Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging Mission at Bramble

Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging is fundamental to the success of Bramble. We include it in every way possible and in all that we do. We strive for a transparent environment where all globally dispersed voices are heard and welcomed. We strive for an environment where people can show up as their full selves each day and can contribute to their best ability. With Bramble available for clients across the globe, we strive for a team that is representative of our users.

Diversity complements our other values, specifically Collaboration, Efficiency and Results. And diversity in our leadership supports innovation, promotes better decision making and improves financial results.

Bramble’s definition of Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

The phrase “Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging” (or DIB) refers to the terminology for the initiative to create a diverse workforce and an environment where everyone can be their full selves.

Diversity refers to characteristics of the people who make up Bramble and how they identify. Race, gender, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation are some examples of how the data might be categorized when looking at Bramble’s diversity. Sometimes we can see things that make us diverse and sometimes we can’t.

Bramble uses the term “underrepresented” and it is meant to be a way of recognizing that we need more of what we do not have so that we can be at our best.

The context is “at Bramble” or “in a specific department or team at Bramble.” This term is generally used in the context of reporting on how Bramble is working on understanding and improving the sourcing, interviewing, hiring, and retention of those who either want to work or currently work at Bramble. Institutes like the National Science Foundation use the word “underrepresented” when discussing research around diversity so we have chosen to use it as well in order to be able to set goals around the data we have and understand where we need to work harder.

• A single person should not be referred to as a “diverse person” or a “diversity hire” which would imply they are not included in the current community or that they are only employed because of a factor that is not directly related to their skills and their ability to do their job.
• People should not be singled out or “othered” by labels with cold terminology in personal interactions. For additional information about how Bramble uses this data to make progress, please see our handbook page with more details.

Inclusion is the ability to recognize, respect, and value differences in those around us. It focuses on the understanding and action needed to navigate a diverse team. It requires skills such as empathy, openness, listening, etc. This lays the foundation of an inclusive mindset. The foundation of understanding gives way to the actions and being intentional about creating policies and practices that embrace diversity that in the end change the overall company culture to create an environment of inclusion.

It acknowledges that a company composed of a diverse group of people can lead to the possibility of conflict of ideas which, if productively engaged with, can build innovation. Inclusion also means being aware of both positive and negative biases and how those biases impact who we hire, work with, and retain.

Bramble believes that many perspectives coming together creates a more innovative environment to work in with more satisfied teammates, leading to a better product and increased profitability.

Belonging is when you feel your insights and contributions are valued. It goes back to team members feeling they can bring their full selves to work. It’s not enough to simply include people to have a “seat at the table”, but it’s important to amplify everyone’s voices, remove barriers and appreciate each others for their unique backgrounds. Embracing inclusion most times leads to more of a feeling of a sense of belonging. Team members become more engaged and are invested in the work they are doing, because they are able to see themselves in the work being accomplished with the company overall.

A good way to look at Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging is:

• Diversity
  • diversity dimensions/layers that make people who they are
  • knowing the layers and having a seat at the table
• Inclusion
  • having a voice
  • feeling empowered to use your voice
• Belonging
  • acknowledgment of your voice being heard
  • the feeling of being a part of something
  • creating an environment where team members feel secure to be themselves We believe in empowering team members to get their work done efficiently and collaboratively by establishing clear DRIs for all our work. DRIs do not owe anyone an explanation for their decisions, but DRIs can still acknowledge input by closing an issue and marking it Won’t Do or commenting on an issue acknowledging that they have read all the comments.

All team members don’t have to agree on the best course of action- we can disagree, commit, and disagree- but everyone can contribute and it is on the DRI to acknowledge those. Some other ways we actively cultivate a sense of Belonging at Bramble include creating and cultivating allies, welcoming family members in the background of a call, and sharing negative feedback in 1-1 settings.

Values

Inclusive teams are naturally more engaged, collaborative and innovative. We aim to align our values to be reflective of our company wide commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment.

In addition, the very nature of our company is to facilitate and foster inclusion. We believe in asynchronous communication, we allow flexible work hours. Bramble team members are encouraged to work when and where they are most comfortable.

Fully distributed and completely connected

The Bramble team is fully distributed across the globe, providing our team the opportunity to connect with each others cultures, celebrations and unique traditions. We collaborate professionally and connect personally!

Our unique all-remote team opens our door to everyone. Candidates are not limited by geography and we champion this approach, to the extent that it’s possible, for all companies!

By having no offices and allowing each Bramble team member to work and live where they are most comfortable, Bramble offers a uniquely inclusive culture.

• All-remote means that you will not sacrifice career advancement by working outside of the office, as even Bramble executives are fully remote.
• All-remote creates a workplace where caregivers, individuals with physical disabilities, etc. are not disadvantaged for being unable to regularly commute into an office.
• Bramble’s approach to Spending Company Money enables all team members to create a work environment uniquely tailored for them.
• All-remote enables those who must relocate frequently for family and personal reasons to take their career with them.
• All-remote allows movement and relocation to physical settings that contribute to an individual’s health (e.g. moving to a location with an improved air quality index). Learn more about Bramble’s all-remote culture.

