2024 Transparency Report
At Instrument, transparency is the foundation of how we operate, engage, and evolve. It means not only celebrating our progress but also being open about the areas we’re focusing on and how we plan to address them. Our annual transparency report reflects on these efforts and serves as a roadmap for the future, sharing our representation data and the steps we're taking to create positive change within our organization and the communities we serve.
Here’s a quick summary of our annual data, with the option to download the full report if you’d like to dive deeper.
*Please note that all percentage points have been rounded to the nearest whole number.
2024 Goals, Actions, & Outcomes
Goals
Actions & Outcomes
- Public ED&I Commitment: We launched a new ED&I webpage to reaffirm our ongoing commitment, even as other companies scale back.
- Talent Review Enhancements: We introduced a more thorough talent review process to improve fairness and consistency, with manager training, leadership roundtables, and a simpler review template.
- Expanded Representation Metrics: Employees can now anonymously identify as LGBTQ+, disabled, neurodiverse, or chronically ill in our engagement surveys.
- Hybrid Working Model Exploration: We're shaping a hybrid work model that balances a great employee experience with top-tier performance.
- Cultural Insights Council Pilot: We launched a pilot platform for employees to share diverse perspectives, helping shape marketing strategies, campaigns, and design.
- Pro Bono Program Refresh: Through “Build Week,” teams worked with local BIPOC-owned businesses in Portland to tackle challenges and find growth opportunities.
Equity & Inclusion Favorability
Employee sentiment on equity and inclusion dipped for the first time since 2020, mainly due to the return-to-office mandate. In response, we reversed the policy and pivoted to a hybrid model that balances flexibility with in-person collaboration to drive innovation and help everyone thrive.
BIPOC Representation
BIPOC representation increased at the leadership level but decreased slightly at the company-wide level. We’re actively analyzing these trends to identify solutions for improving representation.
Gender Representation
In 2024, we announced our first all-women C-suite, a big step in strengthening our commitment to diverse leadership. This milestone builds on our recognition as one of Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Women Innovators, and we continue to foster diverse perspectives at the top.
Pay Equity
Pay equity remains in line with industry benchmarks, though we identified a 9.7% salary variance for Black or African American leadership employees, driven by recent promotions and changes in 2024.
This year, we also introduced a new metric—employee promotion velocity—that tracks the average time for advancement. This ensures career development is fair, consistent, and accessible. Our findings show employees are promoted within a consistent timeframe, with no gaps exceeding six months. While minor timing differences exist, the maximum promotion interval is six months, falling within our target range of 6 to 12 months.
Looking ahead
Transparency builds trust, and this report reflects our commitment to continuous improvement and accountability at every level. As we look to 2025, a pivotal year for Instrument, our goals extend beyond demographic benchmarks. We’ll reflect on our progress and refine our equity vision for 2026-2030 while focusing on the following actions:
- Fostering psychological safety, enhancing employee engagement, and strengthening accountability across all levels.
- Training teams to leverage the Cultural Insights Council as a platform for gathering diverse perspectives that inform our marketing strategies, campaigns, and design.
- Refining our hybrid work strategy to lead by example, demonstrating that agencies can thrive through people-first innovation and bold action.
- Applying our expertise in branding, marketing, and product development to deliver creative solutions and drive impactful growth at the community level through Build Week.
