Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Diversity, equity and inclusion will power Meredith's continued success. We have created a set of rigorous practices to hire, develop and grow the best talent by highlighting the benefits of a diverse workforce.

Click here to read more about our DE&I efforts and achievements.

We are committed to these diversity, equity and inclusion efforts:

• Increasing employee diversity across the organization
• Facilitating inclusion efforts within the workplace
• Creating education and awareness opportunities 
• Effectively communicating our DE&I initiatives and strategies inside and outside of the organization

Meredith believes in and strives for an environment based on respect for all individuals and provides equal employment opportunity to all people, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, creed, religion, age, disability, marital status, military service or any other characteristic. 

Diane Parker, Meredith's Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, leads the team that is responsible for connecting current activities to a larger DE&I strategy. With the support of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), we continually embed these principles into all of our functions. This strategy is focused on four pillars: 

1. Education 

2. Recruitment 

3. Retention 

4. Communication

Watch the video below to hear more from Diane Parker.

Meredith Corporation has created nine Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) that drive engagement across the company through education, events and community support. They are conduits of workplace culture that educate our staff on the value of diversity, equity, and inclusion; and share the culture, customs, characteristics and priorities of various communities. Also, the ERGs provide business consultation and support as needed.

Those groups are:

• A3 (Asian American and Pacific Islander)
• :BLACKPRINT (Black)
• OUTSPOKEN (LGBTQIA)
• ¡HOLA! (Hispanic/Latinx)
• Women at Meredith
• Women in Tech
• Media Upstarts (Gen Z and Millennials)
• DSM 4 DEI (Headquarters activities)
• DE&I India Committee

In fiscal 2021, our ERGs set the bar high for staff events. From discussing critical issues of the communities they represent to having fun, informal watch parties and book club meetings, each ERG has provided an open forum and safe space for real conversation.

We launched Good Impressions, a pro bono media and marketing consultation program designed to help BIPOC and LGBTQIA majority owned small businesses succeed by driving awareness, supporting sales efforts, and providing mentorship. The program received 76 initial applications and was born out of the thought leadership of our ERGs.

Ninety-seven percent of applicants were BIPOC majority owned and 21% LGBTQIA majority-owned. The applicants were located in 23 different states, the top three being New York, California, and Georgia. Businesses at various stages of growth and development were selected to win individual awards valued up to $100K and gained access to our marketing and advertising capabilities. Good Impressions exclusively works with food and beauty companies, including those in the consumer packaged goods products space.

In fiscal 2021, Meredith implemented training sessions on unconscious bias across the organization. The training addressed and defined the concept of unconscious bias and how it affects decision making. Most importantly, the training covered strategies aimed at mitigating bias-based practices in the workplace. Sixty-five percent of employees completed the training.  Meredith will continue to offer it to employees who have not participated, and it will be woven into other relevant training moving forward.

Meredith’s VP of DE&I leads internal training sessions for departments across the organization, including all Meredith brands. “Exploring DE&I:  A Guided Conversation,” is a session that:

• Defines Diversity, Equity and Inclusion;
• Determines personal action steps employees can take to be more inclusive;
• Explores unconscious bias, stereotypes and microaggressions;
• Discusses the impact of DE&I at Meredith.

In partnership with Skillsoft, a global leader in corporate digital learning, Meredith will roll out a new video-based DE&I education program for all staff in 2021.  Employees are required to complete several training sessions to understand how companies can sustain a culture that appreciates and champions Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.  From identifying implicit bias to learning what it means to be an ally.  Each training session breaks down aspects of DE&I and its importance in the workplace.

• Top 100 US Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List
   
• 6th overall out of 23 benchmarked Media companies on the Family Builder Workplace Index
   
• Scored a 90 of 100 on the Corporate Equality Index – benchmarks LGBTQ+ - inclusive policies, practices, and benefits among employers
   
• Pride Company of the year in Des Moines, 2018 and 2019
   
• Greater Des Moines Partnership Inclusion Award, 2020
   
• Gender Fair Certified Organization
   
• Healthiest Employers® has named Meredith to the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America list in 2021. This award honors organizations that demonstrate care for their people and invest in health and well-being solutions and initiatives.

