The Radical Inclusivity Manifesto: Don’t be an asshole

We’re setting diversity goals at Decent because we need to do better.

We strive to provide a working experience in which everyone feels equally respected and valued. We embrace every individual’s gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, age, citizenship, or any other aspect that makes them positively unique.

But as of today, 75% of us are men, and over 90% of us are white.

Diversity and inclusion must be intentional. Why? It’s hard. Why? Because our brains are built to follow familiar pathways and changing those pathways means building new ones. Have you ever been driving home and once you get there you remember you were supposed to stop to pick up eggs? You were on autopilot.

We often do the same thing with hiring. We go with what we know. It’s unconscious. Therefore, if you are part of a tech company like Decent founded by three white men, you are going to need to make a conscious and concerted effort to hire people of color and women. A 2015 study by Grant Thornton estimated that the U.S. could increase GDP by 3.5% with more women on boards.

In her book “Collective Genius”, Linda Hill underscores the dynamic that truly innovative organizations all embrace: bold ambition, responsibility to the community, collaboration, and learning. Decent believes that diversity and inclusion is important to our company and to our culture. We take it as seriously as our mission to offer affordable healthcare for all. Despite the challenges, Decent is making diversity and inclusion a real goal of our hiring process. It is not going to be easy, especially as we fiercely compete for talent at a time when the unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been in a decade.

We are publicly stating our metrics to be transparent, and to align with others who want to change the industry for the better, because Decent is striving to be better than we are today. We aren’t looking so hot right now.

Decent has diversity and inclusion goals regarding women, non-binary gender, and people of color. We recognize there are many ways to be inclusive and we have chosen these areas to address in the upcoming years. We will report back to you on how we are doing against our goals. (Want to do something similar for your company? Find the data we’re using from Information is Beautiful here — link to raw data is at the bottom of that page.)

GOALS*

Decent Year 1- by October 1, 2019

• 35% of Decent self identify as women and/or not-cis gender
• 40% of Decent are people of color

Decent Year 2- by October 1, 2020

• 40% self identify as women and/or not-cis gender
• 40% of Decent are people of color

Decent Year 3- by October 1, 2021

• 50% self identifies as women and/or not-cis gender
• 40% of Decent are people of color

*LGBTQ+ is not specifically called out because in my research I found best practices are to support members of the Decent LGBTQ community upon hire rather than have candidates disclose their status in interviews.

Consider this an invite to our party.

Affordable healthcare for all is what Decent is building.

ALL — as in everybody.

If that sentiment appeals to you (yay!) — we are hiring.