Why Cultivating Diversity in the Workplace Matters at Justworks
Below is an article originally written by Jess Harvie, the Diversity & Inclusion Manager at PowerToFly Partner Justworks, and published on May 7, 2018. Go to Justworks' page on PowerToFly to see their open positions and learn more.
At Justworks, we believe a diverse workforce creates a more vibrant workplace. Our diversity and inclusion program has opened up many opportunities for the team and the company. What are they, and why is it important? Read on to find out.
Diversity and inclusion (D+I) programs are really having a moment in tech, Hollywood, and a number of different industries around the country. Spurred by very public and viral movements like #MeToo, the importance of cultivating a diverse and inclusive culture that is fair and safe for all groups of people to work in has never been so relevant.
According to Deloitte, 69% of executives rate diversity and inclusion as an important issue for their organizations. That's great! But how do we take "diversity and inclusion" from a problem to solve, and turn it into an opportunity to make lasting cultural changes in our organizations and beyond?
Fostering Diversity in the Workplace
At Justworks, we're happy to say that we definitely don't have all the answers. In fact, it's becoming more apparent that when it comes to D+I, no one company has really nailed it. One thing we think we've gotten right so far is building the foundation for an authentic diversity and inclusion program that embraces the inherent value that having diversity in the workplace promises, and pays more than lip service to the buzzwords of the moment.
At Justworks, these are some of the opportunities we've created as part of our diversity and inclusion program.
The opportunity to be better and continual innovators.
As disrupters in a fairly old-school space, it's vital for our teams to be able to think differently and creatively. Diversity of thought usually comes with diversity of people, and we're conscious of how a more diverse team can make our product better.
The opportunity to share and use existing knowledge in a new setting.
Techniques that are already implemented in tech can be applied to drive cultural change as well. For example, "design thinking" is an experimental problem-solving process that allows product teams to fail quickly and safely. It is sometimes about being clumsy, but also about prioritizing the ability to continuously find the "true north" for product features. We've applied a design thinking approach to D+I that has allowed us to experiment with our inclusion initiatives in a safe space so we can iterate quickly.
The opportunity to show our employees we understand them.
Whether you've thought about diversity and inclusion or not, chances are your employees probably have. Millennials have been dubbed the "inclusion generation." An analysis by Deloitte revealed that millennial employees report higher levels of engagement and sense of empowerment at work when working for an inclusive organization. Investing in diversity and inclusion shows employees a commitment to making the workplace better for them.
The opportunity to create company leaders in new places.
Our employee resource groups (ERGs) have given employees that may not have otherwise had the opportunity to lead the space to do so. Our leadership team is vocal about D+I leaders getting access to the same opportunities as other potential business leaders and managers in the company. We're in the process of tailoring a leadership program specifically for D+I leaders so they feel like they have the skills, tools, and support to lead their groups effectively.
The opportunity to be thought leaders for our customers.
As an HR tech company, we are building a platform and creating content for our customers that we believe is shaping the future of work. It's important for us to create an experience for our customers that is not only an inclusive experience, but is also giving our customers the tools to be the best employers they can be.
We want to do that from a place of authenticity, and share our own learnings as a fast-growing company with our customers. Regardless of your industry, setting an example in this space will definitely encourage others to take notice. Having been named one of the Best Workplaces in Technology, we know that we lead by example in our industry, and we don't take that responsibility lightly.
Starting Small, But Being Real
Justworks, like a lot of tech startups, was created from a refusal to accept the status quo and a belief that things can be better—HR and payroll doesn't have to be boring! Or, at least, it can be easy to use.
Similarly, the heart of our diversity and inclusion program was born from our employees' refusal to accept the status quo as good enough. Our employees wanted to make Justworks an even better place to work.
As a result, our diversity program has a ground-up focus with leadership buy-in, which aims to harness our employees' enthusiasm and energy to create and drive initiatives they want to see at the company. Our focus for this year has been on making sure the people that already work at Justworks feel like they can bring their whole selves to work, and we are committed to making sure our program stays true to what makes sense to Justworks employees.
To support that focus, the initiatives we've kicked off in the last year have been largely driven by employees themselves, and have had a consistent theme of building empathy. These initiatives include an employee newsletter that profiles employees and their stories, internal panels featuring interviews with employees from underrepresented groups about their experiences in the workplace, and creating safe spaces to have real conversations without judgment.
We definitely have a way to go with our own diversity goals, like the idea to make Justworks as diverse as NYC. But, we've started with simple, low-cost, employee-led initiatives that have already had an impact on how our employees feel about each other and coming to work.
Tackling diversity and inclusion is no doubt an enormous challenge. But, our approach is that small steps leads to greater strides. You don't have to change the entire system all at once to make things better, especially if you embrace the opportunities of diversity and inclusion as a long-term business strategy.
This is the first in a three-part blog series about building our diversity and inclusion program at Justworks. In our next posts, we'll be doing a deep-dive into applying design thinking to our diversity initiatives and how to build a grassroots D+I Program at a startup.
Lead Together: Behind the Scenes of Facebook's Women@ Leadership Day
Tatiana L. is a global client partner based in Miami.
Tatiana is part of the Women@ Facebook Resource Group and helped plan Women's Leadership Day, an annual global community summit. While the highly-anticipated event takes place over just one day, its massive impact is felt over the course of the entire year.
Amy W. is an operations lead based in London.
"Women's Leadership Day is more than an event. It's energy, and it's a movement," Amy W., an operations lead in London, says. "Moments like this can completely change the perception of women in technology."