Meredith partners with diverse professional networks to expand its recruitment efforts as well as create a pipeline for the talent necessary to take our company to the next level.

• ANA Made Program
• AnitaB.org Institute

• Asian American Journalists Association

• Circa
• ColorComm
• Emma Bowen and T. Howard Foundation
• Grace Hopper Celebration
• Jopwell
• Lesbians Who Tech

• Native American Journalists Association

• Online News Association (ONA)

• Organization of Black Senior Leaders

• The Black Creatives
• The Conference Board
• The Executive Leadership Council
• The National Association of Black Journalists
• The National Association of Hispanic Journalists
• National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA)
• StepUp

Meredith collaborated with a variety of organizations in fiscal 2021 to create the inaugural Summer Associates Program. Sourcing candidates through Girls Write Now, Posse Foundation, Advertising Research Foundation: WIDE (Workforce Initiative for Diversity and Excellence), Dow Jones News Fund, historically Black colleges and universities, and Hispanic serving institutions resulted in an outstanding class of 12 skilled interns, 11 of whom are BIPOC and two of whom identify as LGBTQIA. This opportunity provided the students with practical hands-on experience while creating a diverse pipeline for future Meredith employment opportunities.

Media and Advertising

Meredith is proud to participate in initiatives that aim to help the media industry and business overall reexamine their diversity, equity and inclusion practices and adapt to a changing landscape in order to better reflect the diversity of modern consumers and audiences. Examples of those initiatives include:

• CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion
• SEEHER
• GEM™
• Business Coalition for the Equality Act
• Paradigm for Parity
• She Runs It

Meredith's dedicated custom content division, The Foundry, engaged directly with BCX at Virginia Common Wealth's Executive Learning Division, to develop and host a DE&I deconstructed curriculum for its nearly 80 creators.

The Foundry also aligned with 600&Rising to take part in an initiative that aims to help the media industry overcome its challenges overall.

Supplier Diversity 

In fiscal 2021, Meredith created a Business Diversity and Social Responsibility Program to facilitate alignment with suppliers that share our values. 

Meredith has partnered with organizations that support supplier diversity initiatives across all industries. These organizations include:

• U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC)
• The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) 

Along with Meredith’s commitment to accurate portrayals of women, the company is also focused on ensuring its brands reflect the diversity of their audiences and the U.S.

From a content perspective, we’re focused on creating meaningful reporting about BIPOC news and storytelling. We’re bringing in more diverse writers, voices, and photos and well as fostering diversity within our management and employee base. 

A few examples of our efforts include:

• PARENTS diversified its board of advisors so that it is now 51% BIPOC. It created a pledge for writers (signed by all contributors from the last two years and included with every new contract) committing to prioritizing diversity in their reporting. It committed to increasing diversity in sources, imagery, writers, and photography across the board, and lifted up issues of social justice in its pages. 

• Entertainment Weekly continues to feature celebrities from the LGBTQ+ community on the cover of its annual Pride issue.

• InStyle participates in the 15 Percent Pledge by committing to increasing the percentage of Black cover subjects, models, and feature subjects; and by introducing requirements for new hires and annual freelancers, among other initiatives.
   
• EatingWell shared a story in its March issue about an organization called Tall Grass Food Box that supports Black-owned farms. The story was produced by Black writers and photographers.
   
• The most recent launch by Meredith Video is a new FOOD & WINE show, “Pastries with Paola.” The series, which stars celebrated pastry chef Paola Velez, debuts with 13 episodes. The videos focus on how to make easy desserts like empanadas and chocolate cake. They also celebrate Paola’s Dominican heritage and culinary traditions.

Read more about the diversity across our brands here.

While Meredith aligns with industry and geographic norms in several categories, we have work to do to improve diversity within our organization. Our goal is to increase overall diversity within our organization, with a focus on our leadership profile.

