
Celebrating LGBTQIA+ Pride in the Workplace — Virtual and In-Person Ideas
So much has changed in our workplaces over the past year, but the importance of DEIB hasn't. And neither has the importance of highlighting the value that each unique team member brings, no matter how they identify. June is LGBTQIA+ Pride Month — a perfect opportunity to put this into practice and celebrate the identities and intersectionalities of your LGBTQIA+ team members and allies.
This year, with some of us returning to the office and others staying remote, Pride celebrations might look different for everyone. So we asked some of our partner companies to see what they're doing to celebrate LGBTQIA+ Pride Month in their organizations. Keep reading for some ideas so that your remote, hybrid, and in-person teams can learn, uplift, and grow together while celebrating Pride Month 2022 — virtually and in person!
Clyde — launch an ERG
“Clyde just launched our newest ERG group, Pryde, to foster a welcoming culture and inclusive, safe environment for LGBTQIA+ employees, allies, and advocates. Pryde has been hitting the group running with the hopes of rolling out the following initiatives for the upcoming Pride month:
Highlighting internal benefits available such as mental health resources, 3-month paid parental / caregiver leave, and coverages accessible for transgender individuals.
Rolling our Understanding through Inclusion Series that focuses on weekly themes such as celebration, global perspectives, allyship, etc.
Launching a Pride Month Calendar filled with fun facts, resources, and upcoming internal events such as a Chicago / NYC event to benefit local LGBTQIA+ organizations.
Pryde is excited to support, foster, and further celebrate our culture that surrounds the LGBTQIA+ identities at Clyde.”
Learn more about Clyde here.
CDW — amplify employee voices on social media
"Pride Month gives us the opportunity to celebrate the many accomplishments and contributions the LGBTQ+ community has made throughout the world and within our organization. Our Business Resource Alliance Valuing Equality (BRAVE) Business Resource Group is planning multiple events with the theme ‘Family Matters’ including a coworker panel discussion, a keynote speaker event featuring LGBTQ+ rights activists and a networking social event. Additionally, we will be amplifying coworker voices internally through an email campaign and externally on @CDWCareers social media."
Learn more about CDW here.
Samsara — volunteer with a local charity
"This Pride Month, Samsara's Pride ERG and People team recognize the unique paths that have brought us together, the differences that make our strengths, and that we can accomplish anything through unity. Samsara will host a Q&A for the Pride ERG and allies to explore themes around trauma, belonging, and the human condition. We are partnering with Habitat for Humanity Bay Area—volunteering over several days in June. And lastly, we will have Pride celebration events, fun swag, trivia, and remembrances to celebrate and honor the history that has brought us here today."
Learn more about Samsara here.
Riot Games — showcase LGBTQIA+-themed content
"All of Riot’s games will be celebrating Pride with unique in-game content. We want all players to feel their identities are represented. No matter where you live, who you are, or who you love, we want to make sure you can see yourselves while you play.
Our offices around the world will also be celebrating Pride in their own ways. For example, Rioters at our main campus in Los Angeles will be participating in the West Hollywood Pride Parade and Rioters in Brazil will be putting on a series of tournaments featuring players from LGBTQIA+ communities."
Learn more about Riot Games here.
UKG — join a local Pride parade
"At UKG, our Pride theme in 2022 is “Authentically U.” Authentically U empowers you to live and celebrate your life authentically, whether you identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender non-conforming, or an ally. The employee resource group PRIDE at UKG strives to create and foster inclusivity amongst our employees (also known as U Krewers) and will support special programming and events throughout June — such as local parades, webinars, and articles spotlighting U Krewers. We celebrate Pride all year, so follow Life at UKG on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram for photos and stories."
Learn more about UKG here.
AlertMedia — host an in-office Pride celebration
"AlertMedia is excited to sponsor with Austin Pride this year and participate in the annual parade and festival. We will also be hosting a Pride event in-office so that our employees can celebrate National Pride Day together. This event will include food and goodies from local LGBTQ+ owned businesses.
In addition, our team has created Pride-themed Zoom backgrounds as well as t-shirts for those who want to show Pride all year-long. Lastly, we are thrilled to continue our partnership with our non-profit partner, Out in Tech, as well as kick-off one of our first Employee Resource Groups, LGBTQ+, in June!"
Learn more about AlertMedia here.
Teachers Pay Teachers — screen some LGBTQIA+ films
"TpT is excited to celebrate Pride Month with the help of Flora, our employee resource group for LGBTQ+ employees & allies! This year, Flora has several activities planned, including virtual Drag Bingo with Marti Gould Cummings, an in-person Happy Hour, astrology readings, and screenings of LGBTQ+ films. Flora will also co-sponsor a company-wide discussion on Florida's Parental Rights in Education bill.
Throughout Pride Month, TpT will also be highlighting and celebrating members of our Teacher-Author community who identify as LGBTQ+."
Learn more about Teachers Pay Teachers here.
Workiva — advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights by donating to local organizations
"To celebrate LGBTQIA+ Pride Month, Workiva is proud to participate in two local Pride parades in cities where our employees live and work. Employees in these locations – Denver and Amsterdam – also plan to support the cause by joining the parades and representing Workiva. Our Rainbow Business Employee Resource Group (BERG) will be sharing more about activities and ways to support the community on our company-wide intranet throughout the month. And we’ll also work to advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights and amplify the voices of the community by sharing opportunities for employees to give back – both financially and through volunteerism to charities."
Learn more about Workiva here.
