4.6 KiB
4.6 KiB
Diversity and inclusion
It was this ^^ picture from our Christmas party two years ago which got us some replies on Twitter. A lot of males and a lot of white. We know that we need to do better to make Blendle a more diverse workplace. We spend a lot of time thinking about diversity and inclusion. After reading, talking and listening, we learned a few things:
- This is a sensitive topic: feelings and opinions are involved.
- This is a trending topic: there is a lot of noise and it's hard to pin down the essence.
- This is not a new, but renewed topic.
- Diversity and inclusion is more of a scale than a simple yes or no statement.
- Everyone is biased and every company is at risk of becoming less diverse and inclusive.
- A more diverse and inclusive company > a less diverse and inclusive company for a lot of reasons.
- Diversity and inclusion is not 'just' about gender or race, so looking at just those numbers can limit your thoughts on this topic. The practical side of this topic is also way more subtle.
Diversity and inclusion at Blendle
What we know now:
- We believe in the importance of a diverse team because we believe it's crucial to our succes and product. We try to add meaning to peoples everyday life by helping them reach quality content instead of cat gifs on Facebook. This can only be done by a group of people with different backgrounds, expertise, personalities, talents, ideas and opinions.
- We believe being inclusive is important because it fits our core values of wanting to be a great place to work and really caring for each other. A place where people feel welcome and can be themselves. Inclusivity is crucial to our work environment and culture.
- We have trouble hiring diverse profiles. We noticed no flaws in the hiring process which would lead to favour a certain type of profile. We did notice that the 'pools' in which we are hiring (journalism and tech) are dominated by a certain profile which could explain this trend.
- We have open-minded people at Blendle who are willing and are becoming more aware.
Some observations:
- We tend to speak in Dutch in social settings. It can easily make non-Dutch people uncomfortable. We should speak English.
- The way we work (especially in meetings) suits extravert people better then introvert people.
- There is not a lot of variation on standard diversity variables like political views, religion, age, ethnicity, gender and educational background. Again, partly explained by the field we're in.
- Most of the leaders at Blendle are male.
- There is equal pay between men and women in the same role.
- We believe aiming for diversity numbers narrows the conversation on the topic for now. We decided to use the data to feed the conversation but not implement quotas.
What we do:
- Fight bias in hiring. For example by not asking for a resume when people apply, but asking questions related to the actual job. This way the first judgement is based on relevant information, not on age or a picture.
- Emphasize the fact that we would like more diverse profiles to reply on our job postings by adding it to our vacancies. In Dutch: "Niet onbelangrijk: we vinden diversiteit belangrijk, dus laat je alsjeblieft niet tegenhouden om te solliciteren als je anders denkt of er anders uitziet. Dat vinden we juist mooi." And in English: "Final remark: we think it's important to have a diverse workforce, so please don't hesitate to apply if you think or look differently. We actually like that."
- Track the basic data.
- Guard equal pay.
- Actively source diverse profiles.
- Internal campaign for speaking English, sources for more diverse pipelines with hiring, make this a recurring topic on the HR agenda.
Homework
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79JHMjA6tAA
re:Work - Guide: Raise awareness about unconscious bias
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