In Conversation With Newsweek, Karen Gray, Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Diversity Officer at A+E Networks, Answered The Following Questions :

1. Can you provide an overview of your company's workplace culture and values, and how they contribute to a positive work environment?

At A+E Networks, our people, culture and organizational health drive our performance and success. Every day, working together and with our partners, we meet our viewers wherever and however they consume content, while continuing to maximize and fortify our core businesses. We appreciate and foster a culture of collaboration, communication, trust and respect while also nurturing great enthusiasm for storytelling and creative innovation across the company, throughout the industry and around the world. We pride ourselves on our creative thinking. Our people are our best asset, and it is through our people that A+E Networks is able to realize its vision and achieve its goals.

In the post-Covid world, A+E Networks has leaned into a flexible work environment. Today, most of our employees have the flexibility to choose a predominantly remote, predominantly in-office, or hybrid setup. Our official in-office locations in the United States include Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago and Stamford, Connecticut and, and we have several other states in which employees may work remotely if their role isn't one that requires them to be in or near the office. At the same time, we recognize the importance of being together and so have combined flexibility with optional weekly collaboration days, where teams know they are most likely to see members of other teams, and periodic or quarterly convening days, where teams gather to connect and strengthen bonds.

Above all, though, A+E Networks, under our leader Paul Buccieri, is an employee-first company. Paul has been the guiding force of change at A+E Networks and across the industry. He values the entire A+E family; his vision has led to a great evolution of our business and employees feel that energy daily.

2. How does your company promote diversity and inclusion within the workplace? Are there any specific initiatives or programs in place?

Since A+E Networks founding, diversity has been part of our DNA. Nearly 10 years ago A+E Networks launched a global diversity initiative through such programs as the MIPCOM Diversity Awards & Summit; and the A+E Inclusion Award at the BANFF Media Festival. We were the recipient of the United Nations SDG Award recognizing our commitment to DEI across the industry. Lifetime's Broader Focus, which began in 2018, seeks to raise the bar on women in entertainment, and help ensure that more women are represented in front of and behind the camera.

In the past five years we have supercharged our commitment to establishing a work environment where every voice is heard; and we have launched numerous initiatives and groups to ensure that our culture is adhering to best-in-class DEI principles. This is why we were beyond proud to have been selected amongst Newsweek's Greatest Workplaces for Diversity!

Among the most important, we implemented The Diversity Advisory Council (DAC) which works with our executive team to ensure A+E Networks builds a diverse, inclusive and high-impact internal culture and encourages our external partners to do the same. The DAC comprises several subcommittees focused on areas such as vendor diversity; global connectedness; and diversity in front of and behind the camera. Our Employee Resource Groups also form a part of the DAC team.

Our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are communities that draw individuals and allies together through common backgrounds and interests to connect, share, support and learn from each other. There are currently nine ERGs: Pride @ A+E Networks (LGBTQ+), Black @ A+E Networks (BAE), Women, Asian Community Excellence (ACE), Familia (Latinx and Hispanic), Prime Timers (50+ years old), Open Minds (mental health), Neurodiversity, and Mazel (Jewish).

In our series of internal-led town hall discussions—often featuring renowned cultural leaders—A+E Networks seeks to both educate and create an open and honest forum for listening and feedback on the many aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Everyone can read about these, and other, initiatives in our publicly available Diversity Report, now in its third year. Our report underscores our commitment to transparency—we believe that without transparency, there is no progress.

3. Are there any professional development and growth opportunities available to employees? How does your company support career advancement?

As a creative enterprise, A+E Networks relies on the imagination, innovation, and insight of our team members to drive today's results and tomorrow's growth. Our talent—whether they are developing new programming, delivering technical breakthroughs, engaging customers, or optimizing critical business processes—is the engine that drives all our accomplishments and achievements.

To help our employees explore their interests and navigate their careers, A+E Networks has several initiatives and tools in place to align opportunities for learning and growth. A few examples are:

• Career Paths: These are tools used across the company to help guide managers and employees in navigating career growth and development.
• Mentorship Programs: Our mentoring programs are opportunities for employees to connect with and learn from people with different interests and backgrounds.
• Leadership Academy: This immersive leadership course is where managers further develop their managerial and leadership skills through a combination of management skill building and a focus on weaving DEI in all that we do.

