Commemorating Juneteenth and our Commitment to DEI
This is the second year that Tile will be closed for a day so that employees can commemorate the holiday with family and friends. During the workweek, we’ll use Slack to share information about Juneteenth history and various ways Tilers can take action to support civil liberties for Black people. We’ll also be streaming the movie, “Coded Bias” during our no meeting block this Thursday, which addresses unconscious bias in tech to ignite a discussion about how we can improve our own products and services.
Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion at our company extends beyond our celebrations. All year-round, we’re focused on building programs to diversify and strengthen our employee community through policies and practices that eliminate bias, and by creating and holding safe spaces where we can discuss real issues and empower every Tiler to thrive.
What are the Policies at Tile That Were Adopted to Create Inclusion?
Tile has intentionally crafted a culture of belonging so that each and every Tiler can bring their authentic self to work. Some of our policies include:
A Diversity First philosophy for recruiting and diverse slates of qualified candidates for all open roles as well as hiring for potential, not just years of experience.
Consistent interview criteria for all candidates including guidance for evaluating candidates with our company Values in mind.
We’ve joined the Justice Collective project to drive vendor diversity, and
Just this year, we elected Social Justice as one of our core areas of focus for Corporate Social Responsibility, as well as implemented a task force focused on building measurable programs for change.
What are the Practices at Tile That Work to Eliminate Bias?
Tilers are guided by our value of Better Together, as well by what we’ve learned at our company-wide learning and development workshops for both people leaders and individual contributors. Some of our practices include:
Interview and Hiring Manager training that includes eliminating bias in the interview process.
A guide for removing bias from job descriptions.
Mandatory inclusion training including specialized workshops to mitigate unconscious bias in the workplace.
A zero-tolerance policy for unlawful harassment and discrimination.
And a zero-tolerance policy for retaliation against speaking up, meaning we strictly prohibit any adverse action/retaliation against an employee for participating in an investigation of any alleged wrongdoing in the workplace.
We offer two ways for employees to speak up anonymously, as well as encourage them to speak their minds freely. We are teaching Skillful Disagreement sessions in 2021 to give Tilers the skills they need to speak their minds in the most effective way.
How can employees participate in commemorating Juneteenth at home?
Because of the pandemic, many celebrations will be happening virtually this year. Juneteenth is a day that’s usually filled with parades, street fairs, music, performances, and food--so use those activities as your basic guide. Here are some ideas for Tilers who want to celebrate at home:
Learn about the history of Juneteenth and the experiences of enslaved Black people in America. If you have children, make sure they understand the real significance of the day and what it means to be inclusive.
Support Black-owned businesses. (Like these in the Bay Area, and these in Vancouver.)
Watch TV shows and movies starring and produced by Black people.
Volunteer to help people register to vote and educate yourself on the policies affecting Black people.
Donate to organizations, like the ACLU, that are committed to fighting for the Black community.
Follow these 14 activists for racial justice on social media to further your own education on the policies and issues affecting Black people and how you can help.
We are committed to building a culture at Tile where our Black employees feel safe and empowered to bring their whole selves to work, and where every Tiler is given equal opportunity to grow their careers and thrive. We know our work is far from done, and every day we strive to do better. Remembering the history of Juneteenth, the obstacles and challenges our Black peers and ancestors have overcome, and honoring Black excellence are just some of the ways we honor our value of being Better Together.
Interested in working with us? Check out our careers page, and/or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.