Diversity in Action - MongoDB x The Allyance
💖 The purpose of The Allyance is to help both companies and candidates: companies wanting to reach excellence in hiring and candidates wanting to find the perfect companies.
🌈 In May 2021, MongoDB reached out and asked The Allyance to deliver a LGBTQIA+ inclusion training. Members from the Queer Collective group at MongoDB wanted to empower their employees on the topic, so The Allyance gave an introduction on how to better integrate LGBTQIA+ people in the workplace!
__ __ __🔗 DIVERSITY IN ACTION N°7
DIANA BALACI
__ __ __Who are you? Tell us everything!
😀 My name is Diana Balaci, I am 39 years old and last year, I started as Workplace Manager for Southern Europe at MongoDB, a database software editor. Born in Bucharest, Romania, I grew up in Craiova, in the South of Romania, and moved to France 14 years ago.
My original dream was to teach at University, so I graduated with a PhD in sociolinguistics. I then decided to switch my professional life to a market with wider opportunities: that’s how I ended up in office management. In my 6-years experience as an office manager in IT environments, I exclusively worked within international companies and I feel very comfortable in this field.
🌈 DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) has been part of my personal values for as long as I can remember. Where I come from, these are tough topics to address… But still, that did not stop me 💪🏻 I am a very proud feminist and ally to the queer community. I cannot sit and watch: I will always be an advocate for positive education in order to uplift people and open horizons.
👶🏻 For more personal insights, I can say that I care deeply about people. Whatever I do, I always try to do something for the people. I am also the mother of a 2 year-old baby (or as I sometimes say, a tsunami!), and I love to cook (and eat) desserts! 🧁
Is Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) an important topic at MongoDB?
🙌 Yes, it is a central topic for MongoDB. All departments (Recruitment, Learning & Development, DEI, Workplace, Onboarding) are doing their best to create a safe space for everyone. They all work together to find the right way to emphasize the inclusion of all orientations, ages, beliefs… But they also work on their own on internal matters.
It is a collective and daily effort on everyone’s part at MongoDB. Besides workshops, events, and training, I truly feel there’s a willingness to get there, to achieve that diverse team and safe environment.
How do you make sure MongoDB is an inclusive workplace?
🔊 A lot of activities about DEI are happening throughout the year. We organize workshops and coffee or Zoom meetings around people who have the same values. In June 2021, we did a Pride Program. On Coming Out Day, we organized workshops where people could tell their story. We also addressed transgender issues during a workshop called Trans Awareness Panels.
📌 On a “daily-basis” approach, using the right pronouns is crucial at MongoDB. For instance, on my Zoom labelling, I put my pronouns as “she/her” to send the message about our care to include gender minorities.
📌 We also created affinity groups. In my case, I am part of the Queer Collective Committee and the Women Leads groups.
To sum it up, we’re working together around affinities we all have and learning more about it 💕
How did you hear about The Allyance?
✔️ Julien, another member of the Queer Collective Committee (and Gay in Tech Community), knew that I was looking for someone to create a workshop around DEI, specifically for the French team.
He called Caroline and booked a Zoom meeting with her. We were instantly impressed with her professional capacities. I said: perfect, let’s work together!
How did you collaborate with The Allyance?
✅ On June 18th 2021, we did a one-hour seminar called “Ensuring #LGBTQIA+ Inclusion at work: using the right tools and words” in French.
We did it in a hybrid form: while people who were physically back in the office attended this seminar in person, remote workers participated via Zoom.
During this interactive seminar, Caroline presented us with toolboxes around DEI in the workplace. We talked about life experiences, shared feedback and asked questions. At the end, she even did a quiz (❓) for everyone.
What did the attendees like about the presentation?
💝 This collaboration was as amazing to me as it was for the entire audience. Not long after the seminar, I sent a feedback form and the replies were all about how interesting it was. I can even say that people are looking forward to workshops on similar topics!
I appreciated that Caroline was not delivering a stiff seminar. It was truly flexible, with clear and accessible information, from basic to very complex, so that everyone could find what they’re looking for. Personally, I am convinced that we’re going to work together again…!
According to you, why do companies have a hard time hiring people from underrepresented groups?
I am talking from a fortunate position. I have worked in several companies, and in all of them, I felt that DEI was a crucial and daily-addressed topic in recruitment.
⚠️ What I can definitely say is that when you’re not paying attention to DEI in recruitment, you’re missing a lot of opportunities.
How do you convince someone to join MongoDB?
🚀 Simply by telling them what I see everyday: passionate, professional people, growing in a fast-paced environment.
MongoDB is willing to put a lot of things in place around wellness at work and inclusion, such as arrangements for young mothers, paternal leaves… and this is also why I joined this company!
How do you know Caroline?
💝 Because Caroline is amazing! Seriously, I had such good communication with her around the event.
She’s professional, reactive. She conducted the seminar very well and adapted quickly to the audience. Her intervention was well-documented and she had a solution to every challenge.
Caroline has been a wonderful person to work with and The Allyance is a fascinating new company to collaborate with. I look forward to working with Caroline on other matters: let’s say women in leads, for instance…?
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CONCLUSION
A few words from Caroline, The Allyance CEO:
“Collaborating with the Queer Collective Group thanks to Diana and Julien was an amazing opportunity.
It was extremely pleasant to work with them because they are passionate, open to feedback and genuinely wanting to move the needle towards more inclusion within their company. The training I gave for them will remain special in my heart!
✔️ Want more?
If you are interested in knowing more about The Allyance trainings, feel free to get in touch with us.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: ✒️ Léa C, The Allyance Contributor:
“I joined The Allyance after Caroline and I met at a ionnalee’s concert! I am a freelance translator and content writer (French, English, Spanish and German). I also work as an administrative employee in the health and data science sector. So, I am not far from Caroline’s core topic! I am very active as a volunteer in social and environmental NGOs, where I always try to put intersectionality at the center of actions because I am convinced that every cause is linked to one another. It is readily apparent that Caroline and I share a lot of common interests, which is why we as friends decided to work together!”