In the spirit of “you measure what matters,” we’ve created baseline statistics of staff diversity both company-wide and by business unit. We track and review these numbers quarterly. Ultimately our goal is to create a workforce profile that is more representative of the customer base we serve and the communities in which we operate. In fiscal 2021 41% of our new hires across Meredith were BIPOC, leading to a one-point increase in the overall percentage of employees in that category.

See our full workforce statistics here.

As one of the country’s leading media companies, Meredith continues to use its platforms to elevate diverse voices, share BIPOC and LGBTQIA stories, and create programs to support underrepresented businesses and communities. In fiscal 2021,  Meredith worked with its employee resource groups to establish an employee committee that identified a list of 501(c)(3) organizations where donations can make an impact, specifically to those that support racial justice initiatives. 

As an organization, Meredith has donated to: 

$65,000 each to Stop AAPI Hate and CAAAV.  

$50,000 each to NAAPIMHA and Asian Mental Health Collective

$20,000 to Diversify our Narrative

$50,000 to Vital Voices

$5,000 to Martin Luther King Sr. Community Resources Collaborative

$100,000 to Equal Justice Initiative Fund

$100,000 to Legal Defense Fund

$100,000 to NAACP

$100,000 to National Urban League

$100,000 to The Innocence Project

Additionally, Meredith ERGs donated to the following causes: 

$500 to RAICES

$250 Stop AAPI Hate

$750 NQAPIA

$848 to National Center for Transgender Equality

$500 to Transgender Law Center

$500 to My Sistah's House Memphis

$500 to Anti Violence Project 

$10,000 to DeliverFund 

Also, in partnership with the Ad Council, Meredith donated $2 million in advertising inventory to promote racial justice through its longstanding campaign Love Has No Labels.

Meredith’s Summer Associate Program

Meredith’s Summer Associate Program is a full-time, paid internship program designed to teach students what it takes to produce content in Meredith’s National Media Group, an organization reaching over 190 million American consumers every month.

During the 12-week period, Associates will gain valuable knowledge with on-the-job training, shadow professionals, gather data and research stories, fact check, develop content and more. Associates will work collaboratively on a project throughout the summer and will have the opportunity to present the project to Meredith’s senior leaders.  

Each Associate will be placed in a specific brand or department and work closely with that team; however, they will also have opportunities to network and learn about different aspects of the business through a dedicated mentor, orientation and internal speaker series. 

Current full-time juniors, seniors, recent college graduates and graduate students are eligible to apply. Meredith is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and representing the communities that we serve. We strongly encourage BIPOC and LGBTQIA students to apply.

​​​​​​Please check back in January for application details of the 2022 Summer Associates Program.​

Here is what a few of our 2021 class of Associates had to say about their experience in the program:

"Getting the opportunity to be a Meredith summer associate was truly amazing. I was able to work on projects that I was interested in and I was able to learn and grow in the process. I feel so honored to have met other talented individuals and I have felt supported throughout the program."

-Karlee Wong

"During my academic career, I have been fortunate to participate in several internship programs, but none quite like the Meredith Summer Associate Program. It is a rarity to be surrounded by so many impressive BIPOC young professionals."

-Jada Hester

"I've really enjoyed my time as a Summer Associate at Meredith. I was able to explore my interest in producing morning newscasts and jumped right into the morning news team as a writer. I've learned a lot about my writing and producing over the course of this summer.”

-Angel Jimenez

"My time at Meredith has been an invaluable experience to my career and personal development. I’ve felt pushed outside of my comfort zone in the best of ways, while being supported by my colleagues and managers. This associate program is an incubator for success."

-Taylor Jennings-Brown

“My time at Meredith this summer has been one of the greatest experiences. I am so thankful for my astounding colleagues on the Client Activation team, where the culture and sense of community is unmatched - as well as the DE&I team who led this amazing Summer Associate program!"

-Brian Sanford