Inclusion and Belonging

Calls for greater social justice following the murder of George Floyd in 2020 raised awareness of the urgent need for greater inclusion and belonging initiatives. These calls were particularly strong within the communications field, and while Padilla had begun its inclusivity programs in earnest in 2019, the murder of George Floyd, which happened only a few miles from our headquarters, compelled us to accelerate our efforts.

We recognized that we needed a holistic approach to strengthen our commitments and actions toward addressing the industry’s inclusion and belonging challenges with innovative and effective initiatives. To proactively develop a program to bolster inclusion at all levels, we began by reiterating our commitment clearly, then we walked the walk.

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Padilla established a Council to ensure we are being intentional in creating a more diverse work environment. The Council – with guidance from senior leadership – focuses on the following key areas: Recruitment and Retention, Agency Training and Content, Client Work and Community Engagement.  

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Social impact client counsel is part of the work we provide within our Corporate Strategic Advisory. We also appointed a VP for Social Impact, who overseas inclusion and belonging and corporate social responsibility initiatives internally and leads the team counseling clients on these issues. To supplement Padilla’s internal expertise, The Collective, comprised of external advisors, helps to ensure an inclusive and culturally appropriate approach to public relations and communications for our agency and clients.

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When our recruitment process revealed missed opportunities to connect with and hire more candidates from diverse backgrounds, senior leaders had candid conversations with hiring managers about the importance of their role in the agency’s commitment to inclusive recruitment and hiring efforts. We strengthened relationships with diverse organizations and participated in college recruitment events and class presentations with various universities, including HBCUs. We held a variety of internal trainings for staff and developed an internal speakers’ series called the Bubble Break, which brings in diverse contributors, including musicians, academicians, visual artists, writers and industry experts to explore myriad topics.  

Additionally, we’re one of six agencies that established Take Flight, an inclusive communications career exploration program for college students.  

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As part of our Padilla PluggedIn corporate responsibility program, the agency established a Day of Service –one day off annually for employees to perform individual community service. Padilla also offers employees agency-wide volunteering activities and pro bono projects.

Since starting our Inclusion and Belonging program, Padilla has seen a 48% increase in BIPOC employees from less than 10% in 2020 to 14% at the end of 2024. The progress we’ve made – including greater diversity among our employee ranks – has emboldened our commitment to contributing to inclusive solutions within our industry, and the industries that our clients represent.