Building your Inclusion Policy
An Inclusion Policy provides clear targets for creating a more diverse workforce. It creates standards by which a company’s progress in advancing inclusive hiring processes can be measured, and holds employers accountable for that progress.
"We wanted to move beyond good intentions to creating mechanisms that hold us accountable to a high bar."
ReFrame partner company Amazon Studios released their Inclusion Policy in 2021. The policy covers four primary areas that offer actionable recommendations to continue to seek out storytelling that amplifies diverse voices throughout all aspects of the production process: Developing Stories and Characters, Hiring and Production, Reporting and Documentation, and Meeting Goals.
The PolicyWe know how much work there is to be done to improve representation both on camera and behind the scenes, and it starts at home, with us.
An inclusion policy should be developed as a unique guiding document for your organization, addressing not only the overall, systemic call for change, but also the specific transformative practices that your organization needs. We recommend seeking collaborators from the non-profit and research sectors to help you craft this policy, as well as the supporting documentation you will require to enact the policy.
Amazon Studios worked closely with Dr. Stacy Smith and Dr. Katherine Pieper of USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, and with Brenda Robinson of the International Documentary Association and Gamechanger Films on the creation of the Policy and Playbook. The Studio also consulted with leading organizations devoted to advancing the visibility and responsible depictions of underrepresented people.
A strong starting point for developing your inclusion policy is the framework and criteria for the ReFrame Stamp, our mark of distinction presented in partnership with IMDbPro. Learn more about the criteria at the link below, and contact ReFrame for advice on how to proactively implement the Stamp criteria as baseline inclusion standards.
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