Last Updated:
1/24/21 11:13 AM
overall rating:
undertones approved
Netflix
Internal Representation & Support
74%
Public Commitment
74%
External Communication
62%
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.
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Forms of monetary support we look for:
One-off donations
Recurring donations
Grant initiatives
Employee donation matching
Highlights
Over 15% of Netflix's top executives are Black. As part of their monetary commitment, Netflix pledged 2% of all cash holdings going forward to supporting Black communities, indicating that they have prioritized anti-racism as part of their ongoing operations. In January 2021, Netflix published a thorough update to their internal and external diversity efforts, another show of their continued commitment.
Lowlights
In addition to their increased diversity efforts on- and off-screen, Netflix should be doing considerably more to explicitly discuss anti-racism on social media, especially considering their platform of over 26M Instagram followers.
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:
8% - 9% Black, 6% - 10% BIPOC, 21% - 25% Women
Executive Leadership:
> 15% Black, 26% - 30% BIPOC, 46% - 50% Women
8% - 9% Black, > 40% BIPOC, 46% - 50% Women
Workforce:
An appointed DEI senior leader and/or a dedicated DEI organization, A Black employee resource group
DEI Support:
II. Public Commitment
Netflix has pledged a donation of 0.1% - 0.9% of annual revenue towards racial injustice, specifically for Black lives. Additionally, Netflix has engaged in actions that advance racial justice and/or uplift BIPOC communities, such as partnerships with nonprofits or mission-based organizations, sponsorship of individuals who use their platform to speak out on racial injustice, co-branded partnerships with other companies, and matching donations to a broad range of qualifying organizations. Netflix is also an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, people living with disabilities, and Indigienous populations.
III. External Communications
Netflix has issued a public statement, both on social media and in a public memo, addressing racial injustice that included specific calls to action, and explicitly stated "Black Lives Matter." Since June 2020, 0.1% - 9% of the brand's social media content has been centered around racial injustice with posts seeming performative in nature. The brand has made an effort to include ethnic diversity, specifically increasing Black representation, and has shown support of the LGBTQ+ community beyond Pride on social media, there is little to no evidence of inclusion of people living with disabilities or a wide range of models with varying body types.
