Creating meaningful change starts within our own company. That’s why we are evaluating and improving the ways we attract, hire, retain and create equity for our employees with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences.
First, we are focused more intentionally on creating a culture of inclusion and belonging for everyone:
- Our newly created Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) support and empower our global employees from all backgrounds: Black/African American, LatinX, Asian, Women, LBGTQ+, Parents and Differently Abled.
- We’ve integrated learning and development programs focused on Diversity and Inclusion within our existing initiatives such as our bi-annual Global Leadership Summit, monthly Managers Circles and our annual company-wide Development Month.
- We’re observing holidays and key cultural moments that honor and recognize diverse communities such as Juneteenth, Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, Black History Month, International Women’s Day, Pride and several more that embrace intersectionality.
Second, we are committed to increasing diverse representation within our leadership roles across all functions and regions.
- We’re working to understand how we’re doing compared to industry benchmarks. We are taking stock of our employee demographics and identifying the largest opportunities for change through our quarterly recruiting data, promotion metrics by gender and an annual Diversity Report that 43 other tech companies publish on an annual basis.
- We’re setting concrete goals. We want to be equal to or ahead of these industry benchmarks by implementing a concrete Diversity and Inclusion Strategy that requires action from all of our executive leaders.
- We’re creating a Mentorship Program for members of our Employee Resource Groups. This global program will focus on investing in our diverse talent and ensuring all employees have the same access to advancement within Ripple’s promotion process and skill development.
Third, we are committed to diverse candidate pools and shortlists, and are taking action to ensure this is the norm, not the exception:
- We implemented the “Rooney Rule,” a requirement that we interview at least two diverse candidates for all open leadership and senior roles.
- Our hiring panels include employees from different identities and cultures, allowing us to more deeply engage with diverse candidates.
- We’re taking the “Plus One Pledge”. If we are all committed to reaching outside of our immediate, often homogeneous networks, we can level the playing field and help close the network gap for female, Black+, Hispanic and other diverse communities.
Building a more inclusive and equitable workplace is a collective process, and we want to thank the many Ripple employees who have come forward to share their perspective, lived experiences and ideas as a way of enriching and helping to guide our efforts. We are committed to continue to listen to, support and create change with you.
