Apple got in touch with the Securities and Exchange Commission and it sought to push it to authorize the exclusion of a given shareholder proposal. This particular proposal targeted tying up the provider’s diversity efforts to CEO performance, a move that could drastically impact Tim Cook’s compensation.
The proposal comprised of figures derived from studies indicating that racial diversity in the work place corresponded to financial success. The music executive Tony Maldonado together with Zevin have for over quite some time made attempts to get Apple to give some form of accountability. That is along the lines of what this group sees as an apparent lack of diversity within its executive ranks.
Apple has launched its argument and it takes a strong stand asserting that it has been doing all within its means towards diversifying its workforce. It has moved ahead to speak to its shareholders asking them to vote against narrowly worded proposals like those brought forward by Zevin. It was back in January that the provider outlined it paid close attention to the underrepresented minorities within the tech community since they were a major contribution to their overall success as a business.
A top analyst following on the company’s progress opined,” Apple’s regular diversity reports show that creating a diverse and inclusive workplace is slow going. According to the latest statistics, 54 percent of new hires in the U.S. are ethnic minorities, but 56 percent of current workers are white and 68 percent are male.”
Apple’s Equal Employment Opportunity report gave a clear break down. It showed that out of the 107 executives, only 73 were white men. Two men were Hispanic, three were American and there was one woman.
It goes without saying that Apple is not the only company globally that is starting to look at diversity at the workplace with a keen eye. There are also a large number of companies out there that are starting to embrace diversity in a great way. The other thing has been about embracing gender equality and major steps have been made.
