Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Why we care about diversity, equity and inclusion
The legal section of our handbook clearly states that McGuffin is an equal opportunity employer and makes all hiring decisions without regard to race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, and more. In summary, we seek to abide by all laws related to discrimination.
Adhering to ideals of nondiscrimination is important, but it is not enough.
We are committed to doing our part in creating a more diverse, equitable and inclusive community.
An expanded national conversation over racial inequities in society and the economy has resurfaced the lack of diversity across marketing, advertising and design sectors. And it has caused McGuffin to reset and refocus.
Minority voices are sorely underrepresented across our industry, and our country has reached a tipping point that demands more consequential effort. We are determined to do our part in creating meaningful change that helps counter systemic racism.
Education
McGuffin supports the ideals of a truly equitable workplace, absent of discrimination, racism or bias, and supportive of inclusion and acceptance. We understand that education will go a long way in achieving that goal. To help ensure we are all supporting a culture of equity and inclusion, and treating one another and our clients, partners and peers equally, we require that all full-time McGuffn employees complete this course on unconscious bias.
- https://x.design.blog/
- Where are the Black designers?
- AIGA Diversity & Inclusion
- Design Census
- We Are Hue
- Revision Path
- Diversity Inc
- The Brand Lab
Dialogue
While McGuffin does not have a formal group advocating on behalf of diversity and inclusion, we support regular, planned, conversations among employees. These conversations focus on a range of current and historic topics around social injustice, gender, LGBTQIA+ rights, ableism, systemic racism and more.
Our workforce seeks to enable a deeper understanding of barriers to equity and inclusion so we can all consider our personal roles in dismantling systemic racism. These conversations, which include discussion of specific articles, books or other thought pieces, enable that understanding.
All McGuffins are encouraged and welcomed to join in conversations but there is no requirement to do so.
Goals aligned with U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
As we move ahead, McGuffin will focus on racial inclusion and strive for alignment with the EEOC’s benchmark, which sets these goals as standard for our industry:
Percentage of Workforce*
- Black or African American – 6.7%
- Asian -18%
- Hispanic or Latinx – 6.3%
- Caucasion or White – 66.4%
*EEOC professional services sector data 2018
Recruiting, interviewing, and hiring
Internships
We are intentional in our outreach for candidates, be they design or account management roles. Our candidate outreach purposefully includes a diverse representation of colleges and universities and will continue to be reviewed for its effectiveness.
We employ two interns per year through a winter co-op program and a summer internship. Our winter co-op program is through Northeastern University; from January to May, one student from Northeastern is a full-time employee with McGuffin allowing them an immersive work experience within our creative team.
Our summer internship, from June through August, is open to students across the country interested in advertising and design. At least one student will be part of our creative or account team. Our outreach for applicants includes HBCUs, Chicago-area colleges and other schools across the country with students from various socioeconomic backgrounds.
Our goal is to provide a real-life agency experience to students while guiding them in their development as a creative and/or account management team member. We hope they leave McGuffin with confidence as they begin their careers.
Contract and part- or full-time employees
Recruiting firms – Recruiting and hiring for diversity is legal if done in a fair, consistent manner that does not discriminate (complies with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment act of 1967 and the Americans with Disabilities Act). When working with recruiting firms, we make clear our goals for workforce diversity and inclusion, and our qualifications for candidates, including values alignment. We make sure that for every position we seek to fill, we always include a qualified candidate of color in the interview process.
Resource for freelancers of color:
- Marketers and designers: https://www.wearehue.org/about
- Graphic design network: https://aagd.co/
- Creatives: https://peopleofcraft.com/
LinkedIn, Indeed or other online resources – When recruiting through LinkedIn or other avenues without the assistance of a search firm, we make every effort to include at least one qualified candidate of color in the interview process.
Referrals, introductions – From time to time we’re introduced to or run across candidates that meet qualifications for an open or needed position at McGuffin. Referral candidates will not receive preferential treatment over non-referral candidates for open positions.
Importantly, our hiring decisions are based on qualifications and best fit for the role. We do not favor a lesser qualified candidate in a protected class over one who is not.
Creating better
Numerous studies by McKinsey and other global consulting firms point to the fact that more diverse organizations outperform their less diverse competitors. At McGuffin, we know that one of our core strengths is our people and the variety of ideas, experiences, perspectives, backgrounds and beliefs we all bring.
We know that we’ll create better, smarter solutions for our clients by bringing together a greater range of thought and perspective. We also know that we’ll build a better community by breaking down boundaries created by divisive and unjust social systems.
