Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Issue Summary

At AT&T, we’re in the business of connecting people. We know that to connect the world, we must reflect the world. For more than 5 decades, we’ve prioritized equity and encouraged diversity and inclusion. Bringing people together from diverse backgrounds isn’t always easy; it doesn’t just happen. But when we are intentional about making meaningful connections and understanding one another, we often find that our differences are the sources of our greatest strengths. We foster achievement based on individual merits and abilities without regard to sex, race, age, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, religion, protected veteran status, employment status or other protected statuses. We support and comply with laws that prohibit discrimination everywhere we do business.

Visit our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion website to learn more about how we prioritize equity and work to cultivate a diverse and inclusive workplace. For information about supplier diversity, please visit our AT&T Supplier Diversity website and our Responsible Supply Chain issue brief.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Data

¹	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Gender Diversity
Percent women in global management	34%	34%	34%	33%	33%
Percent women in global senior management positions²	30%	32%	31%	36%	37%
Percent women in global management positions in revenue-generating functions (e.g., sales)	30%	30%	29%	28%	29%
Percent women in global frontline management positions³	34%	34%	34%	33%	33%
Percent women in U.S. management	35%	35%	34%	33%	33%
Percent women in global workforce	32%	32%	32%	31%	31%
Percent women in U.S. workforce	32%	32%	32%	30%	30%
Percent women in global STEM-related positions	30%	27%	27%	26%	27%
Racial Diversity (U.S)⁴
Total people of color in U.S. management	31,641	29,802	27,924	29,347	29,294
Percent people of color in U.S. management	38.0%	39.0%	40.0%	43.0%	44.0%
Percent people of color in U.S. workforce	44.2%	44.8%	46.1%	47.6%	48.7%
Percent Asian in U.S. workforce	6.5%	6.7%	6.7%	7.1%	7.5%
Percent Black or African American in U.S. workforce	18.9%	19.0%	19.7%	20.0%	20.1%
Percent Hispanic or Latino in U.S. workforce	15.8%	16.0%	16.2%	16.9%	17.3%
Percent American Indian or Alaskan Native in U.S. workforce	0.7%	0.7%	0.7%	0.7%	0.7%
Percent Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander in U.S. workforce	0.2%	0.2%	0.3%	0.3%	0.3%
Percent White in U.S. workforce	55.9%	55.2%	53.9%	52.4%	51.4%
Percent Multiracial or another race in U.S. workforce	2.1%	2.2%	2.5%	2.6%	2.8%
Age Diversity⁵
Average age of employees in global workforce	43	43	43	43	44
Percent Baby boomers (Ages 58 – 76)	21%	20%	17%	15%	13%
Percent Gen X (Ages 42 – 57)	42%	43%	44%	44%	45%
Percent Gen Y (Ages 28 – 41)	32%	31%	32%	32%	32%
Percent Gen Z (Ages 17 – 27)	4%	5%	7%	9%	10%
Additional Diversity Groups⁶
Percent LGBTQ+ representation in U.S. workforce	1.0%	1.2%	1.9%	1.9%	2.0%
Percent U.S. workforce with a disability	1.9%	2.2%	4.3%	4.6%	4.9%
Percent veterans in U.S. workforce	5.5%	6.9%	7.4%	8.3%	8.4%

For more information, see our Global Reporting Initiative Index.

Our Actions & Impacts

We work to provide access to equitable opportunities that help provide pathways to equality for all, connecting communities and people to greater possibility. We have taken the following actions to promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I):

We created programs, such as She’s Connected and Black Future Makers and Rising Future Makers, and collaborated with organizations like Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) focused on preparing future generations for success. We also continued to support workforce-readiness programs like Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) and Year Up to bring fresh perspectives and develop the next generation of talented AT&T leaders. Our EDGE Internship program allows students from diverse backgrounds, experiences and underrepresented communities to explore various AT&T functional areas in a corporate setting.
In 2021, we made a 3-year, $2 billion commitment to help close the digital divide—the gap between those who can fully participate in the modern, online world and those who can’t, which disproportionately impacts communities of color. Read more about our efforts in our Digital Divide issue brief.
To build businesses and societies in which everyone thrives, we’re committed to providing access to economic opportunities. AT&T spent $16.3 billion with certified diverse businesses in 2022 and more than $230 billion with businesses owned by minorities, women, service-disabled veterans, LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities in the last 54 years. We’re among the top companies in identifying and doing business with diverse suppliers. Read more in our Responsible Supply Chain issue brief.

Governance

Our Chief Diversity Officer spearheads AT&T’s commitment to DE&I initiatives. The officer’s responsibilities include:

Communication with Board: Reporting regularly to the Governance and Policy Committee of the Board of Directors (Board) and annually to the full Board.
Management: Leading the DE&I team, championing company-wide initiatives and overseeing the company’s equal employment opportunity and affirmative action policies, and driving deeper understanding and engagement within the business while working to foster development and enhance the employee experience.

