I believe that community and a sense of belonging are key drivers to fostering inclusion at work. Working in a world of distributed teams where in-person interactions may be limited makes this especially true. From my experience, I have seen that strong Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) can have tremendous impact in an organization to help build community and keep employees connected. They provide value in the form of career development, by providing psychologically safe spaces for crucial conversations, all the way to offering mentorship opportunities. When ERGs are made up of diverse people with shared experiences they can provide the support and community at work that we need to be successful.
As one of the co-leaders for ProQueer+, Procore’s LGBTQ+ ERG, I am constantly reminded of the value and impact that our ERG has on our members and on our employees as a whole. Working in stride with my ERG members to focus on building a community that serves us all while exploring ways to build allyship with others helps create a greater sense of belonging. The work that I do–that we all do–within ProQueer+ is an extension of the work we do at Procore. It serves everyone.
The way that my co-leader Cris, a subscription management consultant and a fellow leader of ProQueer+, puts it, is that he feels there is a correlation between going into a workplace where you feel like you can be yourself and your overall productivity. Added to that, the sense of belonging that comes with it helps to feel more authentically connected to a mission of the company.
Creating Community and Ensuring Inclusion at Procore
Community is a word that we use a lot within our ERG.; it is, after all, the main focus of our group. Everything we do reaches toward the goal of creating community both here at Procore and within ProQueer+ itself.
Why do people want to join ProQueer+, and other ERGs at Procore? As Leah, an associate manager on our financial operations team and another of my ProQueer+ co-leaders, says “I wanted to join the leadership team because it’s so hard to find a community that’s as open and welcoming to the LGBTQ+ population in a professional place as it is here at Procore.”
As a further demonstration of that desire to be truly inclusive, our ERG’s name evolved recently to ProQueer+ to ensure that every single person in the entire LGBTQ+ community felt seen and appreciated for who they are. It’s just been in the past year that the name has changed from Prism to ProQueer+; this shift was voted on by the ERG members and vetted by Procore’s leadership team as a more inclusive word for the community. Rebecca, a senior solutions engineer and a ProQueer+ co-leader, explains the change like this: “The change allows us to tell a new story, one that’s inclusive and encompassing of trans and non-binary people as well. We are in a better position to serve our community than ever before.” I couldn’t agree more; we want people to know that queer is no longer a derogatory word. We’ve taken it back.
Giving Back and Offering Support
While there are many responsibilities on the plates of our ERG leaders and members–all of whom are volunteers in addition to their Procore full time jobs–, ProQueer+ turned our focus to Pride Month in June. Pride in itself is a protest. Pride month gives us the opportunity to strengthen our community bonds, which has never been more important than they are right now.
We wanted to show our fellow Procorians that Pride month is a time to celebrate the queer community and love, but also to give back, to protest inequalities and injustices, and to educate allies.
One of the ProQueer+-led Pride activities I am the most proud of was our second annual Pride Build in New Orleans in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. This incredible event brought together ProQueer+ members alongside other local LGBTQ+ ERG members to help build a home for a New Orleans family. For ProQueer+ and myself, this opportunity to not only give back to a community we serve, but to do it through construction, felt especially well-aligned with our values. What better way to know our customers than to go out and do the heavy lifting!
All of the activities and events on ProQueer+’s Pride calendar were developed through the lens of love and support. This community’s programming was designed to honor the resilience of those who worked tirelessly before us to make Pride happen while also celebrating the progress made as a community acknowledging the continuing fight for equality we are in today. I have to repeat what Rebecca said, because she put it so poignantly, “We looked to create joy for our community because it IS so hard to be joyful right now.”
If you want to support the LGBTQ+ community, I recommend Leah’s advice for allies, “The most important thing to remember is that it’s not just a celebration, but a time to have our voices heard. A lot of legislation is fighting against us. Part of being an ally is voting, lifting your voice, and not just wearing a t-shirt.”
For Rebecca, it comes back to community. “I want our allies to know that ProQueer+ has given employees a safe and supportive space and a place to learn more about each other and the world.”
As the leaders of ProQueer+ we continue to echo this sentiment about the purpose of our ERG and our main goals of building community, making friends, and creating connections - which includes allies as well. Don’t be afraid that you might say the wrong thing. Come from a place of love, and be okay with constructive feedback.
As for Cris, he believes it’s the education and training that ProQueer+ is driving across our organization that will help continue to build community and allyship. “Every movement isn’t perfect, we all have an opportunity to learn. And that’s why we are here, to be plugged into conversations where we can all do better.”
Chris Vaughn
Solutions Architect & ProQueer+ Leader
New Orleans, LA
- Diversity & Inclusion
- ERG
- Life At Procore
