How Envato’s Employee Resource Groups Enrich Our Culture: From [email protected] to our Neurodiversity Committee

Over the years at Envato, we’ve established several employee-led groups enabling us to connect around shared interests and experiences. The purpose of these groups varies, from planning events (the Social Committee) to raising awareness (the Greener Good Sustainability Committee) to creating a safe space for employees or allies who belong to or identify with a particular cause or community (the Neurodiversity Committee). Together, our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) drive connection and ​promote a more diverse and inclusive workplace.

Want to know what we’re up to behind the scenes at Envato? Here’s a glimpse into some of the great Employee Resource Groups available to join as an Envato employee. 

[email protected] is a group for the LGBTQIA+ community and allies which aims to improve visibility, understanding, and safety for LGBTQIA+ people at Envato and in the larger tech space. Open to any Envato employee who identifies as LGBTQIA+ or an ally, it was formed at the end of 2014 to establish a safe, inclusive space and advance LGBTQIA+ literacy throughout Envato. 

Now, the group is a safe space for LGBTQIA+ employees and allies at Envato to discuss queer issues, organize and keep track of related initiatives in the company, and provide a point of contact for employees with questions.

“[email protected] is an important part of making Envato a comfortable and safe place for LGBTQIA+ employees to work,” says John Lally, Senior Data Engineer and [email protected] volunteer. 

“Envato is committed to diversity and inclusion, and having a community voice for LGBTQIA+ employees within the organization is an important part of that commitment. We want Envato to be a place where you can be yourself at work without fear of discrimination or marginalization. The group aims to support this goal at an organizational and individual level. For employees with specific concerns or talking points, it functions as a central platform to have those discussions. For the wider company, it is a way to ensure we’re on track with our goals, pushing ourselves to do better, and increasing education and awareness.” 

[email protected] has played a big part in making Envato a more diverse and inclusive community and has driven incredible workplace changes. Over the last nine years, the group has organized observances for many awareness and celebration days, such as IDAHOBIT and Pride Month, and crafted documents and guidelines for supporting LGBTQIA+ colleagues and pronoun usage.

The group has also led multiple surveys to expose reportable metrics across the company, including the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI). Most recently, [email protected] has been working with our partners at Pride In Diversity toward becoming a certified LGBTQ+ inclusive company to further demonstrate our lived commitment to diversity.

OutMX is the Mexican-based arm of [email protected] The group exists to create a neutral and judgment-free space for everyone in our community to be themselves. Open to the LGBTQI+ community and allies, OutMX promotes a healthy and positive work culture, supports employees, and guides anyone interested in the issues of inclusion, gender, diversity, and the LGBTQIA+ collective.

The OutMX committee is made up of volunteers from the Mexican LBGTQI+ community, as well as ally groups. The committee meets monthly and holds an “All Hands Out” presentation each quarter to hear voices from the OutMX Community.

“Visibility and representation are important, and celebrating diversity and fostering inclusion enriches the Envato culture,” says Charles, Senior Researcher for Placeit and an OutMX member. “OutMX aims to make important information available to everyone to make vulnerable groups visible and give them a voice based on empathy through conversations, information and guidelines, and regular events, workshops, and training.” 

The Social Committee is a diverse group of Envatians from across the business who assist in brainstorming and planning all of Envato’s awesome events. The group is committed to adding sparkle to Envato’s workplace culture, delivering social experiences from our end-of-year party and Envato Connect to weekly yoga sessions and health & wellness workshops. 

“The Social Committee – also known as the Ministry of Fun – is all about bringing Envato’s amazing events to life,” explains Michelle Drake, Envato’s People Experience Specialist. “All members are volunteers who get input from across the business on events, ensuring what we’re doing is relevant, exciting, and appeals to our Envatians. All Envato events are crafted by the Ministry of Fun – and some of our biggest achievements include Envato Connect – where our employees come together for planning and social connection at one of our HQs – as well as our annual EOY parties.” 

The goal of The Greener Good Sustainability Committee is to minimize the negative impact that our business has on the planet by constantly improving our habits and reducing our impact. 