To promote employee engagement and cross-functional diversity and inclusion initiatives across our business, we regularly convene several diversity councils, including an Executive Diversity Council made up of key officers and executives in the business.

Pay Equity

AT&T is committed to pay equity and we regularly review and adapt compensation when needed to ensure fair and equitable pay practices.

Executive Compensation

Our CEO and other named executive officers have short-term performance incentives focused on driving progress toward AT&T’s multi-year initiatives. This includes AT&T’s goals to improve employee engagement and workforce diversity at the senior leadership levels of the company. For more information, please see our Proxy Statement.

Workforce Diversity

With more than 160,700 employees⁷ across more than 55 countries, AT&T is one of the largest U.S.-based employers in the private sector. We aim to be an employer of choice with a workforce representative of the communities where we live and work. A breakdown of the diversity of our workforce is outlined below:⁸

Global Gender Representation: Women make up 31% of our global workforce, a percentage that compares favorably to the average across companies in our industry.
U.S. Racial Diversity: The representation of people of color increased to 48.7% in 2022, driven by employees in frontline and management positions within the domestic U.S.
Senior Leadership: Nearly 26% of AT&T’s U.S. senior management are people of color.
Board Diversity: 40% of our Board is considered diverse based on race/ethnicity or gender.
Veteran Representation: Approximately 8% of our U.S. workforce has voluntarily self-identified as veterans.
Disability Representation: Approximately 5% of our U.S. workforce has voluntarily self-identified as having a disability.
LGBTQ+ Representation: Approximately 2% of our U.S. workforce has voluntarily self-identified as being a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

Employee Awareness & Engagement

AT&T strives to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture through ongoing dialogue, awareness and engagement.

Employee Groups

To create a culture of inclusion in our workforce, we encourage all employees to join one or more of our Employee Groups. These voluntary, employee-led groups exemplify our company’s commitment to DE&I, foster a sense of community and provide professional development opportunities and occasions for community service.

Across AT&T, we have 27 Employee Groups with more than 40,800 employees participating in networking, volunteering and fundraising opportunities. The Employee Groups represent the full diverse cultural and experiential dimensions of our workforce, including women; Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, LGBTQ+ individuals; people with disabilities; military veterans; parents; different geographical regions; and people of different faiths or religions. In 2022, our Employee Groups awarded 300 scholarships totaling more than $565,000.

Equality First App

We value the uniqueness of every employee. There are visible and invisible qualities that make us who we are. With the Equality First+ app, we aim to bring those qualities to life through original programming, entertainment, podcasts and more. All to foster equality and connection across the company.

In 2021, we began our Equality First movement with the launch of the Equality First app, giving employees access to an immersive hub of content and hands-on tools. The app enables connected conversations where employees can get to know each other through guided discussions and gain new perspectives.

In 2022, we revamped the mobile app to Equality First+ and added edutainment-style content, including:

Films from multiple national film festivals and content production companies.
An original animated series promoting DE&I.
Podcasts hosted by DE&I subject matter experts.
Stories by AT&T employees that explore the intersections of connection and belonging.
AT&T employee videos and editorials featuring diverse perspectives and stories.

We also expanded the offering to introduce a desktop experience to build inclusive leadership practices. This imperative provides people leaders with the tools needed to make small, incremental changes to their behaviors that add up to big cultural changes over time.

Recruitment & Hiring Initiatives

In 2022, more than 75% of open positions and 69% of internal promotions were filled by women and/or people of color candidates, thereby increasing our diverse workforce.

Talent Attraction

AT&T is committed to building a future workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve. Our talent attraction efforts include:

