Companies like Cockroach Labs are first and foremost groups of people; people with passions and drives that go beyond what they do for work. This is, by and large, what drives organizations to consider how to best enable their staff to make an impact on their communities through volunteerism, donations, and action. As a company, we have emphasized doing good in our corporate giving initiatives: we match referral bonuses with an equivalent donation to a 501(c)(3) charity of our staff’s choice, run marketing campaigns geared towards amassing donations to groups such as Women Who Code and Black Girls Code, and establish an employee-led committee each year to decide where to donate a significant corporate gift.
Still, many of our people have other ways of giving back. To give Roachers the time and space they need to be forces of good, we’ve established Connect and Contribute Days: company time dedicated for our people to learn, seek understanding, grow, volunteer, mobilize, or otherwise make a positive change.
We know that people work differently and their strategies for supporting others are different, too. Connect and Contribute Days allow us to make room for everyone in community building, no matter where they are in their learning process. While some of us have been volunteering or mobilizing for years, others are still discovering which avenues work best for them-- both are necessary.
What do Connect and Contribute Days Look Like?
There are a few ways that Roachers can take advantage of Connect and Contribute (C&C) Days:
- Election days where we encourage employees to take time to partake in local elections.
- Company-allocated C&C days that could include a company-wide volunteer event or necessary engagement to reflect on the world.
- C&C days allocated by our CREWS (employee resource groups) that could include a speaker, workshop, or engagement.
As such, we’ve held a number of Connect and Contribute Days in the last year to set aside time for both voter registration and voting. Empowering our CREWS to allocate days also ensures that we can use this time to support a wide array of vital causes.
Moreover, Connect and Contribute Days are neither mandatory nor holidays, but they are encouraged. We ask managers to limit the number of meetings held on these days to ensure we can take full advantage of them and make the largest impact possible.
Our company continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Each new teammate brings with them interests and commitments that can only make us better. We believe deeply that the collective power of nearly 200 people taking action to improve our world is the most meaningful contribution that we can make as a company. There is no cause too small or challenge too mighty for us to tackle together. Connect and Contribute Days are meant to give our people the resources and encouragement to join others in making a difference, because we believe in putting people first.
To join us in building stronger communities, visit our careers page.
