DETROIT, March 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Many companies pledged to increase their diversity after the death of George Floyd, a Black man at the hands of a white police officer, roiled the nation. Thus far, however, the pledges have not resulted in more contracts with Black consulting businesses, says Ida Byrd-Hill, CEO of Automation Workz, a cybersecurity reskilling and diversity consulting firm.
The report, “Why Are Black Employers More Likely than White Employers to Hire Blacks?” written by Stoll, Raphael, and Holzer, shows a large percentage of Black consulting businesses hire Black people. Black women have suffered the greatest job losses of any minority population during the pandemic even as Black consulting businesses are not getting their share of business contracts, to continue their employment, Byrd-Hill says.
This is true even in the automotive supply chain which has supplier diversity departments to assist Black businesses in acquiring contracts. Still, those departments are not responsible for consulting contracts in media, marketing, HR, training, meeting planning, finance, real estate and technology. Often, those contracts and bids are not publicly disseminated, Byrd-Hill says.
“As the CEO of a certified minority supplier, Automation Workz, that provides Diversity Culture Audits to break down the discriminatory walls of business, I believe American, Japanese and Korean automotive companies need a Diversity Culture Audit to determine why Black consulting businesses are not acquiring 14% of contracts from them, especially since African Americans buy a lot of cars,” Byrd-Hill says.
Diversity is not just a social justice issue; it is an economic imperative to seize $9 trillion in diverse populations’ spending power. Diverse consulting suppliers and employees are ambassadors to seize this spending power. “A Diversity Culture Audit documents the mindset of executives, reviews the operations of multiple departments then coaches them to create plans to acquire more diverse market share,” she says. When the Diversity Culture Audit is completed and a strong executive coach regiment is installed, the process of increasing revenue with diversity, flourishes, Byrd-Hill says.
Attention meeting planners: Ida Byrd-Hill, CEO, Automation Workz, is available to turn this serious discussion into a lighthearted speech for your next executive meeting.
Watch a video of Diversity Culture Audit concept here.
About Ida Byrd-Hill
Ida Byrd-Hill is an economist, futurist, educator and author of Invisible Talent Market. She holds an MBA from the Jack Welch Management Institute at Strayer University, with a specialization in people management and strategy. Byrd-Hill has appeared on Good Morning America, numerous radio stations and podcasts.
Contact: Ida Byrd-Hill, (313) 483-2126;
306309@email4pr.com
SOURCE Ida Byrd-Hill