BlackRock — run workshops to amplify Pride beyond the workplace
"This year, BlackRock is celebrating Pride Month throughout June under the theme, "Standing with Our Pride." Our employee network, Out & Allies, will host events, run workshops and fundraise for LGBTQIA+-focused nonprofits to amplify pride beyond our walls. It is important that we foster a workplace that is safe and inclusive, allowing for expression and celebration."
Learn more about BlackRock here.
Elastic — host a hybrid drag bingo happy hour
"Here at Elastic, "As You Are" is one of our values, what we refer to as our Source Code. We also believe in giving back and supporting the communities where we live and work.
Driven by our Rainbow Stack ERG, this Pride season, we will be pairing volunteer opportunities with special celebrations to encourage EVERYONE to come "As You Are" and take tangible steps to support our global LGBTQIA+ community. This year Elasticians will have access to volunteer opportunities in offices, donation opportunities, newly designed Pride stickers, and drag bingo happy hours locally (and virtually, all over the world)."
Learn more about Elastic here.
Thumbtack — host a virtual drag show
"Every year, Thumbtack's Proudtacks employee resource group leads our Pride celebration by creating company-wide events for our virtual-first employees! Our 2022 events include a virtual LGBTQ+ themed scavenger hunt and drag show, queer themed trivia, co-sponsored events with other Thumbtack employee resource groups and a happy hour. We also share a variety of queer themed facts throughout the month, such as the history of the Stonewall riots and Pride in the Philippines."
Learn more about Thumbtack here.
SeatGeek — amplify historically underrepresented queer figures
"QueerGeeks, SeatGeek's LGBTQ2SIA+ ERG, is organizing a few different Pride-focused events. We want to thoughtfully engage local and remote employees to make Pride an ongoing, educational, impactful, and celebratory experience. We're writing up content on historically underrepresented queer figures, inviting guest speakers to drop by company meetings, funding transportation to/from local volunteer events, and matching donations to the Trevor Project through our partnership with employee recognition app Bonusly. Thanks to our partners at NY Liberty and Portland Timbers, our members will also get to celebrate at some upcoming games."
Learn more about SeatGeek here.
SoftwareONE — create Pride-themed virtual meeting backgrounds and signature lines
"This Pride month –and throughout the year– SoftwareONE celebrates the contributions of the LGBTQ2IA+ community while acknowledging the unique struggles that many in the LGBTQ2IA+ community still face. We will continue our learning opportunities that focus on the perspectives of marginalized groups by hosting a 21-Day LGBTQ2IA+ equity challenge. Both internally and externally, SoftwareONE will highlight the contributions of our “SWOmies” and other trailblazers who belong to the LGBTQ2IA+ community. And, in a show of support and solidarity, we’ve created themed imagery, from virtual meeting backgrounds to signature lines, so we may all fly our Pride colors high."
Learn more about SoftwareONE here.
PagerDuty — host a live baking session with a Pride-themed trivia
"PagerDuty’s LGBTQ+ employee resource group, RainbowDuty, holds Pride events yearly to educate, encourage community participation and create a sense of togetherness across our distributed team. This year, we will be sponsoring a mix of virtual events:
- A panel with participation from external speakers
- Partnering with our social impact team on donation matching campaigns for charities
- Fun breaks with a live baking session and Pride-themed trivia
- “Color-per-day” themed employee pictures during Pride Week, resulting in a rainbow collage featuring our team
- Distributing a 2022 Pride t-shirt for employees to wear proudly wherever they go!"
Learn more about PagerDuty here.
PwC — host a Pride Summit watch party
"Throughout June, PwC is building on its culture of belonging through #PwCPride. The Pride Summit is back and PwCers have the opportunity to join in-person at an office watch party or turn in virtually! They’ll find sessions featuring business leaders and celebrities who advocate and use their personal experiences to fight for LGBTQ+ equality during the summit. The PwC US National Shine Committee for the LGBTQ+ community and allies will also sponsor Pride Parades across the US and the firm's social media will highlight PwCers sharing what Pride Month means to them. Learn more about PwC here."
Learn more about PwC here.
Splunk — sponsor a LGBTQIA+-centered event
"Splunk’s Pride Employee Resource Group has special programming and activities around the theme of: “Chosen Family.”
We are excited this year to continue our intersectional celebrations throughout both June and July by sponsoring the inclusive drag festival of Oaklash, matching donations to LGBTQ+ organizations, offering educational workshops with Out & Equal, and speaking again at the Lesbians Who Tech Pride Summit.
Splunkers globally will also virtually come together for a zoom talk with Mercury Stardust the "Trans Handy Ma'am” trans activist and Tik Tok celebrity.
Join us as we build community and lift up our stories together!
#SplunkLife"
Learn more about Splunk here.
T. Rowe Price — educate your employees on fostering an inclusive environment
"This Pride Month, T. Rowe Price recognizes the valuable contributions of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) individuals across the world, and we reaffirm our commitment to standing in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community in their ongoing struggle against discrimination and injustice. We are demonstrating our commitment to creating and sustaining an inclusive environment in respect of sexual orientation, gender and trans identity through global programming to educate and engage our associates and strategic partnerships to drive social good."
Learn more about T. Rowe Price here.
