Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: 2021 Review & Athennian’s DEI Roadmap

In the last quarter of 2020, Athennian leadership took a closer look at what can drive real progress regarding diversity, equity and inclusion in our work environment. We organized a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) committee and collectively decided on goals for 2021 and on. 

The protests of summer 2020 shined a bright light on many of the racial and gendered inequities in our society, and highlighted the need to carefully consider how diversity, equity and inclusion are navigated in our world of remote work.

This is a review of what the Athennian DEI committee focused on, and what our plans are going into the new year. 

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2021 Athennian DEI Committee Quick Facts

• We achieved gender parity on our Board of Directors.
• We have women representation at every level of the company.
• We are moving closer towards gender parity in the areas of technical roles, management, and technical management. 
  

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2021 Athennian DEI Initiatives

• Created the Athennian DEI Committee Charter & 2021 Strategic Plan
• Inclusive Design Workshop: Hosted by Athennian to recognize and understand how our product can be more inclusive to our users. 
• Inclusive Language Workshop: Hosted by Athennian to recognize how we can create an inclusive environment for individuals to feel welcome, respected and safe. 
• Accessibility 101 Workshop: Hosted by Athennian to identify and understand accessibility and use relating to our product. 
• National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: Athennian recognized September 30th, 2021 as a new holiday that gives people a chance to recognize and commemorate the intergenerational harm that residential schools have caused to Indigenous families and communities, and to honour those who have been affected by this injustice.

• Athennian Cookbook: A member of the DEI Committee took the initiative to put recipe submissions together in an electronic cookbook titled, “Tastes like Home: A Celebration of Our Heritage”. 
• Athennian is officially a hiring partner with Chic Geek: This is a network of companies committed to supporting womxn in the tech industry by fostering a culture of inclusivity and retaining talent throughout an individual’s career. As a hiring partner, Athennian job postings will be circulated among the Chic Geek community to access a diverse talent network of potential hires, partners, and connections.
• Faces of Athennian: Members of the DEI Committee received submissions and will be releasing them in the coming weeks to highlight individual stories of folks at Athennian. 
• Tacos for Charity - Leftovers Foundation: Athennian team members collect recognition points, also known as “tacos”, that can be spent on items via the HeyTaco online app. Once Athennian team members had contributed 1,000 tacos, Athennian leadership donated $1,000 to the Leftovers Foundation.
• Tacos for Charity - Canada Learning Code: Once Athennian team members contribute 3,000 tacos, Athennian leadership will donate $1,000 to Canada Learning Code.
  

We understand that there is still a lot of work to do, and we’re committed to moving towards positive progress. 

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“Increasing diversity does not, by itself, increase effectiveness; what matters is how an organization harnesses diversity, and whether it’s willing to reshape its power structure.” - Harvard Business Review