|
Inclusivity is a core Greenhouse tenet across every touch point, and how we communicate that externally is essential. This always-evolving guide will help ensure you’re representing Greenhouse effectively – and respectfully.
You’re probably here because you want to make sure whatever external-facing marketing, branding or communication piece you’re working on meets Greenhouse’s inclusivity standards. Let this document be your guide. Your commitment to getting this right is part of why you’re here at Greenhouse – we all want to get it right, to meet the moment and constantly improve. And it’s important that our brand reflects that commitment.
This guide is not meant to be a rulebook for how you are to communicate within Greenhouse on a daily basis, though it can help you if you’re unsure how to address a particular issue, group or ERG. Don’t worry: you’re already off to a great start. This document will help you the rest of the way.
This guide will walk you through how to ensure our brand reflects a culture of belonging and inclusivity. This is an important document, but also a dynamic one: as marginalized communities continue to express and fortify how they should be addressed and represented, we will adjust in kind. So refer back as often as you need. While we believe there’s great value in reviewing the entire document, feel free to jump to the sections that are most relevant to whatever you’re working on at the moment. And remember: when in doubt, just ask!
Media defines culture, and culture defines change. The number one influencer in how we see ourselves are marketers. They have the power, the budget, and the influence to create meaningful and lasting change.
Greenhouse is dedicated to being an inclusive company so it’s imperative our brand lives up to that standard. It’s also what people want to see. Studies have shown that today’s consumers want to see marketing and advertising that accurately portrays the diversity of the communities they live in and the world we all live in. Inclusive design goes beyond visuals and ensures greater accessibility for audiences of all stripes and abilities. Ultimately, inclusive marketing is all about respect. It’s how we can contribute to the kind of world we want to live in.
We want to hear from you if something looks off or needs updating. Please fill out this form if you have any suggestions or questions. Bonus points if you’ve already reached out to the relevant employee resource group (ERG) for collaboration and/or confirmation.
Want to know more about our approach to DE&I and how to talk about it externally? Start here.
At Greenhouse, our commitment to DE&I and building belonging is at the center of everything we do. It’s how we fulfill our mission to make every company great at hiring. It’s how we create an inclusive and equitable culture at our own company. And it’s how we contribute to the kind of world we want to live in. Check out these resources to learn more about our philosophy on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Greenhouse offers the widest variety of embedded DE&I and bias mitigation tools. Our platform is built around the structured hiring philosophy, which helps mitigate unconscious bias by promoting consistency and accountability throughout the hiring process. The product offers functionalities that promote more equitable and inclusive hiring processes, including guardrails in structured decision making, in-the-moment interventions and data collection and reporting. These range from anonymized take-home exercises to hiding candidate sources to promoting evaluations based on merits and skills. Greenhouse features are built to influence the dozens of intentional candidate touchpoints from the moment that they apply, through their first day and beyond.
Learn more about how we're putting our DE&I philosophy into practice in our product.
All external-facing communication should, ideally, get approved by Marketing. But in the instances where you need pre-approved language to describe Greenhouse’s approach to DE&I, here are some options you can use. Simply click the copy button and paste the text as is below.
Here’s a quick way to help make sure your content or asset meets Greenhouse inclusivity standards. Please keep in mind that no community, person or fully inclusive effort can be reduced to a “checklist.” To that end, we offer more detailed do’s, don’ts and context for various marginalized communities in the “Copy and messaging” section – but even that cannot cover everything.
These basics should serve as a good “gut-check” to make sure you’re on the right track.
While our brand messaging guidelines cover our brand voice and tone, these directives will help keep your communication inclusive and professional – and, yes, on brand.
Above all else, we are marketing to people, and should always recognize and honor their humanity. If we are focusing on DE&I or a certain underprivileged community, keep the focus on the person, and not their minority status. The tl;dr? Avoid stereotypes, utilize preferred identification and terminology, and maintain Greenhouse’s commitment to inclusion. And as always, consult our brand messaging guidelines for specific voice and tone direction.
It’s easier to spot instances of cultural appropriation in visuals like photography or design. But language is trickier – words and phrases can become mainstreamed on social media at a rapid pace, blurring the lines of language that’s appropriate for everyone and language we haven’t earned as a corporation.
