Minority Professional Choice Survey Offers Insight to Diversity Planning

It seems like every other day, a list of the top diversity employers is published.  This is a good thing.  For the greater part of the last century, women and minorities were locked out of the best opportunities in government and industry.  Affirmative action programs, driven by equal employment laws and the courts, slowly opened those doors of opportunity in the sixties.  But these changes were often a window dressing, seen by many as tokenism. 

In the last twenty years, executives and government leaders have started to embrace diversity as a business imperative.  Having a diverse workforce is actually a competitive advantage when dealing with federal clients and with the growing minority consumer marketplace. 

Still, we felt that something important had been overlooked in most top employers' lists.  It was the voice of the minority employee, the reason for diversity efforts in the first place.  We found that most of the lists did not probe the minds of minority professionals, but instead looked at diversity from the perspective of the employer by using hiring data, supplier spending information, and corporate diversity statistics.

We wanted to better understand the work experiences, values, and dreams of the minority employees themselves, so we asked them a few questions.  Are they pleased with their employers' diversity programs?  How have these programs impacted the minority professional in the workplace?  What are their views on diversity efforts?  This last question is of major importance, because although young minority professionals are familiar with the legacy of racism,  many of them are far removed from both the overt racism of the pre-sixties and the civil rights struggle that afforded them their current liberties. 

The only comprehensive surveys we could find that answered these questions were conducted by this organization.  The first one was performed more than ten years ago, and the second was conducted several years ago in partnership with the Information Technology Association of America. 

With this newest survey, we wanted to add something that was missing from the discussion--a gut check on the issues key to minority professionals, straight from the minorities themselves. We believe that the results will either give diversity champions new insight about the thinking of minority professionals, or it will affirm and document what they already know.  Either way, this investigation will be invaluable in diversity planning.

Methodology

To conduct such a comprehensive study, an online survey consisting of sixty-four questions was e-mailed to Hispanic, Native American, Asian, Black, and other professionals in the fields of science, engineering, and information technology. A few surveys were also e-mailed to a sample group of non-technical professionals.  Ninety percent of the respondents identified themselves as members of an underrepresented ethnic group.

Subjects were given 30 days to complete the survey, after which online access was deactivated.  Additionally, the polling software and human review deleted duplicates by checking IP and email addresses.  As an incentive, respondents were offered a subscription to a Career Communications Group publication of their choosing and were entered to win a vacation in Jamaica. 

Within two weeks of sending the survey, responses were received from 323 Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, and others.  To ensure privacy and anonymity, respondents were provided with an e-mail address to use for their gift fulfillment.

All of the results come directly from the minority professional respondents.  Absolutely no employer data or participation was knowingly used in the preparation of the survey.

Who Are They?

Just who were the professionals who took part in the survey?  Employees from more than 120 companies, representing sixty professional organizations, participated. 

Women responded in large numbers.  Females, at 65.7%, outnumbered the 34.3% of male respondents.

Ninety percent of respondents were over 21 years of age, with the greatest concentration, 64%, falling into the 31--50 age bracket. Those over 50 years of age accounted for 12%. Most individuals were married (48%) with 1-3 children (56.3%).  Few were divorced (9.4%), separated (1.6%), or windowed (0.9%).

While all were professionals, some 65% worked in technical, science, engineering, or information technology fields.  The balance was made up of non-technical professionals.  Forty-seven percent of both groups had been with their current employers for more than five years.  Although 44% had more than ten years of experience, the majority were younger professionals.  A slight majority indicted that they had held 2-3 jobs in their field.

Respondents were solidly middle class, with 52% having incomes ranging from $50--99,000.  Engineers fared better, with 62.6% falling in this income range and 31.3% in both the $50--74,999 and $75--99,999 income ranges.  Only 46.1% of non-technical employees fell into the $50--99,000 income range, with 29% earning $50--74.999.

An engineering degree clearly pays off.  Almost 16% of engineers earned $100--149,999 compared to just 4.9% of the non-technical group earning this much.

Education was important to all respondents.  Forty-one percent had an advanced degree.  Of those without an advanced degree, 46.5% planned to pursue one.  Engineers with advanced degrees represented 48.5%.  Some 27.4% of non-technical employees had attained an advanced degree.  The degrees of choice for engineering and non-technical employees were professional degrees, at 34.5% and 32.2%, respectively.  Nineteen percent of engineers pursued other educational opportunities for professional development, and 7.1% had earned a Ph.D.  Percentages for non-technical employees pursuing other educational opportunities or doctorate degrees were 5.7% and 1.1%, respectively.

Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) accounted for 33% of the respondents.  Engineers attended HBCUs at a higher rate (39.6%) than non-technical employees (26.2%).  Fewer Hispanic engineers attended HSIs (2.1%) than non-technical employees (4.8%).

Summary:  The respondents were mostly young and new to their careers.  They had yet to encounter the glass ceiling or other career roadblocks.  They were middle class, and most had children in the household.  They valued continuing education.