Autodesk — host a trans-inclusion workshop
"In celebration of Pride month, Autodesk’s Pride Network will be hosting both global and local events focused on the theme of community. Events will include a trans-inclusion workshop, panel conversation in partnership with Autodesk Black Network, and celebration with drag celebrity, Willow Pill. In addition to these internal events, Autodesk is a proud sponsor of this year’s Lesbians Who Tech + Allies Global Pride Summit. Rita Giacalone, VP of Culture, Diversity, & Talent Development will present on Building a Culture of Inclusion in a Hybrid Workplace, and our Pride ERG will host a panel talk in our virtual booth."
Learn more about Autodesk here.
ServiceNow — enable employees to FULLY express themselves
"At ServiceNow, we are committed to enabling our employees to fully and authentically express themselves. We celebrate Pride month today and every day by focusing on cultural awareness about the LGBTQIA+ community, open dialogue about issues the community is facing, barriers to belonging, and inclusive policies. Pride at ServiceNow Belonging Group and external platforms provide a safe space for this dialogue, employee activations, and allyship promotion. See how ServiceNow creates a safe space for LGBTQIA+ employees to embrace and bring their most authentic self to work.
Explore career opportunities with ServiceNow today."
Learn more about ServiceNow here.
Nestlé USA — host a global webcast around supporting safe spaces
"Nestlé is excited to be sponsoring Pride Month activities in Washington, DC with Capital Pride Alliance and in Cleveland, Ohio, with Pride in the CLE! Employees and their families are invited to participate in our events in person for the first time since 2019, with parade groups organized for both locations by the Nestlé Pride Alliance! At Nestlé, Pride is a Global celebration too – a Global webcast is being held for all employees on Leading Together for LGBTQ+ Inclusion, where panelists will discuss how we’re making our workplace an inclusive supportive safe space for our LGBTQ+ Community. #YouAreIncluded #NestlésGotPride"
Learn more about Nestlé USA here.
Siemens — host a 21- day challenge
"Did you know it takes an average of 21 days to build a new habit by adjusting your focus and how you spend your time? For 21 days in June, the Siemens Pride Challenge will push participants to shift their perspective and examine what they can do to promote inclusion and create a culture of belonging. Employees will receive one email per day with short but impactful content (podcasts, videos, articles, etc.) to deepen their understanding of LGBTQIA+ topics. The Siemens Pride Employee Resource group will also host several learning webinars."
Learn more about Siemens here.
Northrop Grumman — provide professional development opportunities for LGBTQIA+ employees
"Happy Pride Month! At Northrop Grumman, our Pride in Diversity Alliance (PrIDA) Employee Resource Group (ERG) works to support the quality of life for LGBTQIA+ employees and dependents, fostering and inclusive and equitable environment for all.
Our PrIDA ERG augments and ties into local community support while also providing professional development and leadership opportunities for LGBTQIA+ employees. During Pride Month, local and virtual PrIDA chapters host many events such as social hours, seminars on inclusion and intersectionality, and professional networking / career growth workshops. Here is what some of our employees are saying":
“Diversity and inclusion are cultural cornerstones at NG and the array of talent, ideas, experiences and authenticity of our employees propels our success. We’re excited to celebrate PrIDA this month – and every day.” Wendy Williams, Vice President, Space Systems, Propulsion Systems Division
“I’ve worked a lot of places, but Northrop Grumman is different. The PrIDA ERG members and the leaders who support them actually care about people like me. I can have a career, be successful, and (most importantly) I get to be myself!” Taylor Swensen, Program Integrator, Aeronautics Systems, Air Dominance Division
Learn more about Northrup Grumman here.
Collins Aerospace — raise the Progress Flag in the office
"Collins Aerospace and our PRIDE Employee Resource Group are proud to sponsor efforts through June that support and celebrate our LGBTQIA+ colleagues and community.
- Raising the Progress Flag at many of our U.S. locations.
- Sponsorship of local Pride festivities in our communities – parades, walks, wine tastings and more!
- Educational programs for our employees through partners such as Out&Equal.
- Ally workshops and pledge signings.
And talk about PRIDE! Our parent company, Raytheon Technologies, has been named a 2022 Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality by the Human Rights Campaign."
Learn more about Collins Aerospace here.
Moody's — promote articles and newsletters to boost awareness
"Moody's is committed to advancing the cause of LGBTQ+ inclusion. Moody’s Multicultural BRG promotes articles and newsletters that help create awareness and give us an inside into personal stories and testimonials with the purpose of advocating a work environment that respects, welcomes and supports lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and non-binary individuals. Also, Moody’s is hosting several events like “The T in LGBT” that will be focusing on Social issues, Workplace issues, and Trans* benefits and the “Pride Month and Juneteenth celebration event”."
Learn more about Moody's here.
Equinix — highlight LGBTQIA+ families' stories
"Equinix is committed to being a leading employer for the LGBTQ community and in support of that goal, our PrideConnect employee connection network offers programming for connection and learning. This year, team members have invited the Equinix community to join them in a conversation, “The Modern Family: all genders, sexualities, and identities welcome!” In this event, participants will hear personal stories from a LGBTQ parent and their LGBTQ child, learn how a global insurance company adopts DIB practices, and see how a law firm supports the LGBTQ community, particularly in countries that don’t recognize same sex marriage. We are proud of the great work of our EECNs like PrideConnect, this month and always."
Learn more about Equinix here.
15five — host an allyship book club
"For Pride Month, our LGBTQIA+ employee resource group is planning a fun virtual trivia event, a book club for those who want to learn more about becoming an LGBTQIA+ ally, and a presentation on the state of LGBTQIA+ rights in America in 2022."
Learn more about 15five here.
