Belonging

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Creating a sense of belonging is fundamental to the success of Techmission. As a body of believers in Jesus, we aim to make a significant impact in our efforts to foster an environment where everyone can thrive. Recognising that total inclusion is not possible and that there will be boundary lines for those we might exclude, for example, those who don’t share our values. Our unique Christ-following lens is a key motivating factor for why we do what we do, which will also result in exclusion as not everyone holds this view. While we aim to serve anyone including non-Christians, our team make-up will be only with those who believe in the saving work of Jesus. We are designing a multidimensional approach to ensure that Techmission is a place where people from every background and circumstance feel like they belong and can contribute. We actively chose to build and institutionalise a culture that is inclusive and supports all team members equally in the process of achieving their professional goals. We work to make everyone feel welcome and to increase the participation of underrepresented people in our community and company.

Bias towards asynchronous communication

Take initiative to operate asynchronously whenever possible. This shows care and consideration for those who are structuring their day around pressing commitments at home or in their community.

This is demonstrated by communicating recordings of meetings, using Techmission Trello boards rather than texts, calls, or Slack messages, and being sensitive to local holidays and vacation statuses. Encourage others to default to documentation rather than pressuring others to be online outside of their working hours.

Embracing uncomfortable ideas and conversations

Part of embracing a sense of belonging is a willingness to embrace often uncomfortable conversations and situations. This concept is also at the core of inclusion and helping to eliminate the problems that are faced by certain Techmission team members who may not be in the majority. We want to celebrate our diversity not hide it.

We believe that being willing to embrace discomfort is the path forward to a safe, balanced and inclusive workplace for all. Challenge yourself, challenge your own pre-set notions and ideas about different cultures or things you don't understand. When we are willing to embrace being uncomfortable, we can focus on actually fixing the issues at hand rather than simply "appearing to care".

Understanding the impact of microaggressions

Microaggressions are much more than merely rude or insensitive comments. They can wear people down by slowly chipping away their sense of belonging/safety/inclusion over time. What is a microaggression? The everyday slights, indignities, put downs and insults that people who are marginalized experiences in their day-to-day interactions with people.

At Techmission we believe that everyone is entitled to a safe working space where they can express who they are and participate in conversations without worry of being spoken to in a harmful way, given that we want to encourage everyone to be mindful of what is a microaggression and be mindful of their potential impact.

Reach across company departments

We encourage Techmission team members to seek and provide feedback across departments. This enables the team to iterate more quickly, taking a more diverse perspective into account.

Make family feel welcome

One of the unique elements to a remote-friendly culture is the ability to visit a person's home while collaborating. If the tenor of the meeting allows, feel welcome to invite your family members or pets to drop by and greet your colleagues. Be mindful of language and use of profanity to encourage a family-friendly environment.

Shift working hours for a cause

Caregiving, outreach programs, and community service do not conveniently wait for regular business hours to conclude. If there's a cause or community effort taking place, feel welcome to work with your manager and shift your working hours to be available during a period where you'll have the greatest impact for good. For colleagues supporting others during these causes, document everything and strive to post recordings so it's easy for them to catch up.

Be a mentor

People feel more included when they're supported. To encourage this, and to support diversified learning across departments, consider Techmission's Internship for Learning program.

Culture fit is a bad excuse

We don't hire based on culture or select candidates because we'd like to have a drink with them. We hire and reward team members based on our shared values as detailed on this page. We want a values fit, not a culture fit. We want cultural diversity instead of cultural conformity, such as a brogrammer atmosphere. Said differently: "culture add" > "culture fit" or "hire for culture contribution" since our mission is that everyone can contribute.

Religion and politics at work

Because as a Christian company, we value belonging, and want all team members to feel welcome and contribute equally, we encourage free discussion of operational decisions that can move us toward being a more inclusive company.

There is sometimes a grey area where advocating for diversity and political activities may intersect. Team members should use discretion in grey area communications, because a culture of belonging requires us to be respectful of the broad spectrum of views within our work environment. What does this mean in practice? Please feel empowered to share information that highlights belonging issues and how Techmission and Techmission team members can get involved. In line with our Code of Conduct, avoid posting articles that reference specific political figures or parties.

While it is acceptable for individuals to bring up politics and religion in social contexts such as coffee chats and real-life meetups with other coworkers (with the goal to understand and not judge), always be aware of potential sensitivities, exercise your best judgement, and make sure you stay within the boundaries of our Code of Conduct.

