After working for 20 years in the male-dominated technology and film industries, Deborah Brenner discovered during a trip to Napa, California, that many women were underrecognized in the wine industry too. She authored a book profiling women in wine, leading her down a path to organize the inaugural Women of the Vine & Spirits Global Symposium in 2015. That meeting of women and male allies inspired a year-round initiative to support female professionals in the beverage alcohol industry: Women of the Vine & Spirits.
The company is now focused on supporting the development and longevity of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) initiatives for companies of all sizes across the three-tier system. In 2020, companies worldwide spent about $7.5 billion on diversity, equity, and inclusion-related efforts, and that figure has grown every year since, according to Fast Company. But with news of company layoffs and economic constraints, advocates are warning that diversity and inclusion efforts are among the first parts of a business to take a back seat.
On International Women’s Day, we caught up with Brenner to talk about the challenges women still face in the industry, how companies can make their work environments more inclusive, and why a diverse workplace strengthens the bottom line. Answers have been edited for clarity and length.
You have been outspoken on the challenges faced by women in the beverage industry for a while, what progress has been made that most excites you?
While we have so much progress to make, I feel hopeful that DE&I is now at the forefront of many company agendas. For companies small and large, DE&I has become a business imperative. We need more initiatives, and dedicated budgets, to help with implementation and long-term success. We need more education and engagement.
We know that true equality cannot be achieved overnight, for example, data shows that in corporate America at current rates, it will take over 100 years to reach gender equality in the C-suites. But we don’t have that kind of time. We are seeing surges in racial hate crimes, violence and harassment. During the pandemic, more women exited the workforce than we’ve seen in decades. These are major setbacks, and we need to work together to change the face of the industry and provide a safe, empowering, and inclusive work environment where all can succeed.
You are soon to release the results from the 2023 Women Raising the Bar Study. Last year, Women of the Vine & Spirits collaborated with Deloitte LLP to publish the first iteration of that industry specific DE&I baseline report. What was the significance of that report and how has that data been used since?
The study established a standardized framework from which to measure company performance against DE&I benchmarks going forward. The fundamental goal was to support companies in their evaluation of leading practices and hold themselves accountable for building more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces. So often we would hear that there was no concrete measurement tool to assess the state of beverage alcohol when it comes to DE&I — in previous studies, the industry has been lumped into the larger food and beverage category. Because we have the three-tier system and are highly regulated by law, our industry has its unique challenges and issues when it comes to DE&I.
The results of the 2022 study have already had such tangible impacts on company leaders within our industry. So many of our corporate members have utilized the data to assess their internal DE&I initiatives to help them effectively measure where they align within the industry, and what areas they can improve upon.
The report found that less than 20% of women think their company’s efforts on DE&I have been very successful in creating a better workplace. What other statistics stood out to you?
This statistic really struck me. A few others from the study that really resonated; 81% of women who participated believe minorities are underrepresented among their company’s senior executives — a sentiment shared across the supplier and distributor tiers. Also, when it comes to factors that most contribute to a lack of diversity in leadership positions, it is the perception of industry bias toward men that tops the list.
Where are companies failing in their DE&I efforts?
One area where we have seen a lot of companies struggle is recruitment and retention. To be successful, companies must first be inclusive behind the company door. Their external inclusive marketing needs to match an internal inclusive culture. Ensuring your recruiters or hiring managers are diverse is one step to take.
Secondly, it’s about retaining that diverse talent, and most importantly sponsoring team members up the ladder. We aren’t seeing underrepresented groups elevate within these companies and assume leadership positions. This is a major opportunity and an area where we have work to do. This is where getting middle management involved is imperative, we need to actively focus on creating cultures of inclusivity across all levels of a company. We also need to see greater representation in executive leadership. If we can diversify our leadership from the top down, we will witness much more success in retention and recruitment. You can’t be what you can’t see.
How does having a more inclusive workplace strengthen the bottom line?
Not only is creating a more diverse, equitable and inclusive industry the right thing to do, it’s also good for business. There are so many statistics to support this. Cognitive diversity can enhance team innovation by up to 20%, and it can reduce risks by up to 30%, also according to Deloitte.
Organizations with inclusive cultures are two times as likely to meet or exceed financial targets,
three times as likely to be high performing, and six times more likely to be innovative and agile, according to the same data. They are also eight times more likely to achieve better business outcomes.
Socially conscious consumerism is on the rise and businesses are being held accountable. If your company does not reflect its consumers, you will be beat out by your competition. Most importantly, having a diverse team means you have diversity of thought. I always talk about a person’s superpowers – the unique ideas and strengths a person has because of their world experiences. The more diversity we have in world experience, the more creativity, innovation, and inspiration we will witness. This will certainly support company growth, the numbers speak for themselves.
There have been headlines about larger corporations making commitments to DE&I initiatives, but what is a good starting point for smaller companies to make their workforce and work environments more inclusive?
Starting your company DE&I journey can feel like a big task and knowing where to start is always difficult. I suggest that companies start internally, with their employees. To better understand your company culture, create listening groups to empower your employees to share their experiences as well as their ideas for improvement.
Surveys are also a great way to measure the perceptions and experiences of those within a company. Ask questions like, do you feel like you can bring your full self to work? Do you feel like your perspectives are valued in meetings? And for leaders, sit back and observe and listen, are all voices invited and valued? Do your department or team meetings represent diverse points of view? Empowering your employees to speak up is invaluable, and through this process you may discover that someone on your team has a superpower you were not fully tapping into.
Beyond employee sentiment data, companies need to take concrete action. It’s one thing to commit yourself to DE&I initiatives and programs, but it’s another thing to take action and assign a budget to these programs.
A few additional suggestions include creating employee resource groups or business resource groups (Women of the Wine & Spirits has industry-wide groups if your company is too small). Also, restrategize your recruitment strategies: host blind interviews, build relationships with Historically Black Colleges & Universities and other educational institutions, re-examine the language you have on your job postings. We so often see companies in beverage alcohol requiring industry experience or a college degree. We also know that our industry lacks true diversity that reflects our consumers. Requiring industry experience and a four-year degree isn’t serving us.
Another suggestion is to participate in educational trainings on a variety of topics, such as stereotypes and microaggressions, creating an inclusive culture, or understanding unconscious and implicit bias.
We know that DE&I is an ongoing journey, and it is no easy task. Women of the Vine & Spirits is here to help companies successfully build DE&I programs, share best practices, and support challenges.