Amazon presents itself as a champion of diversity and inclusion. “We seek builders from all backgrounds to join our teams, and we encourage our employees to bring their authentic, original, and best selves to work,” writes the online retailer on its careers site.
In spite of this declaration, Amazon’s track record paints a different picture. The company balked a couple of years ago at a plan to require that consideration be given to women and minorities qualified for a leadership role, a policy similar to the NFL’s Rooney Rule in which teams must speak to minorities when filling vacancies at the head coach and general manager positions.
Just this week, the Seattle Times reported that two women have joined senior management, otherwise referred to as the “S team” internally, tripling the number of female leaders. Three is also the number of people on the 22-member S team who are not white, suggesting that Amazon has been slower to accept diversity at the top.
A lack of diversity can have consequences for both minority groups who may feel ostracized and the organization that loses talented employees, creating costs in the process. There should be a commitment to diversity on all levels at Amazon and other firms. However, they need to be more than empty gestures meant to satisfy public relations and government law (Lussier & Achua, 2016).
Amazon for its part did relent and agree to implement the Rooney Rule in its hiring practices. It also reports offering staff educational opportunities such as training, mentorships, and recognition of events such as Black History Month, which we happen to be in right now. But is it enough when the people at the top are still mostly white? My recommendation for Amazon would be that they include more women and minorities on their leadership team to help promote the message of inclusivity within the company in the hopes of delivering a positive work experience for employees.
Reference
Lussier, R.N., & Achua, C.F. (2016). Leadership: Theory, application, & skill development (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.