The Most Admired Companies Based on the Engineers' Responses

Company   Ranking

Lockheed Martin   1
IBM     2
Northrop Grumman   3
Raytheon    4
Boeing    5
General Electric   6
Johnson & Johnson   7
Exxon Mobil    8
NASA     8
SAIC     8
Booz Allen Hamilton  9
Hewlett-Packard   9
Microsoft Corporation  9
3M     10
Intel Corporation   10
Texas Instruments   10
BP     11
Cisco Systems, Inc.  11
Entergy    11
General Motors   11
Government  11
Southern Company   11
Verizon    11
The Aerospace Corporation 12
American Express   12
BAE Systems    12
Bechtel Corporation  12
Ch2M Hill    12
Citigroup    12
Deloitte    12
Eli Lilly    12
Federal Aviation Administration 12
Honeywell    12
Kimberly-Clark   12
L-3 Communications  12
Merck & Co.    12
Metronics    12
Procter & Gamble   12
Shell     12
Sony     12
Sun Microsystems   12
Abbott Laboratories  13
Adobe     13
Air Force    13
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.13
Apple Computer   13
Arinc     13
Astra Zeneca    13
AT&T     13
Bank of America   13
Behr     13
Bell Labs    13


Good News for Corporate America

Based on survey results, there is no question that diversity efforts are working.  That is good news for the nation's employers.  The majority of respondents said that their employers "got it" when it came to diversity.  Regarding employer fairness with promotions, pay, and assignment of leadership positions, more than 60% said their employers were doing a good job. 

There was a clear divide on the issue of fairness between the engineers and the non-technical group.  Engineers felt that their employers were fair in promotions (75%), in pay (79%), and in leadership assignments (82%), whereas the non-technical group's results for these same questions were 54, 59, and 56%, respectively.

Inequity in the workplace is also reflected in the numbers.  When we divided the above responses of the non-technical group into men and women, the percentage of men who felt their employers were fair about the above topics closely mirrored the responses of the engineering group. On the other hand, non-technical women's responses about fairness remained lower, with closer to 50% feeling that their employers are fair.

There was also a significant divide among female and male engineers when it came to the issue of leadership positions. Seventy-seven percent of female engineers considered their employer fair, compared to 66% of male engineers.  Regarding promotions, 74% of females and 76% of males said their employers were fair; regarding pay, 79% of females and 78% of males said their employers were fair; in other ways, 79% of females and 86% of males attested to their employers' fairness.

The vast majority of all respondents felt that their employers valued their input on diversity-related issues.  Only 11.7% rated their organizations' diversity program as poor. More than half said that their companies had formal minority and women recruitment programs, employee networks, or affinity groups. Some 82.7% work for organizations with a clearly stated diversity policy, and 67% responded that their companies conduct cultural awareness training.  Some 84.1% of employers had a confidential process for employees to report gender or racial discrimination concerns.

Moreover, 67% said their company sought their help in diversity recruitment, and 70% said their ideas on diversity were solicited.

The survey results indicate that many of the nation's employees are moving in the right direction on diversity issues.  Yet, respondents felt that there was still much to be done. For example, nearly 60% felt that not many minorities were represented in the engineering or scientific positions at their workplaces.  Only 33% of the engineers indicated that a formal mentoring program existed at their companies.  Fifty-six percent of the engineers said that their organizations had no formal recruitment program to reach women and minorities. 

Summary:  Highly skilled workers of both genders value their companies' diversity efforts and participate in those efforts at a higher percentage than non-technical employees.  Non-technical women cite inequity in percentages far greater than other groups.

Well-run diversity programs reduce employees' perceptions of unfairness.  Respondents who rated their employers' diversity as poor also rated them low in fairness and trust questions. 

Linking Professional Development and Minority Retention

Retention of talent is just as important as recruiting, yet retention continues to be a problem area, according to our respondents.  The fact that only 33.3% of the respondents had a mentoring program could be one reason why.

The minority engineering professionals who participated in the survey were excited about their career decisions.  Fifty-eight percent said it was passion for the work that led them to engineering.  The survey results also showed that professional development was an important factor for minorities.  Forty-seven percent indicated that learning opportunities were the second most important factor in choosing a job. Fifty-percent of engineers said corporate ethics was very important.

Engineers were also optimistic about their field, and 74% characterized current career opportunities as good to excellent.  Eighty-five percent expected career opportunities as staying the same or increasing.  Forty-four percent of them regularly read career-related magazines.

Professional development ranked very high with engineers.  Eighty percent attend career development conferences such as the Black Engineer of the Year Awards and the National Women of Color in Technology conference.

Correlating with the absence of corporate-based mentoring programs, 73% of engineers viewed networking events as being very important at these conferences.  Engineers who ranked seminars and workshops, continuing education units, awards/recognition events, and fun events as important were 82, 52, 49, and 33%, respectively.