4. What measures does your company take to support employee mental health and well-being?

One of our most successful initiatives, borne out of Covid and the isolation employees were feeling, is our Mental Health ERG named Open Minds. This has been an incredible place for employees to meet, share learnings, support one another, hear from experts, and keep mental wellbeing top of mind. We also recognize that employees need the time to rest and recharge which is why we have instituted additional companywide holidays/time off such as summer days where people are encouraged to find time to spend on themselves and with family and friends.

5. How does your company ensure transparency and open communication between management and employees, fostering a sense of trust and belonging?

Trust and respect at A+E Networks come from the top down. Paul puts a strong emphasis on these tenets, and it shows. Starting with his Executive Team, he encourages all information to be cascaded throughout the company. We hold quarterly meetings for our senior management team and company-wide town halls. We also have an extraordinary corporate brand team who publish a bi-weekly newsletter, "Remote Together," with company-wide items of interest. Finally, we test how we are doing via annual surveys to keep our fingers on the pulse of employee wants/needs/perceptions, relay all the results (hiding none!) at global town halls, and develop corporate-wide and divisional action plans to address issues raised. We are proud that our overall survey results have continued to exceed previous benchmarks, showing growth each year.

6. What steps does your company take to ensure equal opportunities for employees of different backgrounds, including gender, ethnicity, and age?

We have developed a number of systemic enhancements to help ensure equity for all of our interested candidates and employees across all phases of the employee lifecycle – from a requirement that we have diverse panels of interviewers when conducting recruiting to establishing clear frameworks for promotions and career growth. We are very proud of our record; and we track growth, with great rigor, across the company on a regular basis to ensure that those of every background are growing and thriving.

7. Can you share any success stories or examples of how your company has fostered an inclusive and diverse workforce?

The growth and engagement of our ERGs is a great example of our success in fostering a strong environment of inclusion. ERGs meet regularly and each ERG regularly holds Town Hall virtual meetings for the whole company to share learnings and foster understanding. Last year in a cross-company initiative, the Pride ERG created a first ever float for the company in the LA Pride Parade. Most recently, the ERGs have formed a book club with each ERG recommending books and creating discussions and learnings.

8. How does your company encourage and support employee engagement and empowerment?

Employee engagement and empowerment are key tenets at A+E Networks. Every employee is required to have a goal in support of diversity, equity and inclusion and there is a myriad of ways employees can fulfil these goals. These include participation in one of our Diversity Advisory Council subcommittees, employee resource groups, and internal mentoring programs. We give employees dedicated days for volunteering and we have reinstituted corporate global days of service, where employees can volunteer as a group at community organizations.

And, of course, we also track how we are doing through annual corporate surveys where we measure employee engagement, transparently disclose all results, and put together action plans to address any areas where we believe we need to lean in further.

9. How does your company handle feedback and suggestions from employees? Is there a system in place for employees to voice their concerns or ideas?

Every year we conduct our annual Employee Engagement Survey where we survey all our employees. This is a valuable opportunity for employees to provide open, honest, and anonymous feedback about what it is like to work at A+E Networks.

This year's employee engagement survey yielded a high response rate of 95 percent, and once again, we continue to increase our employee engagement score. The employees' feedback and corresponding action plan is critical to improving our divisions and our company.

10. Can you provide examples of employee-driven initiatives or employee resource groups that exist within your company to support specific communities or causes?

Our ERGs are communities that draw individuals together through shared backgrounds and interests to connect, share, support and learn from each other. Our ERGs include LGBTQ+, Asian American, Black American, Jewish American, Latino/a American, Employees aged 40+, Mental Health, Neurodiversity and Women's groups. A+E Networks also has Passion Groups focused on the Environment (Green Team), Pathways to parenthood, and overall health and wellness. Our ERGs and Passion Groups feature Town Hall meetings open to the entire company and Cultural Conversations to encourage all employees to learn more, engage together, and expand their understanding of others.

11. Does your company have a mentorship or buddy system in place to support new employees or help them integrate into the company culture?

Yes, our You, Me and A+E Networks Mentorship program encourages employees to seek mentors and to be paired with mentees. This in-depth program allows employees to engage in dialogue with people from across the company and across departments and seniority levels.