Last Updated:
11/8/20 11:13 AM
overall rating:
undertones approved
Internal Representation & Support
69%
Public Commitment
71%
External Communication
80%
To evaluate this pillar, we take into consideration a range of factors, including but not limited to:
- Employee representation
- Diversity, equity, & inclusion (DEI)
We weigh a company’s degree of public commitment primarily on their monetary contributions to DEI matters or organizations fighting racial injustice.
Forms of monetary support we look for:
One-off donations
Recurring donations
Grant initiatives
Employee donation matching
Highlights
Google added a Black-owned icon to Google Maps to enable its users to more easily support Black-owned businesses. Other anti-racist measures the company has taken include its $34 million donation to criminal justice reform over the past 5 years, its partnership with the Vera Institute to make jail data more accessible, its partnership with The Last Mile to help reduce the reincarceration cycle, and its programming of Google Assistant to rebut "All Lives Matter" statements.
Lowlights
Over 1,600 Google employees signed a petition to pressure the company to stop selling software to police forces. In addition, a group of LGBTQ+ YouTubers filed a lawsuit against Google over censorship issues, stating that YouTube's algorithm suppresses recommendations.
We scour the company’s website and official social media channels to determine what message they are sending around racial injustice, how they are communicating it, and whether their communications are perceived as genuine or performative.
Public statement: We verify that companies have made a formal statement regarding racial injustice.
Social media: We consider how a company uses their platform(s) beyond performative allyship.
Representation: For companies that have the opportunity to showcase diversity in their feed, we consider whether they have adequate Black representation and BIPOC representation across their models.
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Deep Dive
I. Internal Representation & Support:
Board of Directors:
> 15% Black, 36% - 40% BIPOC, 26% - 30% Women
Executive Leadership:
2% - 3% Black, 31% - 35% BIPOC, 26% - 30% Women
4% - 5% Black, > 40% BIPOC, 31% - 35% Women
Workforce:
An appointed DEI senior leader and/or a dedicated DEI organization, A Black employee resource group
DEI Support:
II. Public Commitment
Google has pledged a donation of 0.1% - 0.9% of annual revenue towards racial injustice, specifically for Black lives. Additionally, Google has engaged in actions that advance racial justice and/or uplift BIPOC communities, such as partnerships with nonprofits or mission-based organizations, sponsorship of events, and matching donations to a broad range of qualifying organizations. Google is also an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, people living with disabilities, and Indigienous populations.
III. External Communications
Google has issued a public statement, both on social media and in a public memo, addressing racial injustice The public statement acknowledged that they can be doing better to combat racial inequality within their company and included specific calls to action, but did not explicitly state "Black Lives Matter." Since June 2020, 0.1% - 9% of the brand's social media content has been centered around racial injustice with posts seeking to continue the momentum of BLM. The brand has made an effort to include ethnic diversity, specifically increasing Black representation, and has shown support of the LGBTQ+ community beyond Pride as well as inclusion of people living with disabilities or a wide range of models with varying body types on social media.
