Task force says Cokes commitment to diversity still has shortcomings

<p>The recent trend of executive-level promotions at the Coca-Cola Co. reflects an absence of diversity, suggesting the beverage giant needs to implement career development and staffing reforms to comply with a court settlement, an independent task force says.</p><p>In an 83-page annual report released Wednesday, the second of four analyzing Cokes compliance with the 2000 settlement, the task force said Atlanta-based Coke has made considerable progress in improving its system for hiring minorities.</p><p>But, the task force said, the company has fallen short in the executive promotion area and several other programs. It said Coke has been hampered in the effort because personnel and resources were focused on a massive restructuring effort and dealing with a whistleblower lawsuit filed by a former employee that prompted an ongoing federal investigation of the companys business practices.</p><p>As of Sept. 30, only 18.9 percent of Cokes salaried executives in the United States were minorities, the report said. The three U.S. executives Coke has hired this year were all white men, the report said.</p><p>The task force said that employee survey data reveals that a distinct gap still exists between white employees and black employees perceptions of the company. The data continues to show that black employees were significantly more negative about the companys diversity climate than were white employees.</p><p>Bridging these gaps will be a critical challenge for the company going forward, the task force report said.</p><p>As far as positive changes, the task force said Coke has done a better job on diversity issues in several areas: the job posting process, diversity training for managers and internal equal employment opportunity monitoring.</p><p>Coke set up the diversity task force after spending more than $200 million on racial and gender discrimination settlements between 2000 and 2002. The committee represents both the plaintiffs and the company and is made up of two business executives, two lawyers and a trio of former civil rights officials.</p><p>In a memo to employees on Wednesday, chief executive Doug Daft said Coke is making progress toward diversity and is committed to overcoming any hurdles it may face.</p><p>Diversity has long been a fundamental element to the business success of the Coca-Cola Co., Daft said. As we continue our journey, we must always challenge ourselves to build on the progress we have made.</p><p>___</p><p>On the Net:</p><p>HASH(0x28658a0)</p>