Diversity and Belonging at Soofa in 2021
By Molly LaFlesh, Director of HR
It’s hard to believe it’s been over a year since Soofa’s first publicized our Diversity, Equity, & Belonging plan and shared the results from our 2020 Soofa Census.
Since then, we’ve experienced record quarter-over-quarter company growth, reached both coasts and dozens of new cities (and millions of people everywhere!) with our Soofa Signs, and continued to educate ourselves, do our best to stay humble, and iterate every step of the way.
Highlights from our 2021 Soofa Census:
We added almost 2X people of color, with representation from more racial and ethnic identities than ever before
We added 3X LGBTQIA+-identifying folx and more gender identities
Soofarians now speak 4X the number of languages they did last year
More Soofarians now identify as living with a disability
Growth opportunities from our 2021 Soofa Census:
12% fewer Soofarians reported that they identify as neuroatypical
Age diversity stayed roughly the same
86% of Soofarians feel they belong at Soofa; our biggest focus for the rest of the year is getting that number back up to 100%!
You can find a deep dive into the 2021 Soofa Census results here.
Some actions we took since last year’s update:
We launched a Diversity, Equity, & Belonging committee. Some of our agenda items include briefing ourselves on an article or topic to discuss and improving the Soofa Census you’re reading about here.
We held company-wide trainings on topics like microagressions, privilege, and implicit bias.
We kicked off a culture committee focused on making sure our company events and culture are more inclusive (such as activities that don’t involve alcohol or are at times of day that are more convenient for parents), and that also provide space for Soofarians to share their own culture, experiences, and traditions.
We launched a referral program with a 2X bonus for candidates who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, age 44+, or are living with a disability.
Our Diversity & Belonging book club meets regularly to discuss some amazing anti-racist fiction and nonfiction. Our top picks from the past year: Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby, Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid, Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong, and The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett.
We continued building partnerships with more diverse job boards (and are always looking for more suggestions!).
Soofarians can now work from anywhere—I’m proudly coming to you from my new home city of New York, one of the most diverse places in the world.
Priorities for the upcoming year:
More diversity on our leadership team, including a Soofa University program and a new SMART goal-setting process that includes monthly manager professional development 1:1s—both launching in Q4—so we can grow more incoming talent into senior leadership.
Addressing the correlation between diversity and belonging (e.g. identifying as BIPOC and disagreeing that you feel you belong at Soofa) with our DE&B committee, culture committee, and more, including a recent all-hands with our CEO on the topic: “what makes Soofa a great place to work for all?”
A continued focus on product accessibility for everyone interacting with Soofa Signs and Soofa’s website or social media.
As always, take time to care of yourself first, then send your feedback, suggestions, best practices our way any time.