What we are doing with Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

Inclusive benefits

We list our Pregnancy & Maternity Care publicly so people don’t have to ask for them during interviews.

Inclusive language

In our Bramble Values we list: ‘Use inclusive language. For example, prefer “Hi everybody” or “Hi people” to “Hi guys”. And speak about courage instead of aggression. Another example is to avoid terms like “gossip” that have negative gender connotations. Also see the note in the management section of the leadership page to avoid military analogies.

Military veterans and spouses

Bramble welcomes military veterans from around the world, as well as military spouses, to learn more about life at Bramble and to apply for vacancies. We recognize the values gained from military experience, and we foster an inclusive atmosphere to thrive in when returning to civilian life.

Our all-remote culture provides an ideal work environment for military veterans and spouses. By empowering team members to live and work where they are most comfortable, veterans and spouses can work in a safe, nurturing environment that they choose and design.

We encourage military veterans and spouses to read testimonials from Bramble team members to understand the benefits of all-remote when joining the workforce following military service.

Bramble is actively iterating within Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging and Recruiting to ensure that additional underrepresented groups are pursued, embraced, and positioned for success.

Definitions

• Gender and Sexual Orientation Identity Definitions and FAQ
• Leadership is defined as manager and above.
• Geographically is defined as those countries we use in our identity data.
• Women are defined as how you identify in Gusto
• Privilege is an unearned advantage given by society to some people but not all. In the USA figures were released in 2009 that on average women were paid $0.78 for every $1 a man makes. These figures have improved but there is still a gender imbalance.
• Race - As we work to be inclusive and equitable in opportunities, promotions, etc throughout Bramble, it is imperative that we understand our representation. We want to do our best in having categories for race that team members can select where they are able to in some way identify with the options available. Below are the categories Bramble uses with expanded options for each:
  • American Indian or Alaska Native - A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment. This category includes people who indicate their race as American Indian, Alaska Native, Navajo, Blackfeet, Inupiat, Yup’ik, Central American Indian groups or South American Indian groups.
  • Asian - A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including but not limited to: Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. This includes people who indicate their race as Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino,Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese and or other not mentioned Asian identifies.
  • Black - A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. Including people who indicate their race as Black or African American, Cape Coloreds, Carribean, Kenyan, Nigerian, or Haitian.
  • Hispanic or LatinX - A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. The term, “Spanish origin”, can be used in addition to “Hispanic or Latino”. Although not of Spanish-origin, Brazil is also included in this category due its inclusion in the LatinX definition.
  • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander - A person having origins in any of the original people of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. Included but not limited to people who reported their race as Fijian, Guamanian, Chamorro, Marshallese, Native Hawaiian, Samoan, Tongan or other Pacific Islander.
  • Multiracial - refers to two or more races as described in the listed categories.
  • White - A person having origins in any of the original people of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. Included but not limited to people who indicate their race as: White, Irish, German, Italian, Lebanese, Arab, Moroccan, or Caucasian.
• Ethnicity: Can be more broadly defined as “large groups of people classed according to common racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic, or cultural origin or background.”
  • For example people who are Black/African Descent can have a variety of ethnicities such as African, African American, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latinx etc. Whilst physical characteristics can be similar there could be cultural differences.
• Underrepresented Group This can be defined as a group whose percentage of the population in a given group is lower than their percentage of the population of country, community, organisation or otherwise.
  • An example of this at Bramble is: Women within Senior Leadership is still low compared to Men within Senior Leadership. Which meant that Bramble created the goal of 50% of all senior leadership should be women by December 2021 to address the imbalance within this underrepresented group.
• TMRG (Team Member Resource Group) - In other organizations a TMRG can be an ERG (Employee Resource Group). TMRGs are voluntary, team member-led groups focused on fostering diversity, inclusion and belonging within Bramble. These groups help team members build stronger internal and external connections; offer social, educational, and outreach activities; create development opportunities for future leaders; and increase engagement among team members.
• Ally - A diversity, inclusion and belonging “ally” is someone who is willing to take action in support of another person, in order to remove barriers that impede that person from contributing their skills and talents in the workplace or community.
• Allyship - Is the state of being an ally, supporting or being a member of groups or associations of the people you are an ally too. An example of this is someone who does not identify as part of the LGBTQI+ community being apart of the TMRG and supporting the endeavours.
• Unconscious bias - Unconscious biases are stereotypes about certain groups of people that individuals form outside their own conscious awareness. Nearly all our thoughts and actions are influenced, at least in part, by unconscious impulses. There’s no reason bias should be out of scope. Categorizing people based on social and other characteristics is a powerful survival mechanism, as it helps to distinguish friends from foes and make quick “life or death” decisions based on “inner feeling”. At the same time this is a fertile ground for growing stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination.
• Psychological safety - is defined by Amy Edmondson as a “shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking”. It’s not about being warm and fuzzy and sharing your feelings. It’s about being comfortable admitting when you are wrong or have made a mistake as well as challenging each other for the better.