Spectrum — attend a Pride party event
"June is a month-long celebration of Spectrum’s LGBTQ community. The Spectrum LGBTQ Business Resource Group is hosting an array of activities to further support our commitment to being an organization that fosters LGBTQ acceptance and equality.
Some of the activities throughout June are our Out and Equal Webinar - Fostering LGBTQ & Allyship at Work, several spotlights on Spectrum LGBTQ members with the theme “Your Story, Your Truth, Your Power,” an internal inclusion talk, a discussion on Pride history, and the LGBT Tech Pride Party event in Brooklyn, NY that two Spectrum LGBTQ members will be invited to attend."
Learn more about Spectrum here.
Yelp — host a virtual concert featuring LGBQIA+ artists
"It’s no secret that parenting brings its own set of challenges. Intersectionality has shown us how these experiences can be amplified by the layered identities many of us possess. This Pride Month, we’re bringing together our Yelp parents and LGBTQ+ employee resource groups to shed light on the realities of parenting outside the heteronormative paradigm. We’re also hosting another Drag Queen Story Time with Per Sia, a Latinx, nonbinary drag queen and storyteller. And, of course, we can’t end the month without a celebratory virtual concert featuring LGBTQ+ artists."
Learn more about Yelp here.
Datadog — support and attend ERG-planned programming
"This June, Datadogs will celebrate Pride Month and honor the fight for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community! Our Rainbowdogs Community Guild has planned programming all month long, including leadership discussion panels, community events, and more.
Rainbowdogs’ mission is to provide a warm, supportive, and friendly community for Datadog employees who identify as trans, queer, lesbian, bisexual, aromantic, asexual, intersex, two-spirit, gay, or questioning+, as well as the allies that support them. Follow the #DatadogLife and stay tuned for information about our upcoming internal initiatives to celebrate Pride Month."
Learn more about Datadog here.
Expedia Group — tune into the Pride podcast
"Expedia Group’s Inclusion Business Group (IBG), Pride, will be among those celebrating Pride. Expedians will get the opportunity to Lip sync for pride, to tune into the pride podcast and to attend a panel focused on “stories of pride through action” where employees will transparently share their authentic, inspiring experiences."
Learn more about Expedia Group here.
Wolters Kluwer — foster a culture of belonging all year long
At Wolters Kluwer we encourage you to be your unique self, bring your ideas to life, learn, develop, and thrive. As a global company, having a diverse workforce is paramount to our success.
This year, to celebrate LGBTQIA+ Pride Month, we are showcasing the diversity we enjoy within our global team, with our CHRO telling his own personal story as well as several other employees creating videos to share their experiences, pride and sense of belonging at working for Wolters Kluwer. We will be sharing these stories on our social channels and in our internal newsletters. We are also devoting space on our corporate homepage to recognize Pride Month.
In addition, we will be leveraging our partner, Limeade, to run a series of fun and engaging activities and challenges to celebrate Pride Month.
Learn more about Wolters Kluwer here.
Healthfirst — invite a guest speaker to share their story
"As New York City’s largest hospital-sponsored insurance plan, Healthfirst is no stranger to diversity. Celebrated every June, PRIDE, serves as an opportunity to celebrate love and embrace our differences as we seek a better future for all. For the first time in Healthfirst’s history, the True Colors PRIDE Alliance ERG will be at the forefront while taking fellow Trailblazers on a journey of PRIDE throughout the years. In addition to the various internal events that we’re planning, we will have guest speakers from organizations such as The Dru Project and Stonewall Speakers. Join us as we celebrate PRIDE!"
Learn more about Healthfirst here.
Andela — promote networking opportunities with LGBTQIA+ professionals in tech
"At Andela, we are celebrating Pride Month through a series of events designed to raise awareness, encourage active allyship and promote the importance of meaningful LGBTQ+ inclusion. Events include opportunities to network with LGBTQ+ professionals in Tech, Learning sessions, pride celebrations and fun virtual gatherings that focus on the importance of Belonging and the power of bringing our whole selves to work. As Andelans, we believe that active allyship and LGBTQ+ inclusion should be verbal, visual and behavioral based and so our focus is not just about what we say, but being visible, modeling our vision for an inclusive world."
Learn more about Andela here.
1Password — create a resource hub with books, podcasts, movies, and shows by LGBTQIA+ creatives
"Alongside donations to The Trevor Project and Pflag Canada and a number of internal events such as a keynote speech by Cheddar Gorgeous, 1Password’s Pride planning committee will be sharing “did you know?” posts throughout the month of June aimed at educating our internal community. By sharing definitions and historical facts about Pride with the whole company, we’re working to further foster our culture of learning and allyship.
The leaders of our DEI&B program – Strong, Unique Voices (SUV) – have also created a resource hub on Notion for all 1Password team members to access books, podcasts, movies and television shows made by LGBTQIA+ authors and creatives."
Learn more about 1Password here.
2U — promote intersectionality with in-person and virtual events
"2Q—2U’s LGBTQIA+ business resource network comprising 800+ employees internationally—celebrates the theme “Go Forth and PRIDE!”, emphasizing how important it is for our LGBTQIA+ employees to be their authentic selves, at work and in life, and to create intentional moments together for effecting change. 2Q will host over a dozen virtual and in-person internal events promoting intersectionality and inclusivity with special guests, including “empower hours” showing how employees can use VTO in support of LGBTQIA+ causes. On 2U’s blog and social channels, we’ll also feature “Day in the Life” perspectives from some of our LGBTQIA+ leaders, including transgender voices."
