Here’s our latest update on diversity and inclusion
Sometimes when we share these updates there can be a little bit of back and forth about why we care about this, and the merits of our approach. So to be clear: diversity and inclusion are extremely important to us, and we’ll always hire the most talented person for the role.
We believe that talent is distributed evenly throughout the population. By making our roles attractive and flexible to as many as people as possible we aim to represent the communities we live and work in while still having the best talent building Monzo.
I never realised the term was neurodiverse. I always used SpLD(I’m Dyslexia co-morbid with Dyspraxia). On that note(I’m nit picking, neurodiversity isn’t just cause by genetics there are a whole host of other factors that can affect it)
Hey! We chose to go with neurodiversity as it felt more appropriate to how we see things at Monzo. Thank you for flagging - it’s totally not nit picking - I’m going to do some more research into this to further my understanding!
I read the reasoning behind the term “NeuroDiversity” and it is a really good term to use as its gets away from the idea that conditions such as Autism and dyslexia are “bad” and need to be “treated”. They do but in a positive way if that makes sense
I think also the social construct around Dyslexia and stupidity is one.
But also around Austism and its various spectrum. I think its good raise awareness in a positive way around as I think in some cases the parents are left to do it on their own( Austistic children can be hard to parent in terms of Behaviour((As far as the literature goes)))
On that vein, I wonder if there are are any plans to make the App more inclusive in general(Maybe colours but also more symbols)
I found this very moving to read. You’ve handled some challenging questions about Monzo with compassion and respect and it’s a great example to other businesses. Thanks for sharing. Props in particular for the disclosure around mental health conditions. What a great example to other companies on how to deal with a hugely prevalent issue that’s still such a taboo.
Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great that you’re accommodating everyone who works at Monzo - as should every company
Forgive me for being naive but what I don’t understand is the following:
Are you not making a bigger issue out of this by segmenting people into these granular groups? It’s one thing to be aware of peoples beliefs and health etc but should you be dividing people up like this and applying percentage figures? The reason I ask is that from looking at the report you’re highlighting the minorities and is that not going to make those people in the smaller groups feel more vulnerable?
I think it’s a balance thing. More awareness means more visibility will (eventually I hope) mean more acceptance that these differences do exist. I’ve no doubt the people who are in any of the categories they identify with are aware that there is a difference, so the more awareness the better I think?
Point is, @Ordog, this is a big issue and in truth, it’s not segmentation or division - it’s highlighting that which is so easy to leave in the “too difficult” tray.
I applaud any initiative which brings disadvantage into the light. Meaningful engagement such as described here is a real key to better understanding and inclusion.
I really hope those removed posts weren’t as a result of my question
Just to reiterate what I said before I asked the question, I agree it’s a great thing Monzo are doing but I just a wanted a bit of clarity surrounding the post.
Thank you @Demmedelusive and @gmclean for taking the time to respond and explain After all isn’t this the reason for creating the blog post in the first place? To raise awareness and educate people.
I don’t think it highlights minorities in a negative way, if anything it shows how embraced and welcomed diversity is. If I think of the company I currently work for, we have excellent gender diversity but racial diversity on the other hand is abysmal. HR would probably freak out at the idea of releasing a similar report, as it would only highlight problematic areas that no one talks about. Instead, releasing figures like these encourages a company to keep doing better. It’s not about making those people in the smaller groups feel more vulnerable, it’s about making them feel like they have a right to exist in the first place.
After all isn’t this the reason for creating the blog post in the first place? To raise awareness and educate people. 