Last year we made a pledge detailing our commitment to furthering diversity, equality, and inclusion at Amperity. We did this publicly because of our firm belief that everyone has an important role to play in righting the imbalances that have persisted for far too long. We also understand that we were one of many companies to do so. In the spirit of accountability, we’re sharing the progress we’ve made on the initiatives we put in place regarding hiring, culture, and community. The progress reported below relies on input from our Diversity Committee, established last year and continuing to thrive. The committee’s mission is to recognize and celebrate the varied identities that make up the Amperity community. By creating spaces to share ideas and experiences, Amperity is better-equipped to foster an environment of empathy where people feel seen and heard. It’s our goal to empower our Amperity family to be their authentic selves and bring the full power of that perspective to work each day.
I’m proud of the new initiatives we have implemented as a company, and I have been deeply moved to see company-wide participation at every single panel our Diversity Committee has organized. To me, this encapsulates the spirit of an Amper — the eagerness to learn about individual and collective journeys, and take part in open, vulnerable dialogue.
In that same spirit, we want to share what we’ve accomplished on every pledge we made last year:
Hiring Practices
Growing our 21% overall representation of people of color by 10% by the end of 2021, including a 10% increase in representation at the management level We met our goal of growing our overall representation of people of color by 10% in July, reaching 31%, with more room to grow.
Growing our 32% overall representation of women by 10% by the end of 2021, including at the management level, with a focus on intersectional representation
We are on track to achieving our goal of a 10% increase in the representation of women in the company. We are currently at 39% and aiming to reach 42% by the end of the year.
Continuing our commitment to supporting the LGBTQ+ community at Amperity by fostering an inclusive environment that celebrates each employee’s authentic self
We hosted a series of events during Pride month, including:
A discussion panel featuring transgender and non-binary panelists sharing their personal stories and experiences.
Weekly learning corners recommending resources, articles, and videos to increase awareness, understanding, and knowledge of the LGBTQIA+ community.
We also introduced an easy way for people to share their preferred pronouns over Slack and email.
For each open role, reviewing resumes in batches only after the proportion of diversity among applicants matches the general population
This pledge is still part of our ongoing goal — we have piloted this across a few roles, but have not instituted a standard practice across the enterprise. Our current partnership with Included IO will help facilitate this moving forward.
Ensuring that at least one woman, person of color, and/or LGBTQ+ individual be among the interviewers for every candidate
Similar to the above, this pledge is still part of our ongoing goal, with piloting across a few roles as a step toward making it standard practice across the enterprise.
Requiring all interviewers to undergo implicit bias training
We brought in an expert to conduct a company-wide training in November 2020, including content for interviewers, and will continue to implement this on an annual basis.
Hosting interns from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds by partnering with organizations such as the Summer Search Program, Code 2040, and WashingtonStem starting this year if possible
We have engaged with and successfully placed interns from both DTECH and Out For Undergrad. As we expand our internship opportunities here at Amperity we plan to engage with many other organizations that give access and exposure to underrepresented communities.
Partnering with colleges and universities that champion diversity and have a proven track record of increasing diversity within their student and faculty populations
Our plan is to boost our college and university recruiting efforts in the fall of 2021 across HBCU and women’s colleges.
Company culture
Implementing implicit bias and racial equity training for all employees We conducted a company-wide bias training in November 2020 and we’ll continue with this on an annual basis.
Establishing a Diversity Committee with a charter of helping to evolve our culture to become more inclusive by representing minority groups, including gender-identity, ethnicity, and sexual orientation We’ve built a Diversity Committee comprised of multiple Employee Resource Groups that represent a range of experiences, including: - LGBTQIA+ @ Amperity - Women@ Amperity - Black @ Amperity - LatinX @ Amperity - AAPI @ Amperity.
Maintaining our evaluation and commitment to pay equity for all employees
We continue to use market and internal data to ensure we are paying fairly and equitably. We will conduct another pay equity analysis by the end of year, and as we plan our benefits, we are evaluating our offerings to ensure they are equitable and inclusive.
Fostering continued conversation about issues of diversity and inclusion through ongoing reading groups and discussions of educational materials
We hosted panels for Black History Month, Pride, and AAPI with over 50% of the company participating at each panel. We also observed Juneteenth as a learning day and hosted a discussion panel, and in the fall, we are planning to celebrate Latin American Heritage Month.
Community efforts
Creating a mindset and practice of identifying minority-owned businesses and vendors to support
We are providing at least one volunteer opportunity monthly in either New York or Seattle for Amperity employees to attend to help them get involved in the community.
Participating in minority-centric initiatives (either our own or those of our customers) at least twice per year, in partnership with AmperityCares
Amperity staff participated in the Rainier Scholars networking panel.
Focusing our annual company-wide Caring Day on a more consistent, clear purpose and actively identifying additional opportunities for more frequent outreach
This pledge is part of our ongoing goal – this will be defined in Q4 so Amperity enters 2022 with a solid plan.
Enabling payroll deductions for charitable donations to encourage charitable giving
We hired a payroll manager and by 2022 we aim to have a plan that encompasses charitable giving.
Formalizing our program of allotting each employee one day per quarter to volunteer for a cause they champion and expanding the definition of "volunteer" to encompass anything that contributes to change and progress — including but not limited to donating time or resources, protesting, voting, speaking out or sharing perspective on social media, and educating oneself and/or others
This pledge is part of our ongoing goal – this will be defined in Q4 so Amperity enters 2022 with a solid plan.
Looking ahead
We are taking steps in the right direction, but there is of course still room to improve. These accomplishments are just the beginning — Amperity will continue to evaluate and reassess how we’re doing on issues of equality, diversity, and inclusion to make sure that we keep working toward being the best company we can be. A deep thank you to our wonderful Amperity community, without whom none of this would be possible. Their passion and leadership inspire me every day, and I’m excited to keep learning and growing together.