Our thoughts on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)

In the world today, there seems to a move away from dedicated Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) programs. This seems to be driven in some cases by politics, in some cases by pressure from customers/stakeholders, but this is now a global trend and one we want to share our views about here at Tech Soft 3D.

Like any program or process, DEI can be implemented well or poorly, and it might have positive, negative or neutral results. In this blog we’re going to move away from thinking about DEI as some sort of discreet set of specific programs, rules & guidelines – and instead outline our view and approach related to the underlying intent of such programs:

Diversity:

To us, this means that we value having a diverse team because we believe that a diverse team has certain strengths as compared to a team made up of people with the same backgrounds, experiences, opinions and styles.

In the hiring process, we consider it a positive if the candidate a) shows that they are a great fit for the job and b) adds to the diversity of the team. This diversity can take many forms (and sometimes multiple forms), including gender, race, country/culture of origin, age, personality type and other factors.

The first bar is always the most important – finding someone who is a great fit for the job in terms of skills and culture fit.  But we also believe it’s worth making extra efforts to find candidates who clear that bar and who also strengthen our diversity. We don’t always find a top candidate who does both, but we believe it’s worth spending extra effort to find someone who does.

Put another way, there is always a minimum set of requirements/experience we are looking for. Hopefully, we find several candidates who meet or exceed those requirements. Then from among those candidates we consider several additional factors to make a final decision. Some of those factors might be the length of experience, their references, or how well someone seems to align with our values, but we absolutely consider ‘adds diversity’ to be something we would put in a ‘plus’ column as we make our final decision. So it’s not the driver of decisions, but a factor we consider.

We realized that Tech Soft 3D is just a relatively small fish in a very big pond, but we still believe it’s important to do our part to encourage those from underrepresented groups to choose a career in tech and to create an environment they can thrive in when they do.  We have been intentional in this area with our approach to hiring but also in making donations and highlighting groups supporting this effort.

Equity:

We consider equity to be nothing more than a strong commitment to fairness. Do we treat everyone fairly no matter who they are?  This includes compensation, of course, but also whether every single team member has an equal opportunity to gain coaching, to progress in their careers, to have a ‘seat at the table’, etc. We should be equally committed to each employee no matter which of our global offices they work in, whether they are remote or in-office, and independent of any factors such as gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, etc. When it comes to being treated fairly and equitably, it applies to 100% to our team members. Full stop.

Inclusion:

We are committed to making sure that all our team members feel included. Do 100% of our team members feel they’re welcome within the company? Do they feel they are included on an equal basis to be able to contribute?  Do they feel like they belong and can be their true selves at work?

For example, are we making sure people have an equal opportunity to contribute during meetings, to have their ideas heard, or to work on interesting projects?  Are we sensitive to making sure that all our team members feel like they are equal members of the team, independent of their native language, for example?  Or their location on the globe? Whether they are introverted or extroverted? Or whether they look like or share some the same characteristics (or even hobbies) as most other employees?

This concept of inclusion can even extend to things like social habits.  If a particular manager likes to go to a bar after work, and those who go with him/her get special access and build special relationships, while other employees need to go home to be with children, or who don’t prefer to spend time in bars, or go to school at night – that’s not inclusive. Inclusion has an element of ‘access’ and are we making sure that everyone has access to their manager and company leadership?

We hope that helps to clarify our point of view of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.  Trends may come and go. Political winds may shift. But certain values are universal for us, and those include seeing all our team members as the uniquely valuable person they are and ensuring they feel welcomed, included, valued and treated with fairness.