External Support: We collaborate with organizations like HBCUs and HSIs to prepare future generations for success. We also work with HBCUs and HSIs to recruit diverse talent. In 2020, we committed $4.5 million to OneTen over the next 3 years to support their mission of closing the opportunity gap for Black talent in the U.S. We continue to support workforce readiness programs like JAG and Year Up to bring in fresh perspectives and develop the next generation of talented AT&T leaders.
Leadership Development:
- We understand that not every development journey is the same—which is why we take a holistic approach to reach individual employees where they are, including targeted opportunities for our Top Talent who are from underrepresented communities.
- Through our Top Talent Experience offerings, we provide every participant with the tools, opportunities and resources focused on exposure to senior leaders and expanding internal and external peer engagement to drive business results.
- To create an ecosystem in which this talent can thrive, we also provide enrichment-focused development to people leaders, building inclusive leadership practices that lead to a greater sense of belonging for all employees.
- We support aspiring leaders’ participation in a variety of programs that help foster growth, including:
  - Mujeres de HACE: An empowering program for high-potential Latinas to succeed professionally and personally, leading them toward higher career positions and personal growth. It is a one-of-a-kind, cohort-based leadership program that provides an individualized, culturally relevant curriculum.
  - Emerging Latino Leaders: A dynamic and intensive action-learning experience that will transform high-potential Latino professionals into high-performing leaders.
  - Corporate Executive Development Program (CEDP): An intentional program designed to increase the business skills and leadership capabilities of Latino managers who lead key divisions and aspire to be among executive leadership. 96 professionals participated in CEDP in 2021, and 119 participated in 2022.
  - SMU Rising Latino Leaders (RLL) Program: Meets the needs of high-potential leaders who are eager to grow their capabilities within their organization. Unique from other senior leadership development programs, this innovative and intensive experience focuses on cultural awareness and competence throughout all sessions. This program also provides powerful insights into participants’ leadership opportunities. RLL reached 120 participants in 2021 and 86 participants in 2022.
  - Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP): A national, nonprofit organization with a mission to achieve full participation and equality for Asian and Pacific Islanders through leadership, empowerment and policy. AT&T is an annual contributor and continues to demonstrate our commitment to inclusion and strengthening of diverse Asian and Pacific Islander leaders.
  - Tenshey – Leadership Accelerator Program (LAP): A collaborative leadership program designed for AT&T by Tenshey to accelerate the leadership pipeline for Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander leaders by leveraging community and coaching.
  - Black Enterprise: AT&T is a proud sponsor of Black Enterprise’s Women of Power Summit and Black Men XCEL Summit:
    - Women of Power Summit: A professional leadership conference designed especially for executive women of color, bringing together more than 1,500 of the nation’s most accomplished and dynamic corporate female executives. The summit provides a space for executive women of color to be empowered, learn strategies for staying ahead of corporate trends and finetune decision making, team building and management skills through myriad executive leadership sessions and personalized executive coaching.
    - Black Men XCEL Summit: A leadership excellence conference for Black men who are a valuable and necessary talent pool for the success of companies, industries and communities. The goal of the summit is to celebrate and advance the excellence and leadership of Black leaders through engagement, coaching and mentorship while providing tools to promote their professional development at every leadership level, from entry-level management to C-suite executive.
Internship Program:
- The AT&T EDGE Internship program is an undergraduate 10–12-week experience that allows students from diverse backgrounds, experiences and underrepresented communities to explore various AT&T functional areas in a corporate setting. EDGE focuses on developing a future-ready, diverse talent pool for entry-level, full-time management positions.
- HBCU Future Leaders is a multi-year mentoring and workforce readiness initiative for HBCU students. The program is focused on empowering tomorrow’s leaders to strengthen communities and create economic growth.

Our talent attraction efforts for 2022 across identified groups resulted in the following diversity of our new hires:

New Hire Diversity
Women	38.6%
American Indian/Native American	0.8%
Asian	6.6%
Black/African American	26.1%
Hispanic/Latino	20.9%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	0.3%
Two or More Races	5.6%
White	32.0%
LGBTQ+	3.6%
Military & Veterans	7.4%
Persons with Disabilities	6.7%

New hire diversity data is voluntarily self-identified by employees.

Equality in Marketing

Creating a culture of inclusivity in marketing is a top priority to us, our customers and communities. AT&T is committed to leading the way with gender equality, diversity and inclusion both in front of and behind the camera. Our approach is outlined below:

Inclusion Playbook: The AT&T Inclusion Playbook informs a nonbiased approach to creating content and respects the entire spectrum of diversity—including gender and cultures as well as the LGBTQ+ population, veterans and those with accessibility needs. The Inclusion Playbook provides thought-starters to help content creation teams accurately portray people and eliminate inclusion gaps in AT&T content. Designed as a tool for decreasing bias in content and increasing innovation in ad-copy testing, this program was recognized by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) for leading positive change.
Creative Development: During creative development and production, we work to ensure our messaging resonates with our diverse consumer group. For example, the AT&T Fiber advertising team meets with the Black Marketing & Advertising Council monthly to review and incorporate the council’s feedback on creative content. We also encourage our ad agencies to cast diverse talent both in front of and behind the camera.
ANA #SeeHer: We surpassed the ANA #SeeHer initiative’s 2020 goal to increase the accurate portrayal of women and girls in media by 20% in 2018—2 years early—and AT&T committed to #SeeHer’s new 2025 and 2030 goals. In 2019, our measured advertising surpassed #SeeHer’s 2025 milestone. And in 2021, our process changes and focus enabled us to continue portraying women and girls accurately.
Oversight: AT&T’s Advertising organization, led by our Senior Vice President—Advertising, is responsible for creating campaigns reflecting the needs of business and consumer customers, as well as the value and reputation of our brand.

