Fellow Humans;
Belonging is the Destination, Change is the Journey
Three years ago we published an open letter titled Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes, outlining our commitment to fighting racial and social injustice. While DECIEM has always been committed to creating an equitable world of good, we viewed this initiative as a top priority after gaining a new perspective on the systemic injustices that exist. The realization of these inequities has inspired us to take action and make a positive impact. In 2021, we shared an update on our progress in, Something Changes if Something Changes.
Last year, we spoke about how we had taken an honest look at where we could continue to improve through listening to our colleagues and communities with Commit to Change, Change Will Come. Now, we'd like to present the fourth chapter in our journey, Belonging is the Destination, Change is the Journey. This letter reflects our collective effort in creating a world where every person feels a sense of belonging. It is our hope that this work will help foster a more inclusive and kind world for all.
LEARNINGS, REFLECTIONS AND
LOOKING FORWARD
DECIEM has undergone a transformation this year. While remaining committed to prioritizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, we realized that our framework was missing a crucial piece - Belonging. Our Belonging Strategy is our roadmap to creating equitable and inclusive spaces for our teams and the communities we touch. Our goal: Inclusive communities where all feel accepted, appreciated, and valued for who they are; a world where all humans can live. We hope you’ll keep reading for details on how we plan to achieve our goal.
SAFETY TO BE OUR AUTHENTIC SELVES
Disrupt norms to foster a psychologically safe and inclusive environment where our DECIEM team members can show up as themselves and feel an authentic sense of belonging.
Create a safe, inclusive space where DECIEM team members can be themselves and truly belong. We believe in the right for every human to show up unapologetically as themselves, regardless of their background.
UPDATE
Inclusion and belonging are at the forefront of our Engagement Survey, with the 2022 results revealing that Inclusion ranked as our top theme. But we're not stopping there - with our Pulse Strategy, we're committed to measuring belonging frequently to ensure our progress continues to soar.
We're committed to ongoing diversity training and education, including emotional intelligence and bias training for leadership through our Human Leadership program. Our 12-month program covered essential topics such as; self-awareness, inclusive conversations, and supporting mental health. Our CEO, Global General Manager and VP of People also held listening sessions with non-leadership team members to foster direct communication and understanding of diverse experiences within DECIEM.
Supporting Wellbeing:
We prioritize the well-being of our team through HUGS, our EAP program available to all team members and their families. We offer self-care activities and encourage a positive work culture that values work-life balance, communication, collaboration, and recognition of employee contributions. Our flexible programs include baby steps; bereavement, working from anywhere for four weeks, hybrid return to work, and personal days that can be used for anything from appointments, to self-care, to mental health days. We value well-being as much as our business goals - that's why we've integrated wellness and personal goals into our Human Enablement Program, Human Journeys.
LEVERAGE DIVERSITY AS OUR STRENGTH
Expect all career levels to be reflective of our communities and ensure all DECIEM team members can succeed
To ensure we remain focused on our commitments, we want to remind you of the goals we shared last year:
- Maintain a workforce of at least 50% BIPOC team members, focusing on Black and Indigenous peoples ✓
- Increase leadership representation to at least 50% BIPOC, focusing on Black and Indigenous peoples ✓
UPDATE
BIPOC leadership at DECIEM is at 55%, up from 39% in 2021. We're committed to inclusive hiring practices to better reflect our communities, and in the spirit of transparency, here's a breakdown of how our leadership team identifies:
UPDATE
1: Inclusive hiring practices that reduce bias and remove inequities
Black Professionals in Tech Network (Obsidi): DECIEM continues to commit to change, by fighting racial and social injustice. We have partnered with BPTN as one of the ways to align our recruitment strategy with our business values and help us maintain our goal of a global workforce of at least 50% BIPOC team members, focusing on Black and Indigenous Peoples, and increasing representation in leadership roles.
CCAB & PAR: We just submitted our Phase I Certification Application for the Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) Program with the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business. And that's not all!
- Our senior leaders (Vice President and above) completed 4 Seasons of Reconciliation education and committed to advancing reconciliation in Canada
- We've launched an Indigenous Relations Commitment Statement to foster inclusion and support Indigenous Peoples and communities across Canada and beyond
- And we're working on meaningful engagements with Indigenous communities, committing to learning, listening, and amplifying Indigenous voices.
ADDRESS SYSTEMIC BARRIERS IN OUR COMMUNITIES
Connect with consumers and suppliers to understand needs, remove barriers, and amplify changes in society
We want to introduce you to what we have deemed ‘humanhood’. Humanhood embraces what makes us all our most beautiful - being human. It recognizes our interdependent relationship with the Earth, and our shared journey towards creating a kinder, more conscious future for all living beings.
1. Play an active role in driving societal change and ending the cycle of inequities
UPDATE
We're proud to share that during our 2023 fiscal year (starting July 2022), we've donated approximately $1M (CAD) to global organizations committed to fostering belonging and creating a world of good.
ACCOUNTABILITY AND GOVERNANCE
Ensure internal leadership accountability and be transparent about our progress as a company
1: Drive leadership accountability in DEI
UPDATE
- Belonging is our North Star: the guiding force behind our culture of authenticity, inclusion, and innovation. By prioritizing this metric, we can ensure a psychologically safe and engaging environment that supports the well-being of every team member. At DECIEM, fostering a sense of belonging isn't just the right thing to do, it's our imperative.
- Belonging, Sustainability, & Social Impact Goal: We are taking our leadership accountability to a new level of responsibility by incorporating elements of doing good, belonging, and cost consciousness, making it more holistic and robust. Our aim is to achieve a sense of belonging and make a positive social and sustainable impact in all our activities. Starting from 2024, Senior Managers and above will have goals tied to Belonging, which will affect their personal compensation. This represents a shift in the way we define success to include Belonging, Sustainability, and Social Impact.
2: Report on DEI progress internally and externally
UPDATE
We're sharing our annual DEI progress update publicly – you're reading it right now ;-).
Thanks for reading our commitments and updates. We're committed to continuous improvement and adapting to the evolving world. There's still much to learn and unlearn, but with focus and dedication, we'll achieve impactful and sustainable change. We look forward to sharing our ongoing progress with you.
With gratitude, love, and a deep sense of hope for our future.
Nicola
Co-Founder