[by Howard Fencl, APR]
Google, the paragon of 21st century Silicon Valley cool, does not have a diverse workplace. Not even close. In fact, a 19th century whiff of Jim Crow permeates the company’s workforce numbers. It’s a man’s shop – 70% of its employees are men, mostly white (http://bit.ly/1mJvmG9). Leadership numbers are more startling – 79% men, 72% of whom are white. It’s not hard to imagine this tidbit triggering a viral avalanche of finger-wagging headlines and a blistering social media flame storm, all crucifying Google and demanding an immediate advertising boycott.
But no. Larry Page and Sergey Brin are sleeping at night. Google skirted a reputation nightmare by fessing up its lousy numbers, and openly discussing the problem and what Google intends to do to fix it. “We’re not where we want to be when it comes to diversity. And it is hard to address these kinds of challenges if you’re not prepared to discuss them openly,” the web site reads. “Having a diversity of perspectives leads to better decision-making, more relevant products, and makes work a whole lot more interesting.”
When your organization’s reputation is at stake, it’s crucial to get out in front of the issue with proactive communication. Tell the truth, tell it all, and tell it first. By doing this, you “frame” the story that gets told. You claim the high ground and gain credibility by being proactive. You set the tone and take control of the messages.
A company’s reputation is its greatest asset. To protect that asset when you have not-such-good news to share, you must control the frame of reference of the story. Google’s communications strategy – be transparent and announce corrective action – immediately paints the company as doing the right thing. The headlines bear this out. Just search “Google diversity” on Google News. The algorithm never lies.