In early 2020, we drafted a new 3-year strategic plan. Creating a welcoming workplace has always been important to us, and in this plan we set out to apply a Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) approach to creating a culture where all Brainers thrive. We have learned so much from other companies who have shared their work around DEI; this update is our way of contributing to this conversation.

What is DEI?

In the workplace, when people mention DEI they are speaking to initiatives that will improve diversity, equity and inclusion. A few practical examples of DEI initiatives are including pronouns in email signatures, or developing features in your software, such as an inclusive gender option.

If you are interested in further exploring DEI work, we have three learning resources at the end of this article to get you started.

We commit to building an internal space that nurtures respect and care for each other, embraces our uniqueness, and creates a welcoming environment for all.

What is our goal for DEI? 

When we wrote our 3-year strategic plan as a team in early 2020, we put culture right up top. Building a great team is our first priority, and culture is how we get there. In our current plan, we commit to building an internal space that nurtures respect and care for each other, embraces our uniqueness, and creates a welcoming environment for all. This is our vision for diversity, equity, and inclusion in action; the workplace we will cultivate by focusing on DEI.

What have we done so far?

Before last summer, initiatives focusing on DEI sat with managers and our Culture Committee. Last summer, we coordinated efforts by bringing a committee of Brainers together to create a DEI Roadmap for the year.  

Enhancing our own individual education was step #1. To deepen our understanding of the issues, the committee coordinated peer learning groups called Table Talk, curated a list of resources with personal recommendations, and provided funding for DEI learning materials. Moving beyond personal education and into company-wide initiatives, we worked with a consultant to develop some initial priorities with long-term impact. 3 initiatives that resonated with the team were creating an Emerging Leaders program, focusing on inclusion in our Onboarding, and bringing a DEI lens into our Product Development processes.

Our DEI Roadmap has taken us through a number of initiatives this year:

• External Consultants: We are continuing work with a partner to review our all of our key people processes and resources, from our Staff Handbook to performance reviews.
• Hiring: Identified new places to post jobs, revised job descriptions to increase inclusivity, implemented structured interviews.
• Onboarding: Launched new initiatives focusing on support, mentorship & connection.
• Data Collection: Ran our first dedicated Diversity & Inclusion survey to establish a baseline of belonging across different demographics, and created a home for this data in our HRIS.
• Training: Our Product Team + some devs completed Equity Sequence training, a tool for approaching software development with DEI in mind.
• Pronouns: Learned about the importance of sharing pronouns and created email signatures including our pronouns & a resource with more information.
• DEI Roundup: Launched a regular newsletter to update Brainers on what was happening across the company to improve DEI and our culture.
• Leadership Development: Developing an Emerging Leaders program to supercharge Brainers interested in leading, especially those historically underrepresented in leadership in tech.
• Software: Releasing (soon!) an expansion of gender options for CampBrain users.

Most recently, we asked what diversity & inclusion mean to us as individuals and as a team, via a Humanizing DEI workshop facilitated by Reframe. Our shared understanding will provide the foundation for our next roadmap, and our continued learning as a team. 

“Do the best you can until you know better.
Then when you know better, do better.”

― Maya Angelou

Three additional learning resources

While we are already seeing the benefits of our DEI initiatives so far, this work will be an ongoing priority. We will continue to educate ourselves, and cultivate meaningful change at CampBrain and in our industries. I’ll be sure to provide another update soon as we continue our DEI journey.