The executive summary of the 2011 NAMIC AIM and WICT PAR Cable Telecommunications Industry Diversity Survey is now available for download at http://namic.com and http://www.wict.org.
- Employment research focuses on benchmarked data vital to the advancement of ethnic and gender diversity in the cable industry
- Survey participation by 25 companies represents 54% of the cable telecommunications industry workforce
- Joint Town Hall Meeting held to discuss results as part of Diversity Week
The National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) and Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) today announced highlights of the 2011 NAMIC AIM and WICT PAR Cable Telecommunications Industry Diversity Survey.
Benchmarked data vital to the advancement of ethnic and gender diversity in cable, the results of the NAMIC AIM (Advancement Investment Measurement) and WICT PAR Initiative (Pay Equity, Advancement Opportunities and Resources for Work/Life Support) were announced this morning during a Town Hall Meeting on Diversity. The town hall was held jointly by the associations in New York City in conjunction with the 25th Annual NAMIC Conference and the 2011 WICT Leadership Conference.
Funded by The Walter Kaitz Foundation, and conducted by third-party experts at The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) the NAMIC and WICT study gathered data related to workforce demographics and diversity and inclusion practices from the cable telecommunications industry. The primary methodology for the study was a census survey consisting of 83 quantitative and qualitative questions focused on gender and race/ethnicity, for a variety of job categories. Twenty-five companies completed the survey, representing 54% of the cable telecommunications industry workforce. Fourteen of the company respondents were programmers, eight were multi-system operators, and three companies were either industry suppliers or non-profits.
To assess diversity at the highest leadership levels within the industry, this year’s survey measured four specific criteria: the 10% highest paid full-time employees; executive/senior-level officials and managers; first/mid-level officials and managers; and, for the first time, women holding seats on corporate boards. Additionally, workforce demographic data was benchmarked against Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) data for all industries, as well as the telecommunications and information industry. Diversity practices among cable telecommunications organizations were benchmarked against responses from a random sample of SHRM members, a subset of which represented the telecommunications industry. Survey results were compared by programmers and multi-system operators and historical NAMIC (2008) or WICT PAR (2009) data, when applicable.
The study found that cable telecommunications organizations are embracing key diversity practices. Generally, the organizations that participated in this year’s survey scored better on key diversity practices compared with SHRM telecommunications industry comparison data. However, when cable telecommunications organizations were compared to similarly sized organizations in SHRM’s all-industry comparison data, responses were similar, suggesting that organizational staff size plays a critical role in the scale and sophistication of diversity practices that organizations may employ.
The top five diversity practices employed by cable telecommunications organizations in the 2011 NAMIC AIM and WICT PAR survey are listed in ranking order as follows:
- Recruiting strategies designed to help increase diversity within organizations.
- Community outreach tied to diversity, such as links between organizations and educational institutions, government entities, etc.
- Leadership development opportunities (e.g., mentoring, coaching) designed to increase diversity in higher-level positions.
- Employing employee attitude surveys that include items related to organizational diversity.
- Aligning diversity with business goals and objectives.
A number of advances in the cable telecommunications industry as it relates to race/ethnicity were cited. Although the study showed increases for full-time employees, multi-ethnicity among executive and mid-level management positions is advancing at a slower rate. The study also found that Asian/Pacific Islanders and Hispanic/Latinos in particular are severely underrepresented relative to their numbers in the general U.S. population. According to the study, representation of people of color on boards of directors remains a challenge with little to no growth occurring since the 2008 NAMIC survey.
“The survey results are indicative of our industry’s commitment to fostering greater diversity and inclusion,” said Kathy A. Johnson, president, NAMIC. “While the numbers are moving in the right direction, there remain opportunities for NAMIC and industry collaboration to ensure that representation in senior leadership is keeping pace with our nation’s demographic shifts.”
When reviewing gender-related data, the study showed gains in 2011 for women in a number of positions. Cable telecommunications organizations increased their representation of women executives, board directors and new hires. However, opportunities still remain to ensure pay equity for women. In 2011, a new metric for WICT, the top 10% highest paid employees, was collected, and the results indicated that women comprised only 30% of this category. Additionally, representation of women in digital media positions has decreased.
“We are extremely pleased to see the progress women have made since we last fielded the PAR survey two years ago,” said Maria E. Brennan, President & CEO of WICT. Â “And we look forward to partnering with the industry to continue to seek parity at all levels for women in cable.”
The participants in the Town Hall Meeting are:
- Suzanne Malveaux, anchor, CNN (moderator)
- Adria Alpert Romm, senior executive vice president, human resources, Discovery Communications
- David Cohen, executive vice president, Comcast Corporation
- John Dooney, manager, strategic research, SHRM
- Mae Douglas, executive vice president & chief people officer, Cox Communications
- Jacqueline Hernandez, chief operating officer, Telemundo
- Rob Marcus, president and chief operating officer, Time Warner Cable
- Chris Powell, executive vice president, Human Resources, Scripps Networks Interactive
- Kelly Regal, executive vice president, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
Launched in 1999, the NAMIC employment survey, formerly entitled, “A Look Toward Advancement: Multi-ethnic Employment in the Communications Industry,” provided a baseline of statistics and perceptions about the state of multi-ethnic diversity in the cable telecommunications industry. This newest iteration of the NAMIC employment survey – NAMIC AIM (Advancement Investment Measurement), provides rich data that companies can use to support goals for sustainable growth of multi-ethnic diversity, and will further strengthen NAMIC’s role as a key industry resource for the cultivation of a diverse talent pipeline. Key outgrowths of the NAMIC employment survey include the launch of NAMIC’s prestigious Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP), presented in partnership with UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, and the NAMIC Leadership Seminar for middle managers.
Since 2003, the WICT PAR Initiative has measured the status of women employees in the cable industry based on three criteria: Pay Equity, Advancement Opportunities and Resources for Work/Life Support. A comprehensive advocacy program helping companies to set goals, institutionalize practices, measure progress and achieve results, the PAR Initiative showcases best practices regarding company policy and procedures, which are changing the landscape of the industry. Each year, the PAR Initiative grows more valuable as a resource for measuring and supporting the advancement of women in the cable and telecommunications industry and has been supported both by WICT’s 20 chapters nationwide and industry.
SHRM is independently managing the development of customized data reports for NAMIC and WICT.   For more information about the NAMIC AIM (Advancement Investment Measurement) visit http://namic.com. Additional information about the WICT PAR Initiative can be found at http://www.wict.org.