We're a global company where perspectives and local norms may differ from culture to culture. Diversity, inclusion and belonging is about broad inclusion at a worldwide level. If there is a question or concern, please reach out to our MD.

Quirkiness

Unexpected and unconventional things make life more interesting. Celebrate and encourage quirky gifts, habits, behaviour, and points of view. We try to hire people who think work is a great way to express themselves.

Building a safe community

Do not make jokes or unfriendly remarks about characteristics of the people who make up Techmission. Everyone has the right to feel safe when working for Techmission and/or as a part of the Techmission community. We do not tolerate abuse, harassment, exclusion, discrimination, or retaliation by/of any community members, including our team members. You can always refuse to deal with people who treat you badly and get out of situations that make you feel uncomfortable.

Unconscious bias

We recognise that unconscious bias is something that affects everyone and that the effect it has on us as humans and our company is large. We are responsible for understanding our own implicit biases and helping others understand theirs. We are continuously working on getting better at this topic.

Inclusive language & pronouns

Use inclusive language. For example, prefer "Hi everybody" or "Hi people" to "Hi guys", and "they" instead of "he/she". We don't keep an exhaustive list. When new possibly non-inclusive words arise, we prefer to be proactive and look for an alternative. If your goal is to be inclusive, it is more effective to make a small adjustment in the vocabulary when some people have a problem with it, rather than making a decision to not change it because some people don’t think it is a problem. And if you make a mistake (e.g. accidentally using the wrong pronoun or an outdated phrase), acknowledge it, apologize gracefully and move on; there is no need to dwell on it, and you can work to avoid making that mistake in the future.

Inclusive interviewing

This is documented on our page about interviewing.

Inclusive meetings

We use a sociocractic meeting methodology. Be consciously inclusive in meetings by giving everyone an opportunity to talk and present their points of view. This can be especially important in a remote setting.

See Something, Say Something

We have team members from many different backgrounds and cultures. That means it is important for each of us to use great judgement in being respectful and inclusive of our teammates. At the same time, we may sometimes not fully realise we have said or done something to offend someone. It is important that our teammates hold each other accountable and let them know if they have unintentionally or intentionally done something so they can learn and gain additional understanding of perspectives different from our own. It is also important that our teammates don't feel excluded or minimized by the words we use or the things we do. Thus, we all need to speak up when we see something that isn't respectful or inclusive.

Neurodiversity

Neurodiversity is a type of diversity that includes: autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, and other styles of neurodivergent functioning. While neurodivergent individuals often bring unique skills and abilities which can be harnessed for competitive advantage in many fields including cybersecurity, neurodivergent individuals are often discriminated against, and sometimes have trouble making it through traditional hiring processes. These individuals should be able to contribute as Techmission team members. The handbook, values, strategy, and interviewing process should never discriminate against the neurodivergent.

Family and friends first, work second

Long-lasting relationships are the rocks of life, and come before work. As someone said in our #thanks channel after helping a family member: "THANK YOU to Techmission for providing a culture where "family first" is truly meant". Use the hashtag: #FamilyAndFriends1st

Belonging Competency

Competencies are the Single Source of Truth (SSoT) framework for things we need team members to learn. We demonstrate belonging when we foster an environment where everyone can thrive and ensure that Techmission is a place where people from every background and circumstance feel like they belong and can contribute.

If you would like to improve your skills or expand your knowledge on topics relating to Belonging at Techmission, check out our resources:

Techmission Belonging Grade

Demonstrates Belonging Competency by…

Knowledge Assessment

Develops an understanding of the impact of biases; seeks to learn more about their own biases. Is accountable for their actions, apologises and learns from their mistakes.

Knowledge Assessment for Individual Contributors

Has a growing understanding of the impact of biases; fosters a sense of inclusion and belonging on their team. Holds themselves and peers accountable for upholding this value by kindly pointing out when mistakes might be made. Encourages an inclusive team environment where differences are encouraged and everyone can contribute.

Knowledge Assessment for Individual Contributors

Actively aware of how bias or exclusion might occur on a team and helps to facilitate a team environment where team members belong and feel safe. Models empathy with their interactions with customers and cross functional team members.

Knowledge Assessment for Individual Contributors

Implements best practices to limit bias on their team. They ensure blameless accountability is practised throughout their team. Creates an environment where team members feel safe to share ideas and welcomes individual differences.