Learn more about 2U here.
Cummins — build a Pride ally program
"Here at Cummins, we are excited to take part in celebrating Pride Month and supporting the LGBTQ+ Community. Our European Pride ERG have put together a presentation to distribute across Europe embracing Pride Month and sharing our commitment to our journey on changing global attitudes. Our team are sharing ways to get involved; we have information on how to sign up for LGBTQ+ Safe Leader Training and links to our Pride Ally Page where you can become part of the program. We have a rainbow flag flying high at our European sites and are proudly sponsoring a Pride Parade in England."
Learn more about Cummins here.
Pitney Bowes — review workplace standards
"At Pitney Bowes we have a history of creating an inclusive culture where our employees feel they can bring their authentic selves at work. In the last few years, we have expanded our outreach into the LGBTQ+ community and supported the ongoing efforts for equality. During Pride month we celebrate our contributions and our global community by:
• Spotlighting editorials including LGBTQ+ topics and employee stories
• Providing resources to support coming together virtually and at our operating sites
• Sharing important resources to help support LGBTQ+ employees, allies and their families
• Maintaining the standards to be a best place to work for LGBTQ+ people"
Learn more about Pitney Bowes here.
uShip — sponsor and decorate a float for a Pride parade
"Pride is our most celebrated commemorative month at uShip! In addition to featuring local activities in our weekly newsletter, we also sponsor and decorate a float for the “Austin Pride” parade that takes place every August."
Learn more about uShip here.
Google — match your employees' donations
"At Google, our PRIDE at and Trans at Google employee resource groups continue to grow each year. This year, many LGBTQ+ Googlers and their allies will be coming together to host office events and join their local communities to participate in Pride marches. Additionally, given the challenges facing so many LGBTQ+ people, Google is donating to nonprofits that work directly with the community such as Pride Live, GLAAD and The Trevor Project. Googlers will also be able to donate to nonprofits during Pride month and Google.org will match their donations to LGBTQ+ charities around the world."
Learn more about Google’s LGBTQ+ initiatives
Learn more about Google here.
Kiva — post content to raise awareness
"Kiva is celebrating Pride this year by hosting virtual events and sharing content with our community. Our LGBTQ+ Employee Resources Group (ERG) will host a speaking event featuring an advocate for trans rights, as well as a virtual gathering for LBGTQ+ identified employees. Kiva's marketing team will post content throughout the month to highlight content and stories that raise greater awareness around LGBTQ+ lives."
Learn more about Kiva here.
CHG Healthcare — open a pop-up shop with Pride shirts for employees
"At CHG Healthcare, we pride ourselves on our culture of inclusion and diversity. We are celebrating Pride this month by:
- Participating in the Utah Pride Parade and Festival with more than 200 staff members walking with us
- Opening a pop-up shop for CHG with Pride t-shirts for all employees
- Formally relaunching our LGBTQ+ inclusion group
- Participating in Utah’s Business Equality Leader program, including training about LGBTQ+ inclusion
Learn more about CHG Healthcare here.
Audible — throw an internal happy hour
“This Pride Month Audible is collaborating with Playbill for an activation in Times Square, throwing an internal happy hour celebration for employees to reconnect and celebrate at the Innovation Cathedral, and is sponsoring Montclair NJ’s Pride Festival.”
Learn more about Audible here.
Freddie Mac — host a panel on inclusive terms
"Each June, Freddie Mac looks forward to celebrating Pride with our employee community. This year, Freddie Mac’s theme is “Pride: Then and Now,” featuring a powerful month of programming looking at the history and future of LGBTQ+ rights. Our kickoff event features drag queen and coder Anna Lytical to talk about community representation in tech fields. We will also host discussions on legal cases that protect LGBTQ+ rights, a keynote from filmmaker Yoruba Richen on the intersection of the LGBTQ+ and Civil Rights movements, and a panel on inclusive terms. We will also be highlighting how our LGBTQ+ employees contribute to Freddie Mac’s efforts to make home possible – and inclusive – for all."
Learn more about Freddie Mac here.
CU Direct —
"CU Direct’s PRIDE Employee Resource Group is excited to celebrate PRIDE at the company and in our local community! We are kicking off by sponsoring folks throughout the company to attend a PRIDE Leadership conference hosted by CU Pride, an LGBTQ+ Association of Credit Unions, where folks can learn about building inclusion and intersectional allyship. Throughout the month, team members will play PRIDE Bingo. Folks can win Bingo by participating in a PRIDE activity like reading a book, watching a movie, or highlighting a Queero (queer hero). We’ll wind down each Friday with mini-Pride parties—listening to playlists of queer artists, while we work. At the end of June, our PRIDE ERG is volunteering to set up the OC Pride Parade in Santa Ana, CA. We’re also encouraging our team members across the country to participate in Pride Parades and local events near them!"
Learn more about CU Direct here.
Soundcloud — curate a Pride playlist
"This year, at SoundCloud, we are branding Pride Summer throughout June and July as we celebrate with our US, Germany, and UK employees. Over the next two months, our Diversity Resource Group (DRG) QueerClouders will host a series of events ranging from office activities to educational workshops. As we celebrate and embrace the Queer community, we have curated various playlists located on SoundCloud and are proud to support multiple non-profit organizations that focus on the LGBTQI+ community through the SoundCloud Community Fund."
Learn more about Soundcloud here.