Recognition

Although awards and recognition are not the driving force for our commitment and work toward DE&I, we celebrate achieving recognition by a community of peers and industry leaders.

American Opportunity Index: In 2022, the American Opportunity Index ranked AT&T #1 out of 250 of the largest U.S. public companies on a groundbreaking scorecard that evaluates how well they create economic mobility for their employees.
DiversityInc: In 2021, AT&T was elevated to DiversityInc Hall of Fame based on our workforce diversity, leadership accountability, talent development programs, workplace practices, supplier results and philanthropy.
Disability:IN: AT&T was named one of the Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion and earned a 100% score on the Disability Equality Index for the 8th consecutive year.
Bloomberg: AT&T was included in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index listing of companies that demonstrated a commitment to workplace equality for the 3rd consecutive year.
Human Rights Campaign: AT&T was named one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality by the Human Rights Campaign for the 18th consecutive year, receiving a 100% score on the Corporate Equality Index for our fair treatment of LGBTQ+ employees.
American Indian Science & Engineering Society (AISES): AT&T was recognized as one of the Top 50 STEM Workplaces in AISES' Winds Of Change magazine.
Military Friendly: AT&T was once again recognized as a Military Friendly® Employer.
Military.com: AT&T was listed as one of the Top 5 Employers with the Best Veteran Recruiting & Training Programs by Military.com.
Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR) Corporate Inclusion Index: AT&T has been on the HACR Corporate Inclusion Index for 11 consecutive years. Awarded 5 Stars for Employment, Procurement, and Philanthropy and 4 Stars for Governance.
Additional Recognition: See the full list of our DE&I awards.

Stakeholder Engagement

As a leading global employer, we advocate for DE&I through our participation in several groups, including:

Business Coalition for the Equality Act: AT&T is part of the Business Coalition for the Equality Act—a group of leading U.S. employers that support the addition of LGBTQ+ individuals to the list of groups afforded basic protections under U.S. federal law.
United Nations Standards of Conduct for Business: We endorse the United Nations (U.N.) Standards of Conduct for Business, which offer a holistic framework of best practices to help combat discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity globally.
United Nations Women’s Empowerment Principles: In 2020, our CEO signed on to the U.N.’s Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), signaling AT&T’s commitment to promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community. The WEPs are a primary vehicle for corporate delivery on the gender equality dimensions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals.
OneTen Coalition: AT&T’s CEO, John Stankey, is one of the 37 founding members since December 2020. AT&T and OneTen are committed to upskilling, hiring and promoting one million Black individuals without 4-year college degrees into family-sustaining careers over the next 10 years.
Second Chance Business Coalition: AT&T joined other top companies supporting the Second Chance Business Coalition, a nationwide effort to create greater economic opportunity and a chance at meaningful employment for Americans with criminal records. By giving Second Chance candidates an opportunity, individuals and families grow their financial health and communities are strengthened.
CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion: AT&T joined this coalition in 2017 on a shared belief that DE&I is a societal issue and that collaboration and bold action from the business community—especially CEOs—is vital to driving change at scale.
- AT&T’s CEO and other CEOs pledged to:
  - Cultivate environments that support open dialogue on the complex and often difficult conversations around DE&I.
  - Implement and expand unconscious bias education and training.
  - Share best-known DE&I programs/initiatives—as well as those that have been unsuccessful.
  - Engage boards of directors when developing and evaluating DE&I strategies.

Our Path Forward

We strive to build a culture that reflects the communities in which we work and live. In 2023, we will continue directing resources and leadership toward initiatives that we believe have the potential to diversify and strengthen the workforce, advance economic opportunity and eliminate systemic educational barriers. This includes our hiring initiatives, our processes for developing products and services with accessibility in mind, collaborations with external organizations focused on DE&I, supporting equal justice initiatives and more.

Additional Resources

All results are reported as of the end of the respective reporting year (December 31) and are global unless marked as U.S. Data do not include WarnerMedia, DIRECTV or Vrio.
"Senior management positions" is defined as roles that are a maximum of 2 levels away from the CEO or comparable positions.
"Frontline management positions" refers to junior management positions.
Workforce racial diversity data is rounded and may not equal 100%.
Please visit our Global Reporting Initiative Index for a full breakout of employee age diversity.
Data is voluntarily self-identified by employees. These metrics are only tracked in the U.S. Employees in other countries do not have the ability to identify in any of these areas. This data is voluntarily self-reported, which means there may be a discrepancy between employees who are part of these groups and employees willing to report that they are part of these groups.

Last Updated: 10/10/2023