A thought-leadership piece by Steve Becker,
SVP Research and Strategy, Echo MR
Compared to the general population of employers, market research employees are less likely to want to leave their job due to diversity, equality or inclusion issues. I guess since this is our benchmark, we can consider that a win.
But this is also telling us that there is a good chance that someone on this morning’s Zoom has thought about leaving their job because of discrimination. At least 1 in 5 in our industry sometimes considers leaving their position or organization due to issues with diversity, equality or inclusion.
I’d say that’s still a problem.
There doesn’t seem to be a dominant type of discrimination, or a group of people that is impacted more than others. In fact, its notable that fewer people in our industry report personal experiences with discrimination.
On the other end of the spectrum, market researchers feel like they are more likely than the general population to see rewards and career progression impeded by discrimination. Our industry is also seen as being behind the curve when it comes to formalizing programs dedicated to diversity, equality and inclusivity in the workplace. Employees feel that compared to the general population, MR organizations are less likely to demonstrate a commitment to these issues effectively and that we can make greater efforts to focus on diversity in our hiring practices.
Perhaps this is the result of the industry trailing others in diversity of leadership and employees
Or maybe we aren’t achieving more diversity because we’re all using the same job descriptions, resources and networks that we’ve always used. How can we get better and more diverse when we’re all fishing in the same lake with the same tackle box?
In our industry we tout our ability to deliver representative audiences for our clients, yet we don’t apply the same level of rigor to recruiting and incentivizing our own workforce.
Building a more inclusive foundation within the industry starts with expanding our candidate sourcing and learning to identify and address bias whenever it intrudes into our day-to-day. These can be difficult paths to embark upon, but the learnings are all about self-awareness, and while it may get uncomfortable at times, it’s important for our growth as an industry.
We’re doing ok, I guess. Let’s aim to be better.
Steve Becker
SVP Research and Strategy, Echo MR