Skedulo — host a discussion group about a film
"During Pride month Skedulo is celebrating by embracing and sharing stories from individuals who identify within this community at Skedulo. We are also raising awareness on issues and building allyship through an education session. We are launching a partnership with The Bobby Goldsmith Foundation, Australia’s longest-running HIV charity that supports people living with HIV, a disease that has largely affected the LGBTQIA+ community. We will also host a Pride Parade watch party at our San Francisco office, a volunteer event with Frameline Film Festival, and discussion group event about the Netflix Documentary film, Disclosure, highlighting Hollywood's impact on the trans community."
Learn more about Skedulo here.
Relativity — hold educational broadcasts
Relativity Pride is excited to celebrate June with a variety of in-person, hybrid and virtual events including a picnic, happy hour, quiz bowl, and educational broadcast on the history of Stonewall. During Pride, we’re also collaborating with Relativity Women in the Workplace and Black at Relativity to program intersectional events. As a global company, we have engaged employees in the UK to host EMEA-friendly networking sessions. Finally, we’re determined to give back to the community, partnering with our social impact team to raise funds for a local organization with a Relativity match.
Learn more about Relativity here.
How Equinix’s SVP of Platform and Product Empowers Her Team to Make an Impact
Yun Freund considers her background to form the “typical immigrant story” — but sitting down with the SVP of Platform and Product at Equinix, it’s clear she’s made it her own.
“I came to the United States about 30 years ago with $80 in my pocket. I earned a CS degree from a Beijing university when computer science was new. I was good at math, so that’s what I studied,” explains Yun.
Fast forward a few decades, and Yun is now running one of the largest organizations at Equinix, a Fortune 500 digital infrastructure company focused on providing an interconnected platform to its global 10k customers. While focusing on external growth — the business has grown nearly 40% since her arrival — Yun has also invested in internal progress, especially when it comes to Equinix’s Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DIB) goals.
“I know first-hand how hard it is, as an Asian and a woman, to be able to survive and excel at a workplace, and I’m proud of how Equinix has grown to be an amazing workplace where employees feel that they are safe, belong, and matter,” says Yun.
That’s not just her opinion. Glassdoor confirms this, having given the company a “best place to work” distinction in 2021, and a special award for best places to work for LGBTQ+ equality list by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
We were excited to learn more about Yun’s strategies for empowering her team — including her belief that making room for failure is just as important as celebrating success.
The Intersection of Technological Innovation and People Management
Yun first heard about Equinix through a recruiter. Decades into her career in tech leadership, she was looking for a role where she could drive innovation in both technology and people management.
“After many rounds of discussion with our executives, I realized Equinix is a company that’s full of potential. It was doing a lot of innovation on interconnected SaaS products and networking products, and I thought I could really help drive, from a culture and process perspective, the company's digital transformation journey,” reflects Yun.
Her first order of business? Building a strategy for scaling product development. Yun had long worked at the intersection of engineering and people management, and she embraced the challenge to scale a talent strategy as well as changing the culture.
That resulted in clear growth — not just for Yun’s career, as in promotions and new responsibilities, but also in what the company was able to do.
“Helping to cultivate a DevOps culture, move products to the Cloud for high reliability and availability, and build operational excellence for our customers is contributing to us fulfilling our purpose, which is to be the platform where the world comes together, enabling the innovations that enrich our work, life and planet,” says Yun.
Diverse Ways of Measuring Impact
Yun doesn’t manage her team by the balance sheet alone.
“Improving the bottom line, or operating more efficiently, is just as important as improving the top line, or driving more revenue and more customer adoption,” she says. “Sometimes it’s not about how we get new products and services out the door, but how we run things more efficiently.”
For Equinix, says Yun, that includes committing to becoming carbon-neutral by 2030.
“We’re a company that really touches life every day, from online shopping, to sending emails and streaming movies, to smart cars,” says Yun. “We want to be doing that sustainably. For example, by using AI and machine learning to lower our power consumption and using green sources of energy.”
Yun knows that to drive the most impact, Equinix needs a diverse team. She has partnered with other senior leaders and employee connection groups and started driving a more coherent DIB strategy across the company. She is excited to see the progress and wants to continue the effort in building a diverse and safe workplace for everyone — including by leading through her own example.
3 Key Ways to Empower Your Team
When Yun says that it’s important to empower your team, she doesn’t mean that you simply transfer the responsibility to your team and call it done. Here’s what she does mean:
- Embrace failure. “It’s easy to say, ‘Ah, empowerment. Here’s the purpose, go drive impact.’ But sometimes it’s not all rosy,” she says. “The road to empowerment can sometimes be a failure. How do you support your employees along the way? When they fail, you should not blame them. You should be there, on their side, to help them do a retrospective and learn from it.”
- Show trust via delegation. “Giving your team the opportunity to make their own decisions helps give them a purpose. It shows them they can make a difference. Accountability and ownership will help drive your team to have deeper engagement and commitments, and ultimately deliver results.”
- Tie individual responsibilities to company OKRs (Objectives, Key Results). “I always communicate to my team that every engineer and individual contributor’s work will have an impact on the business, no matter how small that is,” says Yun. For example, if an engineer is working on a new digital experience component for the customers, their work will contribute to some kind of business outcome such as, hours saved from many customer support calls or customer satisfaction score improvement, and that in turn drives operational efficiency and customer experience improvement for the whole business. “When employees realize their impact on the business, it elevates their motivation as well as their state of mind.”
Looking to join an empowerment-first culture? Check out Equinix’s open roles!
Careers in Web Development: Which One's For You?
