Glossary
Desired State of Inclusion (DSI): A metric analyzing three aspects of inclusion at Runtastic. First, it measures how strongly team members feel about belonging to the organization. We collect this data via a pre-defined set of questions sent on a quarterly basis. Second, the increase in number of female employees. Third, how many leaders in our team have an international background.
Diversity Equity Inclusion (DEI): This term comes from our adidas headquarters. It describes policies and programs that promote the representation and participation of different groups of individuals, including people of different ages, races and ethnicities, abilities and disabilities, genders, religions, cultures and sexual orientations.
Inclusion Agents: A diverse group of Runtastics who are dedicated to an inclusive work culture. They drive the topic as part of their working hours.
Runtastic has always been proud of its diverse team. Soon after our foundation, team members from all over the world joined us. Since then, we’ve hired anyone who is a great fit, regardless of their sexual orientation or religious beliefs (just to name a few diversity dimensions).
While we continuously strive for improvement, we also realize that it’s an ever-evolving journey. That’s why we decided to define our own Desired State of Inclusion (DSI), which acts as an official company goal. It analyzes how strongly our team members feel that they belong and how well the leadership team meets certain diversity dimensions.
We introduced Inclusion Agents to set up successful initiatives for achieving the DSI. Our Inclusion Agents are a diverse group of Runtastics who are dedicated to fostering an inclusive work culture. Alongside the Human Relations team, they focus on creating a strong sense of belonging throughout the company by keeping the topic of DEI present in our workplace activities and initiatives.
Here, two of our Inclusion Agents share what drives them.
Sushi Says: Inclusion Promotes Communication
“I truly believe this could be influencing our way of working, thinking, communicating, and connecting for the better.”
Sushi, Office Manager
When I first learned that Runtastic was looking for Inclusion Agents, I didn’t entirely understand what exactly the mission was or why I wanted to become an Inclusion Agent. But, I knew that I wanted to be part of encouraging diversity in our workplace.
Being part of a team that is more aware of Diversity Equity Inclusion (DEI) has made me motivated to learn more about inclusion. Now, I am ready to do things differently, no matter what it requires. Why? Because I truly believe that diversity positively influences our way of working, thinking, communicating, and connecting.
To this day, I want to understand even more about DEI and learn how to do better. At the beginning, I had the feeling that inclusion wasn’t something that I focused on enough in my career. Then, and now, I want to:
- Know how to act more inclusively as a person and as a professional, no matter my professional role.
- Understand which elements of inclusion are applicable, accessible, and implemented in my work life and space, in all circumstances.
- Put myself in a position to think more about being inclusive and rethink the “why’s.” I wanted to get out of a “comfort zone” and spot opportunities to learn from diversity.
The bottom line: as an Inclusion Agent, I’ve learned to be kind to others and myself! I encourage everyone to do the same.
Veronica Says: Diversity Requires More Diversity
“We still need to ask ourselves many questions, and the answers might reveal more challenges than we thought.”
Veronica, Product Manager
Runtastic is possibly the most diverse workplace I’ve ever worked at. That’s exactly why I believe that having a team and company goals dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion is especially important and useful.
Having a wide range of nationalities, languages, religions, and genders is a great basis to build upon. But, it’s not enough to give ourselves a pat on the back and think, “We’re already so diverse! We don’t need to do anything else!”
We still need to ask ourselves many questions about our workplace.The answers might reveal more challenges than we thought. Questions like: does management reflect the variety of perspectives that exist in the greater company? Is our pool of candidates diverse enough? Do we consider all points of view when making decisions that affect everyone? Does everyone get a seat at the table in discussions and are their voices heard? Does everyone understand the importance of working towards being more inclusive and respectful?
I joined the Inclusion Agents because I wanted to do my part in ensuring that such questions are raised and that solutions are found when issues arise. From the beginning, we identified so many topics we wanted to work on that it was hard to decide which to focus on first. When I see how dedicated and passionate the Inclusion Agents are, and how much we all want to keep improving, I am absolutely certain that we will make a difference.
Inclusion Matters When Hiring
Inclusion Agents Aid HR
The Inclusion Agents are also helping the Talent Acquisition team to improve our hiring process by making it even more inclusive.
We receive applications from all over the world. We always remind candidates that you don’t need to be an athlete to join Runtastic.
However, this comment alone does not create a diverse and inclusive hiring process. Our Talent Acquisition (TA) team knows that we need to reflect inward and check our own biases, conscious or unconscious. We participate in on-going training to ensure we are knowledgeable of the challenges and best practices to ensure inclusivity. Our TA team is made up of males and females of different nationalities and backgrounds. We are consistently questioning the impact of our decisions on our candidates and, in turn, our future employees (for example, our interview processes). We are committed to connecting with minority candidates and ensuring our processes are set up in a way that everyone, regardless of their background or situation, can be successful.
We are working toward more positive changes. We can’t wait to welcome an ever more diverse group of Runtastics to our team!
If you’d like to be part of Runtastic’s diverse community, then check out our career page. When you apply, mention that you’d like to become part of our DEI activities! We can’t wait to hear your ideas during the interview process.
