Since we last spoke, our DEI council has been working hard on setting a road map for the next 12 months.

They took the results of our internal survey, which dove deep into employee identity and lived experiences, and brainstormed action items based on the pain points the survey revealed.

From there, they voted on solutions and worked with our partners at Collective to create a game plan. Based on our goals, our council created 4 task forces. Here are their updates on what’s currently happening, from the leaders of each task force:

From the External and Brand task force

The External & Brand task force aims to ensure that our DEI representation externally reflects our vibrancy internally. Here at Who Gives A Crap, we know the work that we're doing in the DEI space, but that's not enough for us. We hope that if we share this publicly, we can provide a good influence on others who may be wanting to explore DEI further, but aren't quite sure where to start. Our focus over the next few months will be developing "things we believe and willing to fight for" statements that will be used to guide our decision making going forward. We're most excited about the opportunity we have for everyone at Who Gives A Crap to be involved in this process. This will be a truly collaborative process and can't wait to get started. - Kate

From the Professional Development task force

The Professional Development task force is focused on empowering employees from all parts of the business, raising their profiles and voices & ensuring we have clearly communicated equitable processes for career growth. Over the next few months, we’ll focus on designing inclusive company wide suggestion & feedback loops that result in real action. We'll also be working to open up key leadership meetings across the business. We want to create opportunities for folks not usually in those meetings to ask questions, seek feedback & show off the amazing work they're doing. -Megan

From the Hiring and Representation task force

The Hiring & Representation task force exists to mitigate biases and elevate inclusive hiring practices across all levels and hubs at the company. In the coming months, we will do an audit of our internal recruitment and hiring processes, identify target areas of improvement with a focus on impact, and initiate a rolling plan to support more inclusive outcomes. We understand that this is not a static project and are committed to this continuous body of work as the needs of diverse candidates, our growing organization, and the recruitment landscape evolve. - Brian

From the Foundation and Inclusion task force

The Foundation and Inclusion task force is here to give people the opportunity to share their personal stories and journeys. We are working on a calendar of events (with a minimum of 1 per quarter) for the rest of the year where people can share a bit about who they are and the unique paths they’ve walked. We are aiming to make sure that everyone gets a platform to express themselves as we build the foundation of diversity, equity, and inclusion by establishing explicit, core company values and stated philosophies to guide us through the work, and by broadening employees' empathy and cross-cultural understanding of each other's lived experiences and adversities. -Mary

The leaders of each task force are from the DEI council, but the opportunity to participate in the task forces is open to anyone in the company. Each task force has about 5 volunteers to help them reach their goals. Ultimately, the role of the DEI council is to help facilitate conversations, provide structure for progress and resources when needed. But it’s on all of us in the business to make it happen. Everyone’s included on this journey.

If you’re just joining us on our journey to ensure Who Gives A Crap is an anti-racist business (welcome!), you can catch up by reading Chapters 1, 2 and 3 of documenting this process.