We all have our favorite websites– the ones we frequent, bookmark, and recommend to others. You might even enjoy some website features so much that you’ve found yourself wondering why they aren’t more popular. Or maybe you’ve experienced times where you were frustrated with a website and wished you could add features or even design your own!
If you’ve ever found yourself intrigued at the prospect of designing and developing your own websites, then a career as a web developer might be just for you!
As a web developer you would be responsible for coding, designing, optimizing, and maintaining websites. Today, there are over 1.7 billion websites in the world and, in turn, the demand for web developers is on the rise. In order to figure out what kind of web development work best suits you let’s start with an introduction to the three main roles in web development that you can choose from.
The Three Types of Web Development Jobs
Front-End Web Development: The Creative Side
Think of front-end development as the décor of a house. The color scheme, furniture, manicured lawns, and overall aesthetic. In terms of a website, front-end development is laser-focused on the appearance of a website and its presentation on different devices. If you’re considering a role in front-end development, it’s important to learn programming languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. These three languages go hand-in-hand. HTML allows you to create user interface elements, CSS helps you with stylistic elements, and JavaScript allows you to incorporate online tools and connect your website to back-end functions.
In addition to programming skills, front-end developers need to be detail oriented, creative, willing to keep up with the latest trends in web development, cyber security conscious, and geared toward user-friendly designs. The median salary for a front-end developer can reach well into the $90,000 to $100,000 range.
Back-End Web Development: The Logical Counterpart
While a house can be beautifully decorated, it’s incomplete without a solid foundation and efficient infrastructure. Similarly, a well-designed website depends on logical and functional code to power the features of that website. Back-end web development is code-heavy and focused on the specifics of how a website works. If you enjoy the analytical challenge of creating the behind-the-scenes code that powers a website, then back-end development is for you.
Since this role is more code-heavy, it’s important that you learn numerous programming languages and understand algorithms and data structures. Some languages that are essential to back-end development are Ruby, Python, SQL, and JavaScript. Back-end developers also ensure that users can successfully retrieve and access data. This requires creating and using APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) which act as messengers that relay data related requests. Additionally, developing the code for the inner workings of a website also requires back-end developers to be conscious of the user interface features designed by front-end developers and to internally mitigate potential security risks. Due to the increased technical aspect of this position, back-end developers normally earn higher salaries than front-end developers. The average median salary for this role is around $118,000 per year.
Full-Stack Web Development: A Little Bit of Everything
A full-stack developer is essentially the Jack (or Jill)-of-all-trades in web development. Full-stack developers need to be knowledgeable about both front-end and back-end roles. This does not necessarily imply that you would need to be an expert in both roles, but you should fully understand the different applications and synergies they each imply. In order to work in this position, you will need to know the programming languages used by front-end and back-end developers. In addition to these languages, full-stack developers also specialize in databases, storage, HTTP, REST, and web architecture.
Full-stack developers are often required to act as liaisons between front-end and back-end developers. Full-stack developers need to be both problem solvers and great communicators. The end goal for a full-stack developer is to ensure that the user’s experience is seamless, both on the front-end and on the back-end. In return, you can expect to earn a median salary of $100,000 – $115,000 a year for this role.
Taking the Next Step
Web development is both in-demand and lucrative! All three roles described above contribute to specific aspects of web development and the scope of each one can be customized to the industries and positions you feel best suit you. Regardless of which role you choose, all of them need a foundation in programming.
To gain the programming skills needed in each role, you can enroll in courses or learn independently. Coding bootcamps are a great way to boost your skillset quickly and efficiently.
Click here for some of our highly rated programming bootcamp options! Make sure to check out the discounts available to PowerToFly members.
A Successful Job Search Requires Strategy. Learn How To Approach It In The Best Possible Way!
💎For a successful job search you need to be very strategic, focused, and intentional about your career. Watch the video to the end to get advice on how to achieve it!
📼Be successful in your job search by identifying the career goals you’d like to achieve over the next 12 to 18 months. LaMont Price, Senior Recruiter, and Meg Fronckowiak, Senior Talent Acquisition Recruiter at Tenable, share with you the benefits of having a short-term career development plan and understanding your unique value proposition.
📼A successful job search requires you to take a deep dive into the job description. Look at your resume and try to match the skills and the qualifications and highlight that on your resume, so it stands out. Secondly, do your research. You want to make sure that you've taken a look at the company website. You've looked at the leadership of the company, the size of the company, and the culture of the company. And to go one step further, look at the interviewer. Look them up on LinkedIn, and take a look at their background. Recruiters always look for people who have great insightful questions that show the level of research the person did.
📼You’ll be successful in a job search if you know how to face the interview process. Every interview includes some don’ts. Don't be late. There's nothing worse than showing up late for an interview. Dress Professionally. Try to be in a quiet place so that you're not distracted. Get through the interview process, show that you're engaged, and have good body language. At the end of the interview, you always want to ask if there's any question that maybe you weren't able to answer. And always ask about the interview process to get a good understanding of the timeline.
A Successful Job Search Requires Research - Learn About A Company’s Values!
Recruiters need to know if you are aligned with the company’s culture. If you want to apply to Tenable, you should know that its core values are diversity, equity, and inclusion. They work together and they win together, and this is an idea that resonates throughout the entire organization. Tenable celebrates all of its employees. This allows them to focus on the equal representation of women and minorities in technical roles, sales roles, and leadership roles. The company provides training for all of its employees in diversity, equity, and inclusion. This helps employees to understand how their behaviors can impact others. Make sure to show that you are aligned with these values during your interview!