Also worth noting? Nearly every use case here falls outside our typical brand voice, so sticking with that should keep your copy in the safe zone. There are some places where we can push our tone a bit more (subject lines, social media captions, etc.), so we do want to address this.
Here are some such phrases to watch out for:
Some words that are a part of everyday vernacular that are appropriative of other cultures or harken back to a time that no longer reflects our inclusive values. Many of these are used incidentally and without malice, which is why we need to be vigilant about watching for them in our communication.
Here's a list of no-fly words and suggestions for alternative terms to use. Click each box to see better options.
(when referring to a person or emotion)
Greenhouse tends to avoid positioning itself along any political ideologies that fall outside the scope of our values and mission. For example, DE&I topics and related issues of equality directly relate to our efforts to promote better, fairer hiring practices, while something like a presidential race does not.
It’s important for us to be mindful of the breadth of our audience and their potential viewpoints and own political values, and not wade into territory that could unnecessarily alienate them.
As we expand our footprint, it’s imperative that we become aware of regional politics and hot-button issues so we can either craft specific messaging or ensure we remain effectively neutral. An example of this could be including something as seemingly innocuous, from an American perspective, as the Irish flag without considering the complex history that imagery holds for the people of that region, which would include fellow Greenhouse employees and customers alike.
Here you’ll find insights and guidelines for specific audiences and communities. As marginalized communities gain greater visibility and agency, the appropriate language and visual approach may evolve – and we commit to evolving along with them.
Avoiding ageist language is key to avoiding stereotypes, discrimination and exclusion based on age. This often presents itself as an age bias against older adults, but can affect any age group. Use actual ages when possible to avoid phrases like “older” or “younger” (“adults over 50,” “minors,” “66-year-old,” etc.). You can also present ages as relative by using “older than” and “younger than.”
Use “API” to describe Asian/Pacific Islander audiences in general. While “AAPI” (Asian American/Pacific Islander) is more commonly used in the U.S., we want to be inclusive of our Dublin and international employees, as well.
The API community is a broad and diverse group in and of itself, and it’s important to not only be inclusive of this oft-underrepresented group of people, but mindful of each group’s different identities.
Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Macanese, Tawainese
Bruneian, Burmese, Cambodian, Filipino, Hmong, Indonesian, Laotian, Malaysian, Singaporean, Thai, Timorese, Vietnamese
Bangladeshi, Bhutanese, Indian, Madivian, Nepali, Pakistani, Sri Lankan
Fijian, Hawaiian, Melanesian, Micronesian, Palauan, Polynesian, Samoan, Tongan
Bahraini, Emirati, Iranian, Iraqi, Israeli, Jordanian, Kuwait, Lebanese, Omani, Palestinian, Qatari, Saudi, Syrian, Turkish
Afghan, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Kazakhstani, Kyrgz, Tajik, Turkmen, Uzbekistan
Use “API”. While “AAPI” (Asian American / Pacific Islander) is more commonly used in the US, we want to be inclusive of our Dublin and international employees, too.
Use “API” to describe Asian/Pacific Islander audiences in general.
Be sure all content and communication works to reflect the nuance of Black identities and experiences when appropriate. Much of that begins with using the correct language to address this diverse community with specificity and respect. Use the abbreviation “BIPOC” (Black Indigenous and People of Color) when referring broadly to all communities of color.
Most inclusive and preferred term to refer to this community
Be sure to capitalize “Black” when referring to people in a racial, ethnic or cultural context
Often used to refer to U.S.-born people who are the descendants of people who were once enslaved. Only use when appropriate for the person or entire community being referenced
Check your knowledge
Black person is the most inclusive and preferred term to refer to this community. African American is used to refer to US-born people who are the descendants of people who were once enslaved.
“Black person” is the most inclusive and preferred term to refer to this community.
Whenever possible, refer to specific community and tribe names/titles over broader terms like “Indigenous.” However, when those details aren’t known or you’re referring to more than one community, use “Indigenous” or “Indigenous Peoples” over more outdated phrases like “Native American” or “American Indian.”
Indigenous communities are not only diverse in ethnicity, geography, language, culture and spirituality, but also vary in how and when they prefer to be introduced or included publicly. When in doubt, obtain permission.
