What does workplace culture mean in 2018? Well in truth, it varies. Different things motivate different people but what’s important is feeling motivated to get out of bed each day, and knowing that you can bring your whole self to work is an important part of building culture. At LinkedIn, culture is the glue that keeps the bonds strong and is what defines our value of “relationships matter.”
Setting the tone for workplace culture may begin with the senior leadership team, but it’s something that's felt at every level of an organization and is an important component in both attracting and retaining employees. A driving force behind our culture is largely due to the work of our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). Their contributions play a big role in why our employees are excited to come to work every day (91% favorable amongst employees according to LinkedIn’s internal Employee Voice Survey (EVS)). As a result, LinkedIn sponsors eight ERGs and three functional groups around the world. The examples below highlight just a small piece of the work and the impact that these groups have.
BIG: Black Inclusion Group
As one of LinkedIn’s first ERGs, BIG has trailblazed the path for inclusion and belonging amongst black employees at LinkedIn. Most recently, the group launched the inaugural “TransformHER: Up Level Self, Industry & Society” event to create a forum for professional Black and Latina Women in tech to build stronger relationships and leverage resources to advance their careers.
Embrace
LinkedIn’s newest US ERG, Embrace, launched in four offices in EMEA and in SF (March). Its vision is to empower LinkedIn to represent a global workforce, and its mission is to overcome unconscious bias and build a sense of belonging by embracing cultural, nationality and ethnic diversity at every level of our organization. The group plans to launch in other US offices throughout 2018 and into 2019.
EnableIn
One of LinkedIn’s most active ERGs, EnableIn has facilitated more than 30 events across 14 global offices. They’ve also worked to make LinkedIn one of the first tech companies to share numbers on its employees with disabilities externally, as well as changing the way our employees work by adding accessibility into the products and systems we use internally.
HOLA: Hispanics of LinkedIn Alliance
In partnership with BIG, HOLA launched LinkedIn’s newest company-wide Mentorship program targeting people of color, with the goal of supporting retention and upward mobility. HOLA also hosted its first internal Town Hall focused on immigration and DACA, as well as a global series of events for LinkedIn employees for Hispanic/Latino Heritage month.
Out@In
This ERG has received both internal and external accolades in the last year. Internally, the group successfully advocated for inclusive restrooms and signage in our SF office. Externally, they saw six LinkedIn employees recognized as global LGBT+ Leaders & Allies by OUTstanding and The Financial Times. Their work with LinkedIn also helped us earn a spot on HRC’s Best Places to Work and a perfect score of 100 on the HRC Corporate Equality Index for past two years.
PAL: Parents at LinkedIn
PAL aims to create a sense of belonging and inclusion for all parents at LinkedIn. In the last year, they’ve hosted two “Modern Families” events around the world on topics relating to step-parenting, fertility challenges, partner illness, etc., as a way to give employees insights into some modern life parenting challenges.
Veterans & Allies
This ERG helps LinkedIn to lead the global workforce in hiring, serving, and growing military talent. They’ve executed more than 50 events to build the veteran community, and has strong partnerships in place with the Department of Defense and The US Chamber of Commerce / Hiring Our Heroes (HOH) to train thousands of military members on using LinkedIn to find their professional opportunities.
Women’s Initiative (WiN)
They’re focused on empowering women leaders to accelerate their career trajectory. Annually, they host [IN]vest, a 12-month program designed to accelerate the career growth of women at LinkedIn. Each year, a cohort of 40 high-potential women leaders are guided through a program that develops confidence and encourages transformation through mentorship, executive coaching, sponsorship and networking.
Women @ LinkedIn
They’ve hosted a mentor/mentee matching program, built a scalable and trackable resource kit, and hosted more than 35 “empower sessions” so that women could develop the skills necessary for career advancement. The group also helped LinkedIn with its 2018 International Women’s Day rollout, a day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
Women in Product (WiP)
Women [in] Product is a network of women product builders and allies who are advancing women’s careers in product and improving the industry for future generations. They operate to ensure women candidates from all backgrounds have an equal opportunity to succeed and to maximize leadership potential and advancement opportunities for women in product within LinkedIn.
Women in Tech (WIT)
WiT is committed to achieving gender equality in technical roles at LinkedIn and inspiring other companies to do the same. Since 2015, they’ve hosted a high school trainee program to get young women interested in STEM careers, and WomenConnect so that women in the tech industry can come together to network, build meaningful relationships and exchange professional best practices. Outside of LinkedIn, the group is an active participant with the Grace Hopper Conference and Google IO.
These groups play a big role in helping us make sure we have both a diverse and an inclusive workplace, where everyone can feel like they truly belong. For more on what #LinkedInLife is all about, be sure to visit our careers page and to see the results of a recent survey around trends in Workplace Culture, be sure to subscribe to our blog.