These Boston Tech Companies Are Getting Diversity and Inclusion Right

It’s important for companies to put their money where their mission is when it comes to diversity and inclusion. 

Making a verbal commitment to improving these elements both in and outside the office is nice, but impact can only be felt when there’s action behind those statements. 

We found four Boston companies paying much more than lip service to the idea of creating spaces where anyone and everyone feel welcome and comfortable. Below, they’ve highlighted their current efforts and shared their plans for keeping things inclusive in the future.

Between internal and external programs, hosting and attending events, and making its own diversity data public, ezCater has a lot of irons in the fire for inclusivity. Manager of Operations, Strategy and People Amaia Arruabarrena at the online catering marketplace went into detail about the many ways the company forges a culture of inclusion and comfort for prospective and current staff. 

 

What are some of the diversity and inclusion-based resources you have at your company?

Our focus has been on enhancing our inclusive culture and hiring practices. We’ve recently implemented a handful of tools to analyze our hiring and compensation practices so we can ensure that all candidates have a fair and equal opportunity. And that once they’re hired, they are paid equitably and fairly. We also partnered with Treehouse to run their apprentice program in our Boston and Denver offices, which offers the opportunity to pursue an engineering career to those who may not have had the opportunity otherwise.

Since signing the Tech Inclusion Pledge in 2016, we have conducted a bi-annual diversity survey to gather feedback from our employees on what works and what we can be doing better. We publish the results from our diversity surveys annually on our blog to hold ourselves accountable and share our progress over the years. We’ve created an internal diversity focus where staff offer us critical feedback on ideas and initiatives before implemented. We also have an employee-created community that serves as a safe space where POC, those who identify as LGBTQA+, and allies can come together to celebrate, support, and educate each other. 

We’re hoping to curate our own meetups and panel discussions to stimulate meaningful conversations to help perpetuate positive change.”

 

How will your company continue strengthening its diversity and inclusion initiatives? 

In addition to continuing all of our current efforts, we are increasing our presence at conferences and becoming more involved in communities we’re already partnered with. We’re hoping to curate our own meetups and panel discussions to stimulate meaningful conversations to help perpetuate positive change.

For the first time this year, we attended the pride parades in Boston and Denver, and will be expanding our presence in more cities next year. We sponsor conferences and meetups that support women, POC and the LGBTQA+ community within the tech sector.

 

Cybersecurity firm Rapid7 works to improve inclusivity in the office, as well as in local communities. Chief People Officer Christina Luconi said the company has initiatives in place — like partnering with local STEM organizations — that encourage the entire company to drive diversity everywhere around them.

 

What are some of the diversity and inclusion-based resources you have at your company?

We don’t think of diversity and inclusion as an initiative, but rather an important element to our success as a business. That mindset has driven us to change our approach to how we attract and engage with potential candidates, how we partner together on teams and how we give back to our community. Most importantly, this urges us to ensure that every single person who works at Rapid7 feels like they have the opportunity to achieve the career-experience of their dreams. 

We hold a #rapid7givesback month in October, where every office in the company partners with local diversity and STEM organizations to give back.”

 

How will your company continue strengthening its diversity and inclusion initiatives?

We are active with our community, specifically in relation to diversity and STEM programs. We hold a #rapid7givesback month in October, where every office in the company partners with local diversity and STEM organizations to give back. It gives us a chance to break down barriers among our own people and teams, while doing something great for our communities at the same time. And our rotation program has an element that requires every participant to work with a cross-functional group in one of our local community partnerships. 

 

Learning and Development Program Manager Liza Gottsegen said Simply Business wants its new hires to be as comfortable as possible when they start. So the insurance provider for small businesses asks them about some of their workplace anxieties and preferences before introducing them to employees across the business to learn about what they do. All this helps new team members feel immersed in the culture before they even start working.

 

What are some of the diversity and inclusion-based resources you have at your company?

“Week 0” is a major inclusive program that we run for new starters. The program features a five-day immersive experience into the operations of each business unit across the entire organization. It gives all new starters the opportunity to meet with employees outside of their respective teams, in both informal and formal environments. For example, as part of the larger International Women’s Day event, we hosted an #IamRemarkable workshop where team members were able to share and celebrate their personal and professional accomplishments. 

We work to identify new starters’ preferred pronouns, anxieties of the first day and any other non-work-related preferences.”

 

How will your company continue strengthening its diversity and inclusion initiatives? 

To continue to strengthen our diversity and inclusion initiatives, we have partnered with our U.K. teammates to not only learn from their 13 years of experience but also to make sure our diversity and inclusion efforts are cohesive across the entire business. We are committed to having a better understanding of our new hires before Week 0. For example, we work to identify new starters’ preferred pronouns, anxieties of the first day and any other non-work-related preferences. This allows us to make sure we are accommodating their needs and ensures that they feel comfortable and productive on day one. 

Furthermore, we have plans to offer unconscious bias training to the entire organization and are currently working on introducing a mentorship program specific to the tech team. 

 

The diversity and inclusion committee at Tamr does a lot to keep the data unification company at the forefront of inclusivity. Software Engineer Kamaal Palmer said the group has had a hand in everything from optimizing the company’s hiring strategies to making a gender-neutral bathroom. And the committee is set on creating employee resource groups and external partnerships with other inclusivity-minded organization as well. 

 

What are some of the diversity and inclusion-based resources you have at your company?

We have a diversity and inclusion committee that meets bi-weekly to re-evaluate company systems and processes in an effort to incorporate inclusive practices and increase diversity. The committee has been successful in creating a diversity and inclusion statement, aiding in standardizing our hiring process, implementing a Tamr buddy system, gender-neutral bathroom signs in the Cambridge office, and hosting annual implicit bias training in collaboration with She Geeks Out to promote an inclusive culture.

We are actively working toward expanding external partnerships that promote diversity and inclusion and implementing employee resource groups internally.”

 

How will your company continue strengthening its diversity and inclusion initiatives?

Through the diversity and inclusion committee, Tamr will continue to take steps to strengthen it’s diversity and inclusion initiatives by being proactive about creating opportunities within our industry and being reactive to employee feedback. In the near future, we plan to use Project Include to do a self-assessment of our current practices and determine areas of improvement. Additionally, we are actively working toward expanding external partnerships that promote diversity and inclusion and implementing employee resource groups internally to better support our employees.