Many leaders are quick to embrace policies that promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace — but policies are only phase one. The next, crucial step is to actively build a work culture where people of all backgrounds feel included, supported, and safe.
Think Globally: How ZoomInfo Supports D&I
We take diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace seriously. To support those efforts, we launched ZoomInclusion, a program comprised of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs):
- Zoom in Color
- Women’s Initiative Network
- ZoomInfo Pride
- ZoomInfo Military and Families
- Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) ZoomInfo
- ZoomInfo Caregivers
- ZoomInfo Wellness
ZoomInclusion was founded by ZoomInfo employees seeking to improve representation and create places to feel supported in an industry that is still working on diversity.
Cassie Harris, a customer onboarding team lead, was at the forefront of the program’s formation.
“When we first met, we started to draft what’s now become our charter. Something to say, ‘This is what we’re about, this is why we’re here, and this is what we want to do for the business and for ourselves’,” Harris says.
Defining the goals and mission helped the ZoomInclusion trailblazers formulate more details about where they wanted to go and what success might look like. They realized that executive buy-in would be essential, so they started preparing to present their plans to leadership.
Executive Buy-In is Key
To create a workplace where underrepresented groups are included, a successful program needs buy-in from all levels of the company. You can have a passionate workforce and a compelling argument, but without the support of leadership and your HR team, it’s difficult to change a company’s culture.
“Fortunately, we had HR and leadership buy-in pretty much immediately,” Harris says. “When we brought our case to them, they responded with, ‘Absolutely. This sounds great. How can we help?’”
From there, the team of ZoomInclusion trailblazers drafted an outline and sent it to the CEO for feedback. Soon after, formal groups began taking shape and the program was off and running.
ZoomInclusion has become a core part of ZoomInfo’s culture. Membership in each group is open to everyone. There are currently over 300 employee participants who meet regularly to discuss and plan events and serve in support groups for other employees.
“I think with any group, they want to be seen, they want to be heard, and they want to be understood,” says Cam Johnson, a sales manager and trailblazer of our Zoom In Color ERG.
Why Companies Should Take D&I Seriously
Diversity and inclusion are topics employees will naturally discuss together, whether there’s an established forum for conversations or not. The logical step is to embrace these discussions and organize real groups where people can openly connect on the things they’re already talking about — and gain more representation in the process.
“A new team member recently shared that a main reason they wanted to work at ZoomInfo is because of how refreshing it is to see someone that looks like them being successful,” Johnson says. “Some of the best companies in the world will likely be the most diverse companies, because different values bring different views.”
ZoomInfo has seen this effect firsthand, attributing part of our 91% international sales growth to having a diverse and inclusive sales team.
Establishing groups like ZoomInclusion at your company can help attract people who want to work in a place where they can actually excel and succeed. If employees can see it, they can do it.