From choosing the content and programming for the event to making it accessible for women around the globe, we went behind the scenes with seven members of the Women@ Facebook Resource Group to learn more about how women are empowered—and are empowering one another— in their career journeys at the Facebook company.
Behind the scenes with Women@
Amanda M., an internal recruiting manager based in Singapore, speaking onstage at 2019 Women@ Leadership Day in APAC.
"I've always been passionate about empowering women, but I didn't know how I could do it at work. My first Women@ experience changed how I felt at Facebook," Amanda M., an internal recruiting manager in Singapore, remembers. "From then on, I wanted to help other women feel heard, valued, and confident."
Planning the global event, which brings together women from more than 20 countries, calls for close collaboration across multiple teams, regions, and timezones. Members of Women@ also partner with other Facebook Resource Groups, such as the Pride@ Resource Group, Latin@ Facebook Resource Group, Desis@ Facebook Resource Group and Black@ Resource Group, to ensure all women at Facebook are represented and feel included.
Vivian V. is a program manager based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
"Across regions and communities, we each bring unique differences and powerful stories. When one of us moves forward, we have the opportunity to bring all of us forward," Vivian V., a program manager in the San Francisco Bay Area explains. "While planning the summit, we meet weekly to talk about what women in different regions are experiencing. From the event theme and content to planning speaker sessions and fine-tuning details, we each have items to own. Two months before the summit, we meet daily to share updates and make sure nothing slips through the cracks."
"Just like me, women in APAC look forward to Women's Leadership Day all year long," Amanda says. Planning something that's deeply meaningful to so many people can feel like a lot of pressure, but at the same time, it's uplifting. I appreciate that we have the opportunity to talk about our individual and shared challenges, and we map out ways we can build community while empowering leadership for women across the globe."
Empowering confidence, equality, and leadership through storytelling
Paris Z., a vertical strategy lead in Singapore, and Amanda M. collaborate with women across the globe to plan Women@ programming and events.
Women's Leadership Day encourages women to talk about challenges like experiencing imposter syndrome, breaking through barriers, and how to manage work/life flexibility. "Storytelling is a huge part of the event," Paris Z., a vertical strategy lead in Singapore, explains.
Vivian says, "I've been at Facebook for nearly two years and help plan these events, and honestly, I never really understood imposter syndrome before I got here. Working with the Women@ community and hearing from our speakers—who are talented, brilliant superstars—I've seen firsthand how it affects them too."
Michelle C. is a client partner based in London.
Michelle C., a client partner in London, says that the summit's speaker sessions, which feature people from inside and outside of Facebook, are a highlight of every event. "We had a speaker from Tel Aviv who talked about the importance of balance in her personal life and how she co-parents with her husband. She shared specific things she's done, like adding her husband to the WhatsApp chat groups for mothers she's in and reminding her daughter's school that her husband is also available when their child feels sick. Her message was that we'll never be equal in the workplace until we're equal at home, and it really struck a chord."
Paris says that in APAC, Eva Chen's talk about facing challenges amidst the coronavirus pandemic and how she's raising her daughter was a top-rated session because it was so relatable. "From talking about her daughter's love for dinosaurs—a "boy" thing—and raising kids to fully be themselves to opening up about what it was like to grow up with immigrant parents from China and Vietnam, Eva inspired us with her authenticity and openness. Her struggle to feel supported while working in fashion and tech, rather than medicine, is something a lot of people in APAC understand."
"Every woman has a unique story," Michelle says. "Hearing from others is inspiring, validating, and truly eye-opening. It reminds us that we're not alone."
A memorable and lasting impact
It's no surprise that with the tremendous amount of planning and careful consideration that goes into the summit, its full impact is impossible to measure.
"It meant so much to me when people shared such positive feedback about Women's Leadership Day," Paris says. "We heard that some attendees felt inspired for days and weeks."
Kira G. is an agency partner based in Berlin.
Kira G., an agency partner in Berlin, has witnessed how the summit's programming can inspire action, even helping people push past a career plateau. "We might reach a point in our careers when we think, "I can't do this anymore, I'm not moving forward'," she says. "Women's Leadership Day gives us fresh perspectives, shows us new approaches, and starts important conversations. This can unlock new paths for growth and help us move forward."
Impact is felt in other Facebook groups, communities, and across teams too, inspiring interest and allyship. Amanda explains, "I felt so proud when a male VP from the Sales team came to us after hearing about what people talked about at Women's Leadership Day. He told us he wanted to learn more because it's everyone's responsibility to be an ally."
Empowering the community throughout the year
While Amanda describes Women's Leadership Day as a "bump in energy and inspiration" and "an injection of adrenaline", Vivian says that the real magic is what happens afterwards—and takes place all year long.
"When we think about Women's Leadership Day, our focus is on making sure that the powerful messages we hear and experience serve us throughout the entire year. We ask ourselves questions like, "How can we sprinkle these themes into our programming throughout the month or quarter? How do these ideas fit with our Women@ initiatives?" Going through something awesome together is just the beginning. Our work takes place year-round and we're constantly building on it to do more."
Paris agrees: "There's no shortage of amazing stories from our Women@ community throughout the year. Women's Leadership Day is just one channel for those stories, and I love how it stays top of mind with people and empowers them to do more good. When we come together, we can do anything we dream of."
"We're building a sisterhood and a community," Tatiana beams. "It feels so good to know there's always someone there to support you."
Learn more about Facebook's Employee Resource Groups, including Women@ here.
