Out of this group came commitment: In addition to thoughtfully selected organizations we made donations to, we helped build a tool to raise awareness to our customers: Appcast Audience, an insights feature that allows customers to understand and track candidate diversity metrics with the goal of spurring greater organizational equality. Our CEO immediately formed a task force of diverse individuals to thoughtfully plan how Appcast would react, wanting to genuinely spur positive, meaningful change. Yes, Appcast posted similar messaging, but I’m proud that it was more than just a social media post. The George Floyd killing spurred much discussion. Take yourself back to this time last year. It’s easy to tell you that Appcast carries intention and commitment behind our words, so let me give you an example. We support each other and all our differences because we know our differences make our community and company stronger at its core. We don’t check boxes here or do something because we know it’ll be perceived positively externally. When I joined Appcast, I was immediately welcomed with an intangible, natural inclusiveness.
Because for some individuals it’s not all about a month full of joyous celebrations it’s a reminder of the battles they face towards inclusiveness + acceptance in the workplace.
I’m writing this to challenge companies to start backing their posts with intention or commitment. I’m not writing this to diminish a company’s desire to celebrate Pride Month. Joy that inclusivity is getting the attention it needs cynicism that the posts lack intention or commitment. As a gay male working in the tech industry this provokes both joy and cynicism at the same time. My LinkedIn newsfeed has been flooded with #Pride posts these past few weeks – maybe even more so than previous years.