Our respondents held such a promising view of career opportunities that many did not view job security as the most important factor in choosing a job.  Only 39% viewed it as the most important factor when choosing a job.  More important were benefits (45%), which, other than retirement, are largely immediate and not long-term. This could indicate that these employees plan to leave their places of employment before retirement.   

These factors imply that engineering respondents seek opportunities offering employee value propositions more consistent with their life goals. Several additional responses tend to support this.  One is the engineers' willingness to relocate.  When selecting a job, only 38% said location was of highest importance; the possibility of advancement (42%) beat out the actual position title (23%); 46.2% thought they had a good chance for advancement.

Summary:  Minority engineering professionals feel they have options.  As the job market improves, the war for talent will prove them right.  They are serious about their careers and about career development.  Retention of these employees will require advancement, recognition, and career planning.

Key Recruitment Factors - Employee Value Proposition

Based on the survey respondents, corporate diversity programs are now the norm in many workplaces.  Therefore, employers who don't have these programs or fail to execute them well are at a disadvantage.  Because they are common, though, it is important that the programs not become static and that employers continuously seek innovative ways to refresh the programs and reiterate the value proposition.

A core value to engineers is encouraging youth to enter the profession.  Some 93.8% of the engineering respondents said they would recommend a career in this field to their children or other young people who express an interest.  Only 60% of non-technical employees would do the same. This is not entirely surprising, considering that 74% made their decision to enter engineering between the ages of 12 and 21, with 46% making the decision between ages 12 and 18.   Forty-six percent of the minority engineers participated in pre-college engineering or science programs as a student. Non-technical professionals made their career decisions much later.   Seventy-eight percent made their career decisions at age 19 or older and some 51% after age 22. 

Engineers are very aware that recruiting the next crop of engineers means reaching them early.  Because of the young age at which individuals selected engineering as a career path, employers may want to consider reaching out to the future workforce earlier.  Doing this and using minority employees could be a powerful value proposition.

Other key items:

1. Reaching influencers also plays a role in attracting engineers.  Twenty-three percent cited an advisor as the reason for their career choice.  Twenty-one percent cited a family member, and 30% said they were influenced by a role model working in the field. Regarding influences, only 6% of non-technical minorities cited an advisor, 11.5% cited a family member, and 26% cited a role model.

2. When it came to joining a company, the factors that helped engineers decide where to work were salary/compensation at 62% and benefits at 56%. 

3. However, equally important were other factors such as a pleasant job interview (39%), friend or family recommendation (24%), and advertisement (15.9%).

4. Benefits that all respondents found important were telecommuting (40%), flex time (31%), tuition reimbursement (37%), child care (31%), retirement benefits (33.8%), and gym facilities (32.8%).

Additional Charts

Companies that received a mark of "Excellent" for "Best Diversity Program" Based on responses of engineers

1.  Turner Construction Company
2.  StorageTek
3.  IBM
4.  QualComm
5.  Bechtel Corporation
6.  Microelectronics Sales
7.  Lockheed Martin
8.  US Army Corps of Engineer
9.  Northrop Grumman
10.  Sprint
11.  Integrity Engineers and Constructors, LLC
12.  MITRE
13.  Verizon
14.  Howard University - CEACS
15.  Page Southerland Page
16.  Cisco Systems, Inc.
17.  Raytheon
18. Boeing

Companies that received a mark of "Excellent" for "Best Diversity Program" Based on all responses

1.  Turner Construction Company
2.  DaimlerChrysler
3.  StorageTek
4.  Sprint
5.  CACI
6.  Electronic Data Systems
7.  Mizimu Enterprises
8. IBM 
9.  Tribune Company-KTLA-TV
10.  QualComm
11.  Bechtel Corporation
12.  Microelectronics Sales
13.  American Express
14.  The Titus Foundation
15.  Lockheed Martin
16.  US Army Corps of Engineers
17.  Northrop Grumman
18.  Integrity Engineers and Constructors, LLC
20.  National Society Of Black Engineers
21.  Connecting Universities With Neighborhoods
22.  Verizon
23.  Howard University - CEACS
24.  System and Technology Group
25.  Keane Federal Systems, Inc.
26.  Page Southerland Page
27.  Coca-Cola Company
28.  Analyst International, Inc.
29. Hardware Development Tools
30.  Cisco Systems, Inc.
31.  Raytheon
32. Boeing

Companies that received a mark of "Excellent" for "Best Diversity Program" Based on responses of IT professionals

1. CACI
2.  Electronic Data Systems
3.  IBM
4.  American Express
5.  Connecting Universities With Neighborhoods
6.  Analyst International, Inc.

 
Companies that received a mark of "Excellent" for "Best Diversity Program"
Based on responses of non-engineers

1. DaimlerChrysler
2.  Sprint
3.  Mizimu Enterprises
4. Tribune Company-KTLA-TV
5.  The Titus Foundation
6.  Keane Federal Systems, Inc.
7.  Coca-Cola Company