NPR Board Unanimously Approves Measures in Response to Independent Report

Published February 21, 2018 at 5:01 PM CST

Today, the NPR Board unanimously adopted a series of measures to help ensure that the Board's commitment to an inclusive and diverse workplace is reflected in the daily experiences of everyone at NPR. Our actions are intended to establish ownership of culture by the CEO and Senior Management Team, develop operating principles that provide meaning to NPR's culture, foster a strengthened environment of inclusivity and diversity, fully develop and implement the policies and procedures in the NPR Handbook and NPR Code of Conduct, provide multiple clear avenues to address workplace claims, and institute processes within the Human Resources team to engender trust within the organization.

Among the measures the Board has directed are:

Changing the management structure to have the HR Head report directly to the CEO;

Instituting continuous Board review of HR matters, including culture, diversity and inclusion, demographics, hiring, attrition, succession planning, talent development, harassment, bullying, retaliation, and complaint processes;

Improving Human Resources management and processes, including strengthening the vetting procedures used in hiring, building contributions to NPR culture into the annual performance review process, ensuring broad awareness of multiple clear methods for communicating HR issues and reporting complaints, appointing an Employee Relations Head to oversee all personnel investigations and, with Legal, review cases and report feedback to management and the Board, and evaluating and continuously updating training to reinforce cultural values and related policies and procedures for all employees;

Creating a Diversity and Inclusion Committee to monitor issues within NPR;

Conducting an initial and ongoing annual Culture Survey to measure NPR culture, including diversity and inclusion, with results to be reviewed by HR, the Senior Management Team, and the Board; and

Undertaking pay audits at hiring and promotion to assess fairness, along with regular pay equity reviews across the organization.

We expect these measures will improve accountability at all levels, monitor and address culture issues and whether there are pay disparities, and strengthen HR management. We also have directed the Senior Management team to establish stronger metrics and visibility for the CEO and the Board on all HR, culture, and diversity and inclusion matters. These steps are fully supported by Jarl Mohn and the Senior Leadership Team and are in addition to the steps they already have taken to address these issues. We believe that our efforts represent a positive approach toward rebuilding the respectful and collaborative work environment we value at NPR.