Businesswomen Are in Good Hands With Allstate and Avon

Allstate Insurance gives raises to managers who hire and keep women and minorities. Avon scours the ranks of its employees in Mexico for potential female executives.

For their efforts to advance women, the two companies on Tuesday won the prestigious Catalyst Award, an annual prize given by the nonprofit Catalyst group as part of its efforts to help women rise in business.

“To win the Catalyst Award is to lead the nation in taking advantage of the rich talent now available,” said Paul Allaire, chairman and chief executive of Xerox Corp. and a member of the group’s board of directors.

In determining the award, New York-based Catalyst looks at the commitment of senior management to women’s advancement, the company’s originality in doing so and the measurable results shown by the company’s efforts.

Allstate Insurance Co. was honored for its in-depth efforts to hire and keep women and minorities.

With the help of a quarterly employee survey, the Northbrook, Ill.-based insurer develops goals for increasing the diversity of its work force.

The company then links managers’ merit raises to reaching diversity goals and evaluates workers six months after they undergo diversity training. Allstate also keeps race and gender in mind when making some key appointments.

“We have women who are well-positioned throughout Allstate,” said Jennise Henry, director of diversity and affirmative action at Allstate. “But it’s not something you can do overnight. It’s a process that Allstate has been working on since the 1960s.”

The efforts are paying off. As of December, 19% of corporate officers at Allstate were women, compared with 16% six years ago.

At the 500 largest U.S. companies, women accounted for only about 10% of the total 12,885 corporate officers, according to Catalyst. Corporate officers, who include the chairman and chief executive, make up the top tier of a company.

In Mexico, the upper echelons of the business world remain overwhelmingly male. But Avon Products Inc. has been trying to change that.

Avon Mexico, along with Avon units around the world, undertakes an annual review to identify employees with high potential. Avon tries to use the review as a means to track women’s progress in the company.

As a result, women now make up 31% of top managers in Avon Mexico, up from 24% in 1993.

At the same time, Avon Mexico supports breast cancer research, women’s athletics and cultural activities in Mexico to encourage women’s advances outside the company.

“Avon Mexico has approached women’s progress from every aspect of the business,” said Marcia Worthing, senior vice president of human resources at New York-based Avon.

The awards will be presented March 25 at a dinner chaired by John F. Smith, chairman of General Motors Corp.