Whether it’s June or December, March or September, Snappy is always committed to fostering a workplace (and world!) that celebrates Pride, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and their allies.
In celebration of Pride month, Snappy Prism, the official LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group (ERG) at Snappy, hosted a panel of industry friends, experts, Snappy employees, and advocates for an open discussion on best practices, as well as opportunities for improvement, for companies in supporting their employees in the LGBTQ+ community.
On Tuesday, June 13, 2023, Snappy Prism ERG co-lead, Angela Green (she/her) moderated an engaging and Pride panel composed of Snappy Prism ERG founding member and co-lead, Taylor Hall (they/them), Dionté Brown (he/him), Project Manager for MGM Resorts Event Production, TR Nunley (he/him), Social Worker, and Program Director for Wilmington Transgender Support Services, Laura Clark (she/her) Regional Crisis Coordinator at SAP, Amelia Cotton (she/her), Customer Success Enablement Specialist at Snappy, and Lizzie La Barbera (she/her), Senior Curation Manager at Snappy.
Dionté Brown fondly recalled celebrating Pride with coworkers as well as executives during his first year at MGM Resorts in Detroit, and having a big presence at Motor City Pride: “Our leadership (at MGM) was super excited, super supportive, and provided us with a plethora of resources…they (leadership) all showed up for us (the LGBTQ+ community) in ways I didn’t know they would. It was the best experience.”
Having executive leadership show up and showcase their involvement and commitment to Pride is essential in building a foundation and culture of Pride within an organization.
Laura Clark addressed the importance of having inclusive healthcare benefits to serve the family-building goals of all employees. “I’m being treated like a whole person, inclusive of my healthcare needs,” she said.
While healthcare coverage, including family planning and resourcing, has long served the agenda of heterosexual couples, it’s important for human resource teams to continuously re-evaluate their company’s offerings to be more inclusive for all employees, their families and partners, and future family plans.
Pride month is a great opportunity to make time to have important conversations with LGBTQ+ employees, and evaluate company language, offerings, culture, and benefits to ensure your company is inclusive and serving the needs of your teams. Implementing ongoing training and tools to build and maintain a safe and inclusive workplace creates a culture of respect, trust, and community for all.
Snappy Prism ERG leaders, Taylor Hall and Angela Green, shared their in-depth thoughts, expertise, and experience on building an inclusive community and our Snappy LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group:
Please share your names, preferred pronouns, job titles, and a short description of what you do as a professional at Snappy.
TH: My name is Taylor Hall, and my pronouns are they/them. I am a Customer Experience Associate here at Snappy. Most of my day is filled with finding solutions to complex recipient concerns such as missing gifts, gift collection adjustments, and anything else that may come up. More than anything, my goal each day is to put a smile on every gift recipient’s face!
AG: I’m Angela Green (She/Her), and I am a Sales Manager on the Enterprise team here at Snappy. I work alongside our Customer Success team to help our partners grow their utilization of Snappy by expanding their usage into other departments, and advising on ways they can increase their show of gratitude and milestone celebrations both internally to employees and externally to their clients!
Can you tell us about your involvement and passion around our Snappy Prism ERG?
TH: I am one of the founding members, as well as co-chair of Prism. I joined the group that would become Prism on one of my first days with Snappy and helped to officially form it into an official ERG. I have been one of the two co-chairs for its entire lifespan, and I’m excited to keep working with this incredible group of people. Prism is exceptionally important to me as a nonbinary queer person in the tech world. It really is an oasis for me to be myself, plan fun events to encourage company engagement, and affect real change by communicating with leadership about proposed changes to benefits, policies, and general company habits and policies.
AG: When I joined Snappy in July of 2022, it was the first startup I had worked for that had any sort of formal ERG community, and I was overjoyed at the idea of being able to not only be part of the support system but help in any way possible. Being newer to the company, I wasn’t sure it was my place yet to volunteer when a co-chair opportunity arose with PRISM, but with Taylor’s support and encouragement, I was able to raise my hand and jump right in. It has been such an amazing experience to help drive and expand the reach of this group within the organization from the perspective of an ally.
What is your favorite project, campaign, or message Snappy Prism has achieved that you’ve been a part of in the past year?
TH: It was very important to me that we took some time to recognize Trans Day of Visibility. Trans people are going through some real political struggles in the US right now, and we wanted to shed some light on that while keeping the event lighthearted and fun. Every day for a week we compiled lists of different Trans directors, artists, authors, musicians, etc, and shared them company-wide. It opened the door for a very important discussion, while tangibly giving more visibility to these trans creatives who have incredibly valuable stories and outlooks to share. It was a blast collaborating with other members of Prism, and getting more familiar with some really talented Trans folks.