The Hispanic/Latinx population includes numerous and distinct communities, nationalities, ethnicities and languages. It’s important to be specific and accurate whenever possible.
“Latino” refers to Latin American heritage, including communities and geographies where Spanish isn’t the primary language (Brazil, Haiti, etc.). The gendered terms “Latino(s)” and “Latina(s)” refer to men and women of Latin American descent, respectively; “Latinos” is traditionally used to refer to multi gendered groups.
“Latinx” is a gender-neutral alternative to Latino/Latina to be more inclusive of gender identities. It’s worth noting that, as of 2020, the term was still unpopular among Latinos and Hispanics, but is gaining popularity with younger people.
“Hispanic” refers to those descending from Spanish-speaking countries, including Latin American Spanish-speaking countries. So someone from Mexico can be both Hispanic and Latino/Latinx, whereas someone from Spain is Hispanic but not Latino/Latinx.
Greenhouse’s position is to refer to this community as “Hispanic and Latinx” (or “Hispanic/Latinx”).
Greenhouse’s position is to refer to this community as “Hispanic and Latinx” or “Hispanc/Latinx”
Greenhouse’s position is to refer to this community as “Hispanic and Latinx” or “Hispanic/Latinx”.
Gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation are all distinct identities within the LGBTQ+ community, and it’s important not to confuse or conflate them.
Gender identity is one’s personal, internal sense of one's gender, which can be the same or different from their sex assigned at birth, and it is up to that individual who they choose to share this identity with.
Gender expression is how that person communicates their gender externally, through their clothing, behavior, hairstyle, etc.
Sexual orientation encompasses the romantic, emotional and/or physical attraction to others. Common terms to describe sexual orientation include lesbian, gay, bisexual, straight, pansexual and asexual (no sexual attraction to any gender).
Here is a pretty comprehensive list of the myriad LGBTQ+ orientations and identities.
Check your knowledge
Over 1 billion people in the world live with some form of disability, but people with disabilities are often absent from marketing and communications. It’s important to address this diverse audience appropriately, and that includes making accommodations and adjustments for an audience those who may have any number of disabilities but do not initially seem to.
There is no common language about how to address disability, as it can mean almost infinitely different things for different people, including:
Check your knowledge
While it may be a well-meaning euphemisms, it's often seen as patronizing and inaccurate.
Well-meaning euphemisms like “handi-capable” are often seen as patronizing and inaccurate, and should not be used.
When communicating with general audiences and/or a group of both men and women, use more inclusive, gender-neutral language over colloquial expressions like “you guys.”
The following alternatives also ensure you're considering beyond the binary gender spectrum so your messaging won't alienate nonbinary, trans women or other gender-expansive audiences.
Check your knowledge
Use more inclusive, gender-neutral language when addressing groups such as “people,” “folks” or “everyone.”
Avoid using gender-binaries and use more inclusive, gender-neutral language when addressing groups such as “people,” “folks” or “everyone.”
Inclusive communications goes beyond word choice. We need to consider how different audiences engage with our content, and meet them where they are.
Use these questions as a guide to prioritizing inclusive customer stories:
Case studies should follow the same messaging and photography guidelines to help maximize inclusivity and diversity.
When determining who to source quotes from, prioritize diversity so that not all quotes come from the same social identity in addition to ensuring their role in the organization is relevant and meaningful to the content.
While we should be prioritizing diversity, we don’t want to limit BIPOC people to only speaking about DE&I. Make sure their expertise and experience is reflected beyond their community status.
While Greenhouse uses Textio to help ensure our job posts are as inclusive and compelling as possible, here are some general language tips.
While we should be prioritizing diversity, we don’t want to limit BIPOC people to only speaking about DE&I. Make sure their expertise and experience is reflected beyond their community status.
Adding photography to marketing materials makes them feel more human, and your goal should be to have as many different types of people feel they relate as possible.
As with voice and tone, imagery used in marketing materials should be inclusive. When selecting photography, aim to depict a variety of different looking individuals and represent as many different identities as possible.
Use the following pillars to evaluate for diversity in your photos:
Prioritize human diversity over specific color schemes or composition. As a general rule, photos should feel polished and art directed, but when debating between options, make selections with a diverse cast whenever possible, even if they are slightly off from brand guidelines. Of course, you never want to select a photo that appears off brand or unrelated to your project, but diversity is more important than an exact design match.