🧑💼 Are you interested in joining Tenable? They have open positions! To learn more, click here.
Get to Know LaMont Price and Meg Fronckowiak
Over the last 25+ years, LaMont Price has researched, analyzed, and optimized services and products by exploiting the latest tools and tactics aligned with the strategic goal via Attention, Differentiation, Trust, and Memorability. Meg Fronckowiak has been working in the recruiting and talent attraction since 2003 and she spent the majority of her career working across all disciplines including, Building out GTM Teams, Accounting & Finance, Marketing, Operations, and Sales Leadership. If interested in a career at Tenable, you can connect with LaMont and Meg on LinkedIn. Don’t forget to mention this video!
More About Tenable
Tenable empowers all organizations to understand and reduce their cybersecurity risk. Over 30,000 organizations, more than 50% being fortune 500 companies worldwide, rely on Tenable to help them understand and reduce cybersecurity risk. The company has some of the greatest minds. That’s because they bring people who come from diverse backgrounds and give them the resources and support to partner together to bring new ideas to life.
Monica Arias of Chainalysis on How Underrepresented Talent Can Break into the Tech Industry
Monica Arias has long been interested in the new and the next. That interest is what drove her to work in national security after 9/11, and in the cryptocurrency space after learning about modern-day crimes committed on the blockchain.
One thing she has noticed every time she’s been somewhere new: the importance of having a diverse early team to shape it.
“We need minorities to be willing to take a chance and apply to firms like ours and other tech firms,” says Monica, who is currently a Federal Business Development Lead at Chainalysis, a blockchain data platform. “As these companies grow rapidly, we need diverse candidates who can offer diverse thoughts and approaches to problems.”
Monica currently works closely with the Chainalysis federal government team to pursue opportunities to support customers that are in need of Chainalysis data to track blockchain criminals and bring them to justice. She was well-prepared for some parts of the job after holding various roles but had to come up the curve on technical skills — which is why she’s sure that other candidates like her, from non-technical, underrepresented backgrounds, will be able to do so, too.
We sat down with Monica to hear more about how marginalized people can break into crypto and best position themselves for success in the field.
Connecting to a Bigger Mission
Growing up around DC, Monica got early exposure to federal service. From a young age, she knew she wanted to help represent and advocate for people.
She went to law school, thinking that would be the best path to fulfilling her goals. But living through 9/11 inspired her to support national security missions more actively. That’s how she got her first exposure to her now-employer — she brought in Chainalysis for a demo to learn how to on leverage their blockchain analysis tools.
“I’ve always wanted to be a part of something that had a bigger mission,” says Monica. “And the crypto space had that.”
It wasn’t just any crypto company that interested Monica, though. She particularly liked the company’s innovative culture and fast growth.
“Chainalysis is a very open and encouraging place,” says Monica, who came in to interview at the startup having studied up on crypto, but never having worked in the field or with blockchain technology.
“The culture is very much about learning, and they’ve created an environment where they enable you to do so. The underlying foundation is ongoing learning, and soliciting ideas on how to evolve and expand.”
Leveraging a Non-Technical Background
Monica gets what it’s like to not want to apply to an opportunity because you feel underqualified — that’s what happened to her.
“In some conversations, the feedback I received was that I didn’t have enough of a technical background and that therefore it would be challenging to go and join a tech firm,” she says. “It’s a big deterrent for so many people. And it also compounds things. Because if you’re a minority or from an underrepresented group, you’re already less likely to apply. And if you have no technical background, you’re even less likely to do so.”
How did Monica break through that? She got creative.
“I had to take a step back and say, ‘You know, I have skills. How can I transfer those into a non-technical role supporting a tech firm?” she says.
We asked her to share more about what that process was like, and here’s what she said:
5 Tips as You Gear Up to Be Competitive in the Tech Industry
- Find firms that are in fields you find interesting. Since you’re going to have to do a lot of learning, find a tech firm that is involved in a field you are excited about. Monica found her interest - crypto! She’s excited to continuously be learning about the rapidly changing crypto landscape. She added, “the tech industry can be demanding so you need to stay motivated about the work you’re doing and believe in the company you’re with.”
- Find firms that are open-minded, too. Interviewing at Chainalysis even without technical skills on her resume didn’t pose a problem for Monica. That’s because they were willing to look at her in her entirety. “It’s not just, ‘Do you fit A, B, and C,’ but ‘Do you have the overall skills and ability to learn and grow in this type of field?’”
- Recognize your transferable skills. Monica coaches other people with non-technical backgrounds like hers to start by acknowledging their accomplishments in their own fields. “What have you done? Is it people managing? Because these firms manage people in one way or another. Those and other skills can be leveraged and transferred,” says Monica. “Literally, make a list and identify those skills, then highlight those skills throughout your resume.”
- Remember that most people are in the same boat. “You won’t come across too many candidates who have 10 years of crypto experience, because this field is new,” says Monica. “The perfect candidate who meets every single qualification listed in a job ad may not exist so instead recruiters — especially those who are good at their jobs - spend time getting to know candidates. But they can't get to know you if you are deterred from applying by thinking you don't meet all the qualifications.”
- Study up. Monica follows crypto influencers, keeps up with crypto companies on LinkedIn, follows government statements on crypto, and reads reports put out by her firm and others. “If this is your focus, you need to read, talk, and network — just be curious,” she says.
Does a job at Chainalysis sound right for you? Check out their open roles!