As Spotify Inc. publishes its 2018 diversity data report, it’s also acknowledging it still has a lot of work to around diversity and inclusion.
“As Spotifiers, we are always striving for transparency and accountability, and we believe this is another step in that direction,” the company noted in a human resources blog. “Like many other companies before us, this is not a ‘shout it from the rooftops’ event but rather a way for us to get real about our current status, what we’ve been working on to get there and where we’re headed with this data. Nonetheless, we are proud of the strides we’ve made, and even more committed to changing the areas we need to do much better in.”
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With regards to female representation in the workplace, nearly 39 per cent of the Swedish entertainment company’s workplace identifies as female. In addition, a third (33 per cent) of its board and 28 per cent of its senior executives are female. The report also notes that 11 per cent of Spotify’s workplace are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender and just three per cent have a disability. In terms of ethnic representation, 50 per cent of the workforce is white, while nearly 15 per cent are Asian, six per cent are black and 5.5 per cent are Hispanic.
“Some results were expected, for example our global representation of females (38.7 per cent). Some are encouraging, for example increasing our U.S. black employee representation by 3.6 per cent,” noted the blog post. “This is exactly why we need this data, to know where to direct our efforts.”
The report also details some of the work Spotify has been doing around diversity and inclusion, including:
- Launching more than 100 respectful workplace and unconscious bias workshops across its global offices;
- Increasing its employee resources groups from six to 13;
- Hosting more than 100 talent outreach programs to help it identify underrepresented talent; and
- Developing diversity programs to attract top talent, such as its U.S. fellowship program and business marketing rotational program.
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“Diversity data aside, over the past two years since this collection began we knew the work is so much more than just the numbers for us,” noted the blog post. “We want deep meaningful change and inclusion activities that seed both diversity and inclusion ubiquitously into everything we do as a company.
“Having the most diverse and included workforce is vital to our innovation, success and for having a lasting impact on the world.”