This Friday marks the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth, the day Union General Gordon Granger read federal orders in Galveston, Texas, that all previously enslaved people in Texas were free. Yesterday, our management issued an internal notice letting everyone know that Vendorful would be observing Juneteenth going forward. They are encouraging our employees to use the day for reflection and – once we get past the COVID-19 pandemic – do something actionable like volunteering in our communities.
In the spirit of reflection and action, let’s take a moment to talk about what equality might look like in the workplace whether virtual or in-person.
- Rethink your hiring practices:
The African proverb, “It takes a village,” couldn’t be more relevant or true as it is today. As a business operating in an industry that is predominantly white and male, we can’t simply state that we believe in equality and leave it at that. Rather, we view it as our responsibility to take action. This means, among other things, changing the way we do business. To that end, we at Vendorful invite you to join us in rethinking your hiring practices, particularly as they relate to Black Americans. We’ve started by changing our hiring policies to make sure that we interview black candidates for open positions. When I asked our CEO, David Wadler, about this practice, as I was curious as to what would happen if we didn’t have a Black American apply for a position. He replied that this was the whole point, “The onus is on us to find one.”
- Making big deals into small goals.
Ask yourself what you can do to make a positive difference at your company or in the workplace. We recognize that we are a small startup, a virtual blip when compared to larger corporations. This is why we’re encouraging others to join us in undoing processes that – even unwittingly – perpetuate racial inequality. If lots of us work together, our combined efforts can result in significant change.
If you’re interested in running a more inclusive process, we would be happy to help promote your jobs page, simply fill out the following form: https://vendorful.com/organizations-with-inclusive-hiring-practices/
- Check-in with your colleagues.
We spend more time with our colleagues than we do with our families throughout the week. Many of our Black American colleagues are having difficult and emotionally exhausting conversations in their personal lives and on social media. Take this opportunity to offer your colleagues a level of relief in the form of patience and diligence to hear them and drive change.
Vendorful may just be one company, but with your support and participation, we can create a village that applies inclusive policies to create a profound and lasting effect in the tech space.