Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Who Gives A Crap: Chapter 3

We firmly believe that working towards a better world, one that is fair and just, does not happen overnight or with only good intentions. When we started our journey to be an actively anti-racist business, we committed to accountability and transparency by updating you, our community, quarterly on our progress. We’re excited to share the next phase of this very, very important work.

(If you missed Chapter 2, you can check out the update here.)

Gathering the data

With the help of our partner, Collective, we surveyed 93 members of our team (a 96% participation rate). The question addressed identity, opportunity, access to decision making, feedback and much more.

We hadn’t done this kind of research in the past (diving deep into identity and lived experience), but we thought it was important to understand where we were as a company and what our baselines are. While there is a lot we have to work on, there are some key things we’re doing right.

97% of our team believes that different perspectives are welcomed and encouraged at the company. The survey had high scores across all demographics, which is a sign our team is engaged and invested. Similarly, 97% of employees believe that people are treated fairly at Who Gives A Crap regardless of their background. All this was great to hear, but we knew it wasn’t the whole story.

The pain points

1. Unclear growth opportunities

There were a lot of mixed responses when it came to the opportunity for growth. Some people saw lots of opportunities, while others weren’t clear on what those opportunities were or how to take advantage of them. Traditionally marginalised groups (women, people of colour) experienced this lack of clarity more strongly.

2. An uneven distribution of diversity 

The majority of our teammates come from our 4 main hubs – Australia, The Philippines, China and The United States. The majority of our leadership, and all of our Planning Team, are only from Australia and the US. Within the US and AU hubs, the majority of team members identify as White. We may have a diverse staff, but that’s not represented across leadership roles.

3. We’re conflict adverse 

We found that many of our teammates, particularly those of colour, feared speaking up, voicing a contrary opinion, or “ruffling any feathers” at the risk of being perceived as difficult, negatively impacting their career, offending others or losing their job. While we strive to create an open and supportive environment, we need to make sure that we actively engage in the difficult, yet important, conversations.

Our goals 

To foster a culture of honesty and vulnerability, in which employees at every level feel empowered to do their best work, speak up and share different perspectives, we set 3 main goals. 

1. Build the foundation

Build the foundation of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Who Gives a Crap by establishing explicit, core company values and stated philosophies to guide us and broadening team members’ empathy and cross-cultural understanding of each other’s lived experiences and adversities. 

2.  Better team representation  

Enhance our recruitment and hiring processes to increase representation across the organization at all levels, teams, and hubs, with a focus on BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of colour) candidates and other currently underrepresented voices.  

3. Cultivate a culture of empowerment

Empower employees’ voices, day-to-day work, and career advancement by cultivating a culture that encourages the giving and receiving of feedback, learning rather than perfection, and the ability to grow through clearly communicated equitable processes.

A new council 

It was important to us that all types of people from across the business could be a part of achieving these goals. With that in mind, we formed a DEI council to inform and guide the business to make continuous improvement towards achieving its diversity and inclusion vision.

The council is made up of 9 team members from various hubs and teams, and with different levels of seniority. Each member brings a unique perspective, but all share a dedication to justice and equality at Who Gives A Crap and beyond.

Up until now, Lori (hi, it’s me!) has written these quarterly updates with direction from key members of our Executive Team – Ellie, our VP of People and Culture and Danny, our Chief of Product and Purpose. From here on out, these community updates will come directly from the DEI council.

We look forward to sharing the next steps soon!