From Awakening to Action at Relativity: The Journey Continues
October is Global Diversity Awareness Month, a month to celebrate and increase awareness about the diversity of cultures and ethnicities and the positive impact diversity has on society. At Relativity, we believe investing in diversity and inclusion long-term will advance our mission and expand the possibilities for human experience.
Earlier this year, we took some time to reflect on what diversity means to us and began the process of going from awakening to action – because we know that creating an inclusive culture is neither passive, finite, nor the sole responsibility of leadership and HR. By putting new initiatives into action, such as our Inclusion 30 Program, and being one of the first to join L.A.’s RENEW Taskforce, we have committed to doing the work, both internally and externally.
In honor and celebration of Global Diversity Awareness Month, to date, here are some of the latest milestones we’ve overcome as we continue to champion diversity, equity, and inclusion across our company culture and beyond:
Created Inclusive Opportunities for Our Internship Program & Full-Time Roles:
Patti Grace Smith Fellowship - This past summer, Relativity hosted 4 Patti Grace Fellows who worked on impactful projects across a variety of teams: Avionics, Materials Science, Factory Development, and DEI. We are excited to announce that we will be continuing this partnership for our Summer 2022 internship program with the goal of hosting 5 fellows.
Brooke Owens Fellowship - Relativity facilitated a partnership with the Brooke Owens fellowship and plan to host several undergraduate fellows for our Summer 2022 internship program.
Women Hack - Relativity recently sponsored a local Los Angeles + Orange County networking event by Women Hack, where we met with dozens of women across a variety of technical expertise and have some promising candidates in our pipeline.
Valence - As a part of our commitment to equity, we currently have two high-performing employees going through the Valence Bonds Program, a leadership development program focused on accelerating the success of emerging Black leaders.
Cultivated Inclusive Conversations via Panels, Fireside Chats, and Company Events Around Topics Including:
Choose to Challenge Systems of Oppression and Exclusion (March 2021)
Standing in Solidarity with AAPI Community (May 2021)
Creating a Workplace of Belonging (June 2021)
Co-Creating an Inclusive Future of Aerospace (August 2021)
Celebration of Heritage and Hope for a Better Future (September 2021)
Co-sponsored the 2nd all female analog crew mission at HI-SEAS x Sensoria
Formed Team-Specific DEI Councils in which managers partner with the DEI manager and recruiters to develop team-level strategies to increase representation.
Launched a Hiring Amplifier Program which enables a set of diverse and cross-functional employees to participate as neutral and objective interviewees as a part of our interview processes. Hiring Amplifiers at Relativity have committed to:
Unabashedly fight against entropy and complacency in the recruiting process as Relativity continues to scale
Participate in onsite interviews as an objective steward for high-talent density
Ensure we hire talent without bias and without falling into traps that arise as we scale
Accountability By The Numbers
This year, we have seen tremendous growth in representation across several underrepresented groups that have historically been systematically excluded:
Asian/Pacific Islander Employees: 2.5X Growth
Black/African American Employees: 4X Growth
Hispanic/Latinx Employees: 3X Growth
As we look to the future and continue to go from awakening to action, we will keep cultivating a culture of accountability by having the tough conversations and learning from the past -- so that no one, or no group, gets left behind as we work towards building humanity’s multiplanetary future.
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