For the second consecutive year, DiversityInc magazine named Marriott International, Inc. one of the Top 50 Companies for Diversity,…
For the second consecutive year, DiversityInc magazine named Marriott International, Inc. one of the Top 50 Companies for Diversity, the only lodging company on the list. Marriott placed 12th overall, up from 25th last year. A total of 203 companies competed in the survey.
According to DiversityInc, the Top 50 Companies for Diversity survey is the only national ranking of its kind and is the most in-depth empirical analysis of corporate diversity management and planning. This year`s ranking is based on more than 300 detailed questions analyzing human capital, CEO commitment, corporate communications and supplier diversity.
Diversity is more than a goal at Marriott International; it`s our business. Our determination to provide opportunities for our associates and customers is one of the main reasons people want to work and do business with us, said J.W. Marriott, Jr., Chairman and CEO. It gives our company strength and a competitive edge. We`re proud that we`ve set the standard for the entire hospitality industry.
In the human-capital area, which was one of the areas that Marriott International scored particularly well, important factors included: top 10 percent highest paid employees, CEO commitment, diversity training, management compensation linked to diversity, and measurement of recruitment, retention, promotion and salaries. The lodging leader ranked ninth out of the Top 10 Companies in the Recruitment & Retention category; seventh in the Top 10 Companies for Asian Americans; and seventh in the Top 10 Companies for Executive Women.
How well a company manages its hiring, recruitment and retention practices directly affects its competitive edge and may well be the deciding factor in its very survival, said Luke Visconti, partner and co-founder of DiversityInc. Marriott International`s substantive employee programs ensure that its pipeline is full of top talent who want to build a future with the company because they are treated well and prepared for advancement through proper succession planning.
As a Hall of Fame member of Fortune magazine`s 100 Best Companies to Work For list for eight consecutive years, Marriott has always been committed to employing a talented and diverse workforce. In particular, the company has doubled the number of women and minorities in its top 400 leadership positions over the last six years. Marriott`s current and future success in workforce diversity is supported through programs such as its Leadership Education Series, which teaches managers how to lead and build their careers in today`s increasingly diverse and complex marketplace. The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) has ranked Marriott number one in its Lodging Industry Report six out of the past seven years.
After exceeding its goal of spending 7 percent of its annual purchasing dollars with minority-and women-owned suppliers in 2004, Marriott established a new goal of spending more than $1 billion over the next five years with diverse suppliers. The company has also implemented numerous initiatives to double the number of its 270 minority and women owners and franchisees in five years.
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