When selecting photography, you want to make a design choice that feels authentic while also diverse.
A final photography consideration is your overall project. How many photos will you need, and where will they appear? If you're creating a multi-channel campaign, comprehensive website, or suite of assets, consider how DE&I will show up across the series as well as on each individual piece. For example, if you were designing a set of 10 emails with one image each, it would be nearly impossible to feature every ethnicity in each email. However, throughout the 10 emails there would be plenty of opportunities to showcase different types of people interacting together.
It’s an uncomfortable reality that when it comes to still photography, instant, two-dimensional visual cues are all we really have to understand the people in the photo. The challenge is then how to show diversity in your photography when not every facet of one’s identity is as readily apparent as one might assume?
This is where thoughtful, purposeful stereotyping can help. For queer people, people with disabilities and people of varying socioeconomic backgrounds especially, relying on more stereotypical visual cues (a wheelchair, a rainbow accessory, fashion choices, etc.) are important to call out the diversity we’re capturing. The trick is to find images that do this respectfully rather than ones that play into more harmful stereotypes.
Here are some examples of stereotyping that work to give image context.
There is a lot of behind-the-scenes design, coding and development work that goes into making our sites and experiences as accessible as possible. But everyone has a role to play in the content they’re developing.
Greenhouse strives to achieve WCAG 2 Level AA compliance for all our digital content and experiences. While many factors go into this, our design system has been created to comply with these standards, so following the brand visual guidelines goes a long way in developing accessible content. You can learn more about WCAG 2 Level AA standards here.
Color contrast is the difference in lightness and darkness between foreground and background. This is especially important when considering text, because low contrast can make reading difficult. WCAG 2 Level AA compliance requires contrast of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. If this sounds confusing, don’t worry – the Greenhouse color guidelines already have this calculated for you.
Making sure fonts are not too small is important for readability. For the web, Greenhouse uses a minimum of 16 px. In other cases, like Google documents, you might have more flexibility because users are able to set their individual preferences for viewing. WCAG 2 Level AA compliance requires readers to be able to clearly read text when viewed at 200%.
In addition to font sizes, paragraph widths should be kept to approximately 80 characters or less – this helps improve readability and reduces the distance your eyes have to travel to read each line.
If you have specific questions about font sizes or formatting, just reach out to the brand team and we’ll help you out.
Alt text is what a screen reader uses to describe an image or visual (content other than text). WCAG 2 Level AA compliance requires any website image to have descriptive alt text, such as “Photo of a woman wearing a yellow sweater.” While website content is important, you should also know that you can provide alt text in most documents as well. In Google apps, you can control+click on the image and select the “alt text” item to add in your descriptive text.
Text such as titles or headlines should always be “live,” meaning they are actual text content and not graphical content. This is important because text contained in an image cannot be read by a screen reader (and presents other problems). In some cases, like product images, this is not possible so alt text should be provided to describe what’s in the image.
Closed captioning and transcripts provide the text equivalent of audio content. WCAG 2 – Level AA compliance requires closed captioning for all video content. Additionally, Greenhouse makes transcriptions available for audio-only content (podcasts, etc.).
Clear and direct language is the most helpful for anyone using a screen reader. A button that says “Learn more” below an image of a product might seem clear when viewing a page layout. However, “Learn more” provides little context to a screen reader about where that button will lead you, so use “More product details” or similar to provide a clearer indication.
It’s also important not to rely on formatting to indicate meaning. In a written interview, for example, questions and answers should be clearly labeled in the text rather than only bolding the questions or italicizing the answers.
There is a lot of behind-the-scenes design, coding and development work that goes into making our sites and experiences as accessible as possible. But everyone has a role to play in the content they’re developing.
Greenhouse employee resource groups (ERGs)
CEO Daniel Chait’s blog, “Unlocking human potential at work: Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion”
Director of DE&I Jamie Adasi’s blog, “Our DE&I journey to build belonging at Greenhouse”
Inside Greenhouse DE&I resources and FAQ
Web content accessibility guidelines
Inclusivity basics checklist (PDF)
