What We Do As A Company
Intersectionality inclusion, and representation have been at the core of the oVertone value system since day one. In order to hold ourselves accountable, we defined and incorporated these beliefs throughout all aspects of our organization.
We believe that when we are diverse, it means that many types of people are a part of our community, whether that community is employees, clients, or social following. When we are inclusive, we are intentionally listening to voices and stories from all types of cultures and subcultures, making intentional room for marginalized (traditionally oppressed, non white, non christian, non male, non middle class) stories and voices, and pushing ourselves to understand how our privilege (agency granted to us depending on our perceived closeness to pervasive culture) impacts our ability to hear, believe, or personally relate to these stories. When we are inclusive, we open ourselves up to help push critical social change to reduce oppression and create opportunities to dismantle oppressive systems. Simply put: intentional inclusion works toward ending oppression for marginalized communities.
If we can notice and help each other realize when dominant oppressive forces are involved in our decision making and policies, we have an opportunity to question their validity…whether we really want those assumptions integrated in our content. Working to dismantle those systems, and recognize when we’re working within them, is an important part of changing our industry and our society. Diversity and inclusion is not about appealing to everyone, it’s about dismantling structural systemic oppression so we can be available to everyone, by questioning our automatic, conditioned responses and assumed best practices.
Core Values
- Intersectionality. A dedication to understanding the intersections of identity and how they impact us as individuals and as a company in our ability to navigate through the world, and working to dismantle oppressive structures.
- Intentional Introspection. The practice of always looking inward to address the root of an issue, the core of a decision, or the best way to move forward.
- Honesty and Clarity. Ensuring that we speak with integrity and ensure understanding.
- Dedication to Quality. The pursuit of not only producing a top quality product and experience, but also the quality and integrity of our interactions and community.
- Good Hustle. Valuing and prioritizing health, safety, and humanity above production.
DEI Committee
- The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee exists to support oVertone’s value of Intersectional Feminism and Radical Inclusion. Intersectional feminism teaches us that we all experience the world through our own lens, and that it’s possible to miss things when we’re only looking at them only with our own perspective. By purposefully inviting a committee to critique and question what we do, we engage in Good Hustle (never stop learning) and Intentional Introspection to guide our decision making. When we make choices on purpose, as opposed to instinctively, we make room for radical inclusion. We cannot change our world without first changing ourselves.
- Committee members are selected to produce as wide-ranging a personal worldview as possible based on those who apply. They review marketing initiatives, activist initiatives, and other external facing initiatives from their own perspectives and provide feedback to the project owner for consideration. All members, including project owners, are required to take two training sessions – one on the importance of inclusion and how we internalize pervasive dominant culture (such as patriarchy and white supremacy), and one on the history of feminism in the United States, complete with additional resource guide. Committee members apply to be a part of the committee, and have a one year term.
- DEI training including tokenism, implicit bias, and radical inclusion for hiring managers and marketing teams.
- Company-wide access to diversity, equity, and inclusion trainings.
Policies/Code of Conduct
- Leave Policies that specifically support diverse families to accommodate various needs.
- Gender Neutral Employee Handbook.
- Writing trainings around understanding and implementing our core values with an emphasis on intersectional feminism and radical inclusion.
- Management training and group discussions to promote positive management support and experience for all employees.
- Prioritize personal growth and feedback at all levels so that when issues arise, there can be real moments for change and growth that people are held accountable to.
- Speak often about intersections of identity, intersectional feminism publicly with the company to ensure comprehension and understanding of these values.
- Company-wide required ethics training.
- Public forums and regularly scheduled skip-level meetings that allow for a voice for all employees, keeping management accountable.
- Anonymous tip line for reporting ethics breaches.
Hiring/Recruiting
- Place job postings in environments specifically to encourage diverse hires (women who code, etc).
- Write job postings specifically to encourage a divisive “all in” or “all out” attitude so that we can be upfront about our values.
- Phone interview as first interview for any job applicants as part of a “blind” review.
- Increased techniques for addressing the impacts of implicit bias in recruiting.
- Developing relationships with platforms where marginalized communities job seek.
- Seeking out relationships with professional organizations that foster diversity.
Ongoing Internal Education
- Prioritize personal growth and feedback at all levels so that when issues arise, there can be real moments for change and growth that people are held accountable to.
- Company-wide trainings that focus on diversity and inclusion, intersectional feminism, hair types, and protective styles, and more.
- Management training and group discussions to promote positive management support and experience for all employees.
Content/Marketing/Casting
- Ensuring that all hair types and hair textures are represented across all retail, marketing and social platforms.
- Following internal vetting standards for content creator, influencer, and partnership relationships to ensure diversity, inclusion—and that our partners share our brand values.
- Reviewing and reassessing our social media and influencer network regularly to act deliberately against implicit bias and ensure non-performative diversity and inclusion.
- Producing content that highlights how to care for different hair needs.
- Soliciting and incorporating feedback from our diversity and inclusion committee.
- Vetting and hiring makeup artists, hairstylists, and other production professionals that are experienced in working with all hair types and skin tones.
- Creating an anti-racism resource blog, emphasizing unlearning white supremacy and mental health resources that recognize the intersections of race and mental health.
- Regularly hiring artists from marginalized communities to produce artwork for our marketing materials.
Donations/Giving
- Regular donations to ACLU and other social justice causes that affect a broad spectrum of marginalized folx such as BIPOC, LGBTQIA, people with disabilities, women, refugees, and more.
- Thanksgiving as a regular giving day and moment of reflection on the treatment of American indigenous communities.
- Asking staff to participate in selecting organizations for company giving – recently selected organizations include Best Friends Animal Society, International Rescue Committee, RAICES, local food banks, COVID-19 PPE drives, and Planned Parenthood.
- Provide additional opportunities throughout the year to donate to organizations that make a difference.
Product Development – All hair types
- Product development has always included a commitment to a high performing top quality product that can be loved across hair textures – 1a to 4c.
- Hair Type training required for all to ensure that as a company we can speak authentically to different needs across our modes of communication –– from social media, to our website and client interactions.
Mental Health
- Available digital/phone counseling available for all employees under oVertone’s health insurance program.
- Extended trauma recovery time during moments the require reflection and grieving to the company.
How we’re growing:
- Adding our activist principles more substantially to our brand guide.
- Creating quantifiable metrics around inclusive representation.
- Continue seeking out relationships with professional organizations that foster diversity.
- Provide additional opportunities throughout the year to donate to organizations that make a difference – starting with Juneteenth.
- Create additional resource blogs that highlight and seek to continue to dismantle oppressive systems.
- Continue to develop relationships with platforms where marginalized communities job seek.