Fostering genuine diversity in a small but mighty digital agency

When we found out Voyage was nominated for a Best Places to Work Award for Diversity, it naturally sparked thoughts about what it means to build a diverse team, to the extent that we’re recognised for it.

It’s an undeniably important and interesting conversation, and one that has proliferated throughout businesses around the country and the globe in recent years. My perspective is that with a strong foundation it can be simple.

New Zealand is diverse, so if we hire on the basis of skill and someone who will mesh with the team, if we meet everyone on a human-to-human basis and make them feel welcome, and know our underlying values, our businesses will naturally reflect the population. I’m proud to say the Voyage team is a testimony to this.

Considering the context - do our workplaces reflect our population?

If anything, New Zealand is becoming more diverse. To take ethnicity as one example, economist projections find that by 2043 Aotearoa will be home to just over six million people, with more than a quarter of our population Asian, 21% Māori, and 11% Pacific. (Berl) While a lot of this diversity comes from migration, and that centres around Auckland, all regions of New Zealand are expected to become more ethnically diverse over time.

Beyond ethnicity, Diversity Works NZ defines diversity as gender, LGBTQ+, age, socio-economic background, neurodiversity, disability, migrant status and faith or religion. I understand the need to create definitions to ignite important conversations, but for me diversity is also about aspects of ourselves that are more difficult to categorise. It’s about people who are parents or have never had kids, people who were pilots or nurses turned developers, people with years’ of experience or none at all, those who are more quiet or loud, those who grew up in the country or a big city, are from big or small families, and the list goes on.

As Randstad NZ, the recruitment company, has shared, diverse teams can mean many benefits for a business including greater financial performance and the ability to attract and keep the best people. I’ve seen first-hand that when we can bring together different schools of thought we’re more likely to inspire creativity or innovation, the ability to come together during unexpected situations - be that global lockdowns or a seemingly impossible deadline, and the ability to be open to different points of view for a stronger team overall. Essentially, when our teams are made up of diverse characters that are all there to do great work, we thrive.

When I think about diversity and Voyage, it’s more about the environment we’ve created that encourages diversity to grow. If we create that environment where any and everyone is welcome, then naturally diversity occurs as it should. What I'm proud of is that for us its not just the ‘box ticking’ of diversity we’re interested in, it’s about all of our differences. I love the quote by Jesse Jackson, "When everyone is included, everyone wins." That sums it up for me.

The perks of being small and mighty

The values of a business or organisation are often reflected in their hiring process. Larger organisations may have to implement systems and checklists to account for cognitive biases or to improve variety in perspectives. They’re often trying to formulate the process so it can be repeated by different people and still realise chosen goals. At Voyage, being small but mighty, with a clear set of values, has served us well and means we can really do things on our own terms.

When we’re hiring a new person for the team, for instance, we keep the conversation grounded in what life would be like at Voyage. Of course the hiring process is important for both parties, but we’ve found the best way to get to know someone is to talk to them, and be as open as possible. Wherever we can, we also include other people in the team, so the new hire has a chance to know our values through different areas of the business and different characters.

It’s a very down to earth approach and it makes it very clear when someone will mesh with the group. Without any need for quotas it’s naturally happened that the majority of our developers are women, and that our team is made up of a wide variety of backgrounds, characteristics and interests. It’s clear that this diversity, underpinned by the desire to deliver great work, makes for a stronger team.

Everyone is welcome

What we strive to impart right from that first conversation, and one of the things I’m most proud of at Voyage, is that we’ve created an environment where everyone is welcome. In my view, this encourages diversity and a place people want to show up to more than anything else. I’m sure people can feel that sincerity, and that’s what has led to an amazing - and diverse - group. When everyone feels they can bring their whole selves to work, they’re more likely to show up and share ideas, which leads to greater enjoyment in the work itself and better outcomes for our clients too.

At Voyage I hope we can always celebrate our differences, our wins and share a sense of humour. By nurturing an inclusive culture, we’re always striving to ensure diversity isn’t just a concept but a lived experience that drives us forward.

The final results for the Best Places to Work awards will be announced at the ceremony on September 25th in Auckland.