“We have an incredible chance to impact and help restore this planet that we share directly,” says Michelle Drake. “While it’s easy to feel helpless in the face of such a large and often charged issue, we remain optimistic and continue taking action toward sustainable solutions. We also hope to inspire other companies to take action and recognize the incredible impact they can have.” 

Here are some impacts the committee has made so far:

The purpose of the Tech Gender Diversity Network (TGDN)  is to provide a safe, inclusive, and supportive space for conversation and a place to uplift those who consider themselves to be of an underrepresented gender in tech. The group is open to anyone who identifies as such, with a vision to create a lively space for discussions, networking, and sharing advice and opportunities. Equally important, we want this group to provide a network for people to reach out for support when needed. 

“Previously, we had Treehouse, a digital space for tech folks who identify as an under-represented gender,” says group member and Developer Mentor Hayley Stewart. TGDN is a revamp of Treehouse, with an aim to be a more inclusive group with fresh values and a clearer vision.”

Envato’s Neurodiversity Committee is a place for people to unite and shine a light on neurodiversity. The group is open to everyone at Envato (not just those who identify as neurodivergent). It’s a safe place for members to learn, listen, and contribute to making Envato a more supportive and inclusive workplace. 

“Neurodiversity is an umbrella term for those with neurodivergent traits which can affect how someone learns, perceives the world, and interacts with others,” says Tori Bailey, Envato’s Senior Talent Partner. Autism, dyslexia, and ADHD are some, to name a few. We started the ERG as we felt there was a big need at Envato to give extra support to those who identify as neurodivergent, those who have family members that are neurodivergent, and others who want to learn and be an ally in this space.” 

With a tagline of “Think Differently, Together,” the group’s mission is to spread awareness around the fact that everyone learns, thinks, communicates, and sees the world differently and to help our business adapt to supporting everyone’s unique needs.

“Neurodivergence affects up to 20% of the world’s population, making it crucial to understand how we can support each other’s learning and working styles for a cohesive and happy environment,” explains Tori. “It’s also highly likely that someone close to all of us will be neurodivergent, so having this empathy and understanding will also go a long way outside of work.” 

The Neurodiversity Committee holds monthly meetings and celebrates important calendar events relating to neurodivergence, such as World Autism Day on the 2nd of April. They’ve also put on an awareness presentation to Envatians in Australia and Mexico, providing a high-level overview of what neurodiversity is, the neurodivergent experience, and how we can best support neurodivergent folks.

Envato’s global Health and Safety Committee is all about working together on issues surrounding health, safety, and well-being at Envato. The group comprises members from around the business who meet monthly to raise health, safety, and well-being issues or initiatives and participate in discussions and decisions.

“The most important part of creating an exceptional employee experience is ensuring everyone is safe,” says Claire March, Envato’s Senior People Experience Manager. 

“Our WHS Committee brings together team members and managers to allow a structured discussion about health and safety issues and encourage a collaborative approach to develop and review health and safety policies and procedures. We ensure safety is on the agenda in all areas and levels of our business. We’ve recently updated all of our WHS policies and procedures, and we’re rolling out updated WHS training and refreshing our ergonomics process and support offering.”

The Envato Women Group creates an equitable community to promote sisterhood, knowledge, togetherness, and a safe space for all women at Envato. Based in Mexico, the group was born from the need for a place where women and marginalized genders can feel safe, heard, and understood in the workplace.  

“In Mexico, gender violence is an urgent issue,” says Malena, Senior Designer at Envato. “Our circumstances differ from others worldwide; therefore, our needs and activities must respond to our reality. It’s not a secret that women throughout history have been relegated from positions of power and had their voices silenced for the simple fact of being women. Envato strives to eradicate this toxic culture for women and vulnerable groups, but there’s still much work. That’s why it’s crucial to continue raising awareness, taking action, and working towards an equal work environment.” 

The group has been operating for almost two years, hosting workshops, forums, talks, and activities to empower women at work. To celebrate Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day in March 2023, the group organized the following events for Envato employees:

And that’s a wrap! We hope you enjoyed learning about some of Envato’s awesome Employee Resource Groups. While you’re here, read our Impact Statement for 2022 and our most recent Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Report.