50
WARNER BROS.
RECRUITING FOR A
DIVERSE AUDIENCE
No. 8 Top 10 Companies for Recruitment & Retention
Business Type: Entertainment
Corporate Headquarters: Burbank, Calif.
Number of U.S. Employees: 6,000
Annual Worldwide Revenues: $11.8 billion (Source: Hoovers.com)
Warner Bros.’ mission as a global entertainment company is to change with the trends as they occur. But
the Time Warner subsidiary’s commitment to diversity recruitment and retention is both deep-rooted and permanent, says Kiko Washington, senior vice president, worldwide human resources.
Barry M. Meyer
Chairman and CEO
Kiko Washington
Vice President,
Worldwide Human Resources
“It’s not portrayed as a program;
it’s a business imperative … and
because of that the senior management team is able to drive it,” says
Washington, crediting the leadership of Barry Meyer, chairman and
CEO, and Alan Horn, president
and chief operating officer, for creating a corporate culture of diversity and inclusion.
The two company leaders consider diversity recruitment and
retention a major strategic priority
both in the United States and the
global environment.
“They have made it clear to the
senior management team that we
need the most talented and diverse
folks in front of the cameras, behind
the cameras executing strategies, or
we don’t grow,” says Washington.
By the numbers, Warner Bros. is
succeeding with its diversity strategy.
People of color are 38 percent of
the work force but 40 percent of
new hires. The company has unbiased and consistent retention numbers with whites ( 96 percent),
African Americans ( 98 percent),
Asian Americans ( 98 percent) and
Latinos ( 95 percent). In addition,
women have thrived in senior management posts. Warner Bros. promoted 44 percent more women ( 52
percent vs. 36 percent) than the Top
50 and has 15 percent more women
in management ( 49 percent vs. 48. 5
percent) than the Top 50.
So what are the strategies for
this success? Warner Bros. firmly
believes it is all about relationships.
For one, the company has tapped
its employee resource groups to
advance its commitment to diversity. The company also participates
in or hosts as many as 40 recruiting
conferences a year and has strong
partnerships with several organizations such as the National Black
MBA Association.
“When you have a reputation
for welcoming diverse perspectives
and diverse lifestyles, it does give
you a competitive advantage in
recruiting talent and retaining talent and moving your business forward,” says Washington.