AG: We recently hosted our Pride Panel, which has become a Snappy tradition, with six guests ranging from internal employees to outside friends and connections within our community. It was incredible to hear the journeys, insights, and advice from such a range of voices and experiences, and even lovelier to see glimpses of emotion at the support our own employees have felt within the company to not only be themselves but to also be honest about where we can still grow and help support these efforts as a company (and a Snappy community!).
If you had to describe Snappy Prism in one word, what would it be?
TH: Enriching
AG: Uplifting
What do you remember about the first Snappy Prism ERG meeting you attended, and how have your conversations and initiatives as a group evolved or shifted since then?
TH: I have been attending Prism meetings since its conception. Early on we did a lot of big-picture discussions, like what we wanted our major initiatives to be, how we wanted our meetings to feel, and practical things like leadership structure and meeting times. These days, we’re planning events, philanthropic efforts, and collaborative projects with other Snappy ERGs. We are also doing some work clarifying Snappy’s Trans-Affirming Benefits, to make that information as easily accessible as possible for current and future Snappy employees.
AG: It has been awe-inspiring to see the evolution of our Prism meetings even just in the last year that I have been in attendance. As Snappy has evolved, and faced its own challenges in the market, the open and honest dialogue has shifted in every direction to address the current needs of the group. The beauty of an ERG group like this is that depending on the week, month, or quarter, we have the ability and opportunity to decide as a group whether the time will be spent coordinating and planning culture-focused events, or simply providing a safe space that day for group members to react to political or cultural events affecting the LGBTQ+ community at that time. Especially in a fully remote environment, having a space for open dialogue with co-workers is an invaluable aspect to building trust and community within the company.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve gotten from another member of the group?
TH: “The worst thing they can say is no!” When planning events, or suggesting updates to our benefits packages or company policies. Luckily, Snappy is an incredible work environment, and the answer is almost always “Let’s make it happen!”
AG: Stop questioning if you are supporting as an ally in the perfect or “right” way. Simply showing up and standing up is the best place to start.
What are you most excited about / looking forward to for Snappy Prism this year?
TH: This year we are really focusing on collaborations with other Snappy ERGs. Snappy Prism recognizes that systems of oppression are intersectional, and our ERGs should function as a team, working together towards a more inclusive and celebratory workplace for everyone.
AG: We have seen a wonderful uptick in new members joining to support the group and be part of contributing new and fresh ideas for ways to get involved with new charities, events, and cross-functional partnerships with the partners and vendors we work with. I am ecstatic to see how these ideas play out into 2024!
What are your top tips or advice to leadership at all companies across the globe for creating a more inclusive and supportive workplace for colleagues who are in the LGBTQI+ community?
TH: Take care of the LGBTQ+ employees you have already. Make sure they’re supported in both the day-to-day and in their long-term career. Are you promoting LGBTQ+ team members to leadership roles? Are LGBTQ+ employees staying at your company, or is your turnover rate higher than average for these folks? Make your focus internal first, before trying to attract diverse candidates to your team.
AG: Recognize the impact that clear and defined support of inclusivity will make on your company! Not only is it the right thing to do, but Gallup polls show very clearly that companies with a highly engaged workforce (meaning a supported and appreciated workforce!) are 21% more profitable.
What does Pride Month mean to you?
TH: Pride month is a celebration of LGBTQ+ lives and the black trans women who fought to get our most basic human liberties. If there is one lesson I routinely learn from Pride Month, it's that there is always more work to be done, and more people who need their voices amplified. Difficult conversations are worth having, and we should never give up on people just because their ideas might be different from our own.
AG: Reflection and Celebration! We must look back to look forward, and to me, Pride month is about understanding more of the history and journey of the LGBTQ+ community so that the celebrations have a real understanding of the path it took to get there.
How do you plan to celebrate Pride Month this year?
TH: By spending quality time with my friends. I’m very lucky to have an incredibly diverse group of people in my life, and it’s important to me to spend as much time learning from them as possible. It’s my hope that my pride month is full of laughter and hugs, good food and drinks, and the joy of celebrating the people, and the community, I love.
AG: For me, Pride month is about not only showing up in support of friends, family members, and co-workers in the LGBTQ+ community physically at events but ensuring that they know they have my support emotionally and politically as well. The emotional labor to educate, defend, and speak out cannot fall only to those affected by policies, and I see this as a time to check in with myself and ensure I am doing my part to be part of facilitating change and growth.
What do you hope individual people, as well as our society at large, take away from 2023 Pride Month celebrations and programming?
TH: It’s equally important to celebrate how far we have come, as well as to consider how much more work needs to be done. The ACLU is tracking 491 anti-LGBTQ bills in the U.S. in the 2023 legislative session, and these bills have the potential to do real damage to LGBTQ+ people all over the country. A lot of these bills specifically target trans and nonbinary people, like myself, and there needs to be action taken right now to preserve the health and safety of trans folks now and in the years to come.
AG: Do not underestimate the power and impact of your support and voice! If you are neutral in the face of injustice, you are supporting injustice.
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