We invited Victoria Napolitano (she/her), transgender woman, gamer and our diversity, equity, inclusion and wellbeing (belonging) lead to talk about our diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives and share her experience with us.
— What sets Pismo apart from other tech startups in terms of DE&I?
Our competitive advantage lies in the fact that we are consistent and genuine, as we have support from our board of executives to drive change. In many companies, the DE&I agenda is secondary or made only to comply with current legislation. At Pismo, the DE&I agenda is a priority. We have the incentive and autonomy from our board to make a meaningful impact on people’s lives and promote an equitable and inclusive society where people feel they belong.
We are focused on making a difference: there is no recipe and DE&I efforts are not one-size-fits-all. This is why we focus on data and on truly understanding Pismo’s scenario to drive meaningful change, especially focused on giving opportunities and promoting an equitable work environment for minoritised and underrepresented communities.
We would like to highlight two recent actions connected to what we want to do: change the world.
1. Partnership with EducaTRANSforma
EducaTRANSforma is an NGO that trains and enables trans people to work in technology and innovation. The program is free for transgender people, bridging them with the formal job market. In addition to qualifying these people, it also trains them in soft skills, preparing them for the challenges of professional life. Finally, EducaTRANSforma offers a whole support network that prepares transgender people to feel safe in the job market.
We connected with this proposal, which addresses one of the main problems experienced by trans people and, therefore, we decided to support this innovative initiative.
With this partnership, EducaTRANSforma facilitated two workshops on Transgender Awareness. Since January, some Pismo employees have been mentoring trans people in the program as voluntary work.
We are quite happy to contribute to EducaTRANSforma’s growth and overall impact on society.
2. Belonging Survey
This survey was our first step to having a data-oriented approach to DE&I. The survey was a global initiative that aimed to truly understand the population at Pismo and identify opportunities in wellbeing, diversity, decision making, voice, work-life balance, contribution to a broader purpose, inclusion and equity factors in the workplace.
Our goal is to understand where we are and gather data to measure diversity (balance of people in the workplace) and inclusion (equality of the employee experience). With this information in hand, we can prioritise initiatives and projects that will drive change and have the greatest impact to promote an equitable, healthy and inclusive culture for everyone. Stay tuned to our blog; we will be sharing some information about the survey results soon!
— What are Pismo’s DE&I next steps?
Our vision for the future is one of equal opportunities for everyone. And we are committed to building a transparent and friendly culture where everyone, including historically excluded people, can thrive and be themselves, whoever they are.
We are fully committed to creating and promoting a safe and secure environment for everyone where people can feel they belong.
This journey has just started, and we are taking the first steps towards a better world. Join us, jump into the waves of transformation!
