Facebook’s Civil Rights Audit
(not just senior leaders) should be evaluated in performance reviews. (As of 2019, senior leaders started
to be given goals against the Diverse Slate Approach and Inclusion metrics, which is progress, but the
Auditors believe is not enough.). Given the company’s ongoing exponential growth, and its diffuse and siloed
organizational structure, and the other pressures that employees face to innovate and get products to market
quickly, focusing on accountability, consistency, and D & I integration seems critical for diversity and inclusion
practices to be effectively adopted at scale. It is important for managers and employees to be deeply familiar
with tools and practices designed to impact the culture at Facebook and create a more inclusive environment.
(Given the COVID-19 pandemic and Facebook’s recent announcement that remote work will continue
indefinitely for many employees, Facebook should assess whether adjustments need to be made to inclusion
and D & I integration strategies to account for the impact of prolonged remote work — especially on efforts to
instill community, combat URM isolation, and ensure consistency in feedback, mentoring, and application of D
& I strategies across the board.)
(iii) Stronger Communication.
Based on the Auditors’ observations and conversations, one of the unfortunate side effects of this development
and expansion is that programs can sometimes be siloed and diffuse, which can result in a lack of awareness
of different initiatives, how they fit together, and what needs to be done to advance them. As an initial step, the
Auditors believe that describing all of Facebook’s diversity and inclusion programs and initiatives in a single
user-friendly resource, and explaining how the programs all fit together, and the strategies behind them would
help address information gaps and focus conversations. (This report does not substitute for such a resource
because it is merely an outline of Facebook’s efforts and is not exhaustive.)
Both in the civil rights community and inside Facebook, conversations about how to improve diversity and
inclusion at the company can be more targeted if there is greater transparency and clarity about what Facebook
is currently doing (and not doing) and what Facebook’s policies are — as compared with employees’ lived
experiences.
5.
Partner, Vendor, and Supplier Diversity
The civil rights community has criticized Facebook for not doing enough to ensure that the vendors and service
providers it chooses to partner with reflect the diversity of our society. They contend that partnering with more
diverse vendors, media companies, and law and financial management firms is also good business, as it promotes
innovation and brings new audiences, perspectives, and ideas to the table.
Facebook launched its supplier diversity program in late 2016 with the goal of helping diverse suppliers do business
with Facebook and with the people and communities that Facebook connects. Through the program, Facebook
has sought to increase its use of vendors owned by racial and ethnic minorities, women, members of the LGBT
community, veterans, and people with disabilities. In July 2020, Facebook reported spend of $515 million with
certified diverse suppliers in 2019 — a 40% increase over 2018 ($365M) — bringing its cumulative spend to over
$1.1 billion since the launch of these efforts.
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