Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG) joined the Center for Talent Innovation (CTI) in unveiling the results of a new study that examines the challenges faced by Black professionals. Being Black in Corporate America: An Intersectional Exploration surveyed 3,736 full-time professionals of all races, and found that today’s diversity and inclusion efforts are largely not working for African-American professionals. Serving as a sponsor of the study was IPG, a company with brands that include Acxiom, Avrett Free Ginsberg, Campbell Ewald, Carmichael Lynch, Craft, Deutsch, FCB (Foote, Cone & Belding), FutureBrand, Golin, Hill Holliday, Huge, ID Media, Initiative, Jack Morton, MAGNA, The Martin Agency, McCann, Momentum, MRM/McCann, MullenLowe Group, Octagon, R/GA, UM and Weber Shandwick.
The research demonstrates that Black professionals are more likely than White professionals to be ambitious, and they are more likely to have strong professional networks. Despite these assets, Black professionals hold only 3.2% of all executive or senior leadership roles and less than 1% of all Fortune 500 CEO positions, despite comprising 12% of the overall labor force in the U.S.
“We have long known that a truly diverse, inclusive and equitable culture is essential for us to succeed,” noted Michael Roth, chairman and CEO of IPG. “That said, the results of the CTI Study insist that we take a long, hard look at what we have been doing to study which of our programs are effective, and which need to be re-examined. At IPG, we poll our employees each year through our Climate for Inclusion survey to understand the effectiveness of our D&I offerings. This helps us address pain points like those uncovered in this research. At IPG, we will continue to focus on D&I, to ensure that our efforts are as effective as possible, that sufficient resources are allocated to them, and that they materially benefit all populations,” he said.
The study also uncovered that Black professionals are nearly four times as likely as White professionals to say they have experienced racial prejudice at work (58% versus 15%). Regional differences are stark: 79% of Black professionals in the Midwest say they have experienced racial prejudice at work, compared to 66% of Black professionals in the West, 56% in the South, and 44% in the Northeast. Representation of Black professionals in leadership still lags far behind graduation rates. Black people account for 10% of all college-educated people in the U.S., and have for over a decade.
“Underrepresentation of Black talent in professional, managerial and leadership roles is a persistent legacy issue for corporate America. Most companies, like IPG, are searching for more insights to turn around disproportionate under-representation,” commented Heide Gardner, SVP, chief diversity and inclusion officer, IPG. “Being involved in collective actions, including funding research like this CTI study, and tackling tough and uncomfortable topics is paramount for change.”
Being Black in Corporate America: An Intersectional Exploration found that, in the workplace, Black professionals are more likely to encounter injustices and micro-aggressions than any other racial or ethnic group. They are less likely than their White counterparts to have access to senior leaders and to have support from their managers. Yet few White professionals see what their Black colleagues are up against. Sixty-five percent of Black professionals say that Black employees have to work harder in order to advance, but only 16% of their White colleagues agree with that statement.
The study recommends that companies conduct audits of how Black employees are doing, and how they are feeling, and then take steps to address “mismatches in perception of racial equality” between employees of different races. Doing so will lay the necessary groundwork for the company’s diversity and inclusion programs to be more successful.
After 20 Years of Acting, Megan Park Finds Her Groove In The Director’s Chair On “My Old Ass”
Megan Park feels a little bad that her movie is making so many people cry. It's not just a single tear either — more like full body sobs.
She didn't set out to make a tearjerker with "My Old Ass," now streaming on Prime Video. She just wanted to tell a story about a young woman in conversation with her older self. The film is quite funny (the dialogue between 18-year-old and almost 40-year-old Elliott happens because of a mushroom trip that includes a Justin Bieber cover), but it packs an emotional punch, too.
Writing, Park said, is often her way of working through things. When she put pen to paper on "My Old Ass," she was a new mom and staying in her childhood bedroom during the pandemic. One night, she and her whole nuclear family slept under the same roof. She didn't know it then, but it would be the last time, and she started wondering what it would be like to have known that.
In the film, older Elliott ( Aubrey Plaza ) advises younger Elliott ( Maisy Stella ) to not be so eager to leave her provincial town, her younger brothers and her parents and to slow down and appreciate things as they are. She also tells her to stay away from a guy named Chad who she meets the next day and discovers that, unfortunately, he's quite cute.
At 38, Park is just getting started as a filmmaker. Her first, "The Fallout," in which Jenna Ortega plays a teen in the aftermath of a school shooting, had one of those pandemic releases that didn't even feel real. But it did get the attention of Margot Robbie 's production company LuckyChap Entertainment, who reached out to Park to see what other ideas she had brewing.
"They were very instrumental in encouraging me to go with it," Park said. "They're just really even-keeled, good people, which makes... Read More