than actions and behaviors) Communicate all D&I positioning and programs clearly and often to employees. Conclusion Diversity and inclusion do not belong to HR, branding, nor compliance… they are leadership areas and belong in the Csuite, deeply embedded and integrated within a company’s culture, programs, capabilities. D&I should show up in everything a firm does and how they do it. More information http://prsay.prsa.org/index.php/2013/02/14/diversi ty-inclusion-good-common-sense-corporategovernance-critical-path-to-prs-long-term-impact/ http://www.prweekus.com/pages/login.aspx?retur l=/a-strong-case-for-female-inclusion-at-the-toplevel/article/277265/&pagetypeid=28&articleid=27 7265&accesslevel=2&expireddays=0&accessAndP rice=0 www.diversityinc.com www.designingcommunication.wordpress.com http://www.mckinsey.com/features/women_matt er Council’s HR Roundtable Citizen Paine February 28, 2013