The Atlanta WordCamp is an annual gathering for people that use and develop WordPress sites. Although it is put on by and for the Atlanta WordPress community, I met people from all over.
I gave a talk there Sunday (4/15/18) on the state of inclusion in distributed companies. Since WordPress is maintained by a distributed company (Automattic, by employer) and an open source community, the subject is of great relevance.
Let me know what you think. There are more unanswered (and unasked) questions than answers.
Mind filling out this survey if you work at a distributed company or work remotely?
The discussion was lively and thought provoking. A few takeaways:
- It’s important to be explicit about the excluded groups in your company. Only through getting the discussion going can progress be made.
- Many people are still concerned about revealing their race/ethnicity/physical ability (even on EEOC questions at end of hiring applications).
- How do we deal with the bias in reaching out to more diverse populations.
- How do excluded groups even know where to look for positions, when even job search has build in exclusivity.
- How can independent consultants and free-lancers be advocates in this space?
- Is the Internet really the equalizer we think it is?
- How do we start?
I was delighted by the inclusiveness evident in the conference organizers and attendees. One of the many beautiful things about Atlanta.
Please comment and add your questions!
