We take a look at the US companies that made the DiversityInc. Top 10 for recruitment, retention and promotion of Black employees.

Now in its 11th year, The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list began in 2001 when many corporations were beginning to understand the business value of diversity-management initiatives.

Today, the DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity® is the leading assessment of diversity management in corporate America and globally.

The DiversityInc Top 50 list is derived exclusively from corporate survey submissions and participation in the survey has increased dramatically, up 19 percent in 2011 to 535 companies. Companies are evaluated within the context of their own industries, with more than 15 industries represented. Subsets of the same data submission are used to determine the organisation’s other lists, including the DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Blacks.

The Top Ten

According to DiversityInc, this list recognises companies that value all talent, including Black talent. These companies “show consistent progress in their recruitment, retention and promotion of Black employees, have active Black employee-resource groups, have higher-than-average procurement spend with minority-owned suppliers, and have strong cross-cultural mentoring programs.”

Distinguishing Features of The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Blacks:

No. 1: AT&T

As demonstrated by its support of Project Aspire, which aims to stem the dropout rate of low-income students, many of whom are Black, AT&T is a long-time leader in supporting the current and future workforce. A staggering 59 percent of its philanthropy is aimed at multicultural organizations. AT&T's community support is also evidenced by its strong supplier-diversity program, with 10.5 percent of Tier I procurement spent with minority-owned business enterprises (MBEs).

No. 3: Kaiser Permanente

The healthcare organization is a clear leader in workforce diversity and talent development. For Blacks, particularly, its demographics are strong overall, including at the top. Its board of directors is 21.4 percent Black. Thirteen percent of its workers are members of its Black employee-resource group.

No. 4: Northrop Grumman Corp.

The defence contractor is one of the few companies whose promotions of Blacks into first-line management positions equals the percentage of Blacks in the workforce, a telling ratio for talent development. Fifty-one percent of its philanthropy goes to multicultural organizations, including the Martin Luther King Memorial, Great Minds in STEM and the Jackie Robinson Foundation.

No. 5: Marriott International

With a workforce and management that have strong Black representation, Marriott has made a major effort to reach out to building the community through supplier diversity and philanthropy, including donations to the National Black MBA Association, the Black Executive Exchange Program, National Association of Black Accountants, NAACP and National Society of Minorities in Hospitality

No. 6: Southern Company

The utility company has strong workforce and management representation of Blacks as well as a long history of community philanthropy, including the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, the UNCF, the NAACP, the National Black Arts Festival, and many local scholarship programs benefiting Black students.

No. 7: Sodexo

Sodexo clearly has an inclusive culture that enables Black employees to be promoted and realize their potential. The company's board of directors is 37.5 percent Black. Sodexo excels at mentoring and talent-development programs for everyone, but especially for Blacks and other traditionally underrepresented groups.

No. 9: Altria

Altria has strong demographics for Blacks in its workforce and shows real improvement at the management level. Its philanthropic efforts include the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, UNCF, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, and numerous scholarships.

No. 10: The Coca-Cola Co.

A decade after settling the largest racial-discrimination lawsuit in corporate U.S. history, the beverage giant has emerged as a workplace diversity leader, especially for Blacks. The rate of Blacks promoted into their first management job was almost double the current management representation of Blacks, and there is strong representation of Blacks at every management level. In addition, one-third of U.S. employees are members of the Black employee-resource group, the company reports.

Source: DiversityInc