Diversity & Inclusion at Wattpad in 2019

By Seema Lakhani, Chief Product Officer at Wattpad & General Manager of Wattpad Labs 

Diversity & Inclusion are foundational parts of who we are at Wattpad. These are principles upon which our company has been built, first founded by two immigrants, through our history of being a safe space online for marginalized communities. Today, our commitments to Diversity & Inclusion are visible in how we build, hire, and work together. 

This diversity has allowed us to work and build differently. Our products touch millions of people around the world. As such, it’s deeply important to us that we build products in a responsible way, attentive to the human and ethical implications of our work.   

In 2019, the industry is paying more attention than ever to how and who builds products. The lack of diversity in tech--painfully clear to marginalized groups--is now acknowledged as fact. Diversity, inclusion, and representation are finally mainstream issues thanks to the voices, efforts, and sacrifices of marginalized groups and their allies all over the world. 

2019 marks Wattpad’s third Diversity & Inclusion survey, and the third occasion for us to share our journey. We hope our approach to diversity provokes both discussion and action, highlighting the steps the tech industry can take to move in the right direction. And while we’ve made real progress, our journey is ongoing. We still have work to do.     

A Snapshot of Wattpad in 2019 

Since 2018, we’ve been able to proudly say that half of our staff or more are women. In 2019, we remain at parity, with women making up 50% of our team overall. Our leadership team reflects this excellent result, where nearly half (48%) are women.  

At the department level, women make up the majority of most teams, including 83% of Product, 70% of Wattpad Studios, and 60% of Experience Design Team. One notable exception is Engineering, where women still make up less than a quarter of the team. This is a disappointing result and one we plan to improve in 2020.

When we look at racial identity, People of Colour make up 40% of Wattpad staff. At the leadership level, People of Colour make up 48% of the team, up from 45% in 2018. 

Taking a broader intersectional perspective, we’ve seen continued progress to diversify our team. As a result, our intersectional survey results reveal that staff diversity has increased across nearly every category. Today, 22% of our staff are women of colour, 15% are men of colour, 17% of our staff identify as LGBTQ+, 6% are transgender, 21% are non-native English speakers, and 3% identify as having a disability.    

What We’ve Done This Year 

Our identity metrics show who we are, but more important is the work we're constantly doing to create a safe and inclusive workplace for our team. While we survey our team once a year, the work of testing, implementing, and improving policies and procedures happens throughout the year.  

In 2019 we began a company-wide Diversity & Inclusion training program to help everyone  understand the very real challenges and oppressions faced by marginalized groups in tech and society as a whole. To date, nearly 90% of our staff have participated, and future sessions are planned for staff who have yet to receive the training. 

This year we introduced gender-neutral bathrooms at Wattpad HQ. This has created a more inclusive office for transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming members of our team. 

At the level of policies and compensation, in 2019 we released salary bands for every role in the company, giving everyone a more transparent view of compensation ranges for each level at the company. We also reviewed our various leave policies after some members of our team pointed out ambiguities in certain areas. As a result, we are updating and clarifying our leave policies, improving the transition process for people who need time away, and empowering caregivers and people suffering from mental health challenges to take the time they need when they need it. 

One of our biggest successes in 2019 has been the launch of affinity groups at Wattpad. Organized by our Diversity & Inclusion Committee, Wattpad’s affinity groups have created another safe space where staff can be their authentic selves, support each other, and share common experiences. We currently have affinity groups for LGBTQ+, Women of Colour, Neurodiversity & Mental Health, and Caregivers. Based on feedback from our team, we’ll look at additional groups in the future.  

How D&I Supports Our Staff

When we step back and look at the effects of our efforts to build the most diverse and inclusive team in tech, it’s important that we understand how people perceive this work.  

Our team understands that we are committed to diversity, and that we are doing the actual work to make our company better. Asked if they agree with the statement: “My company values diversity,” 96% of Wattpad staff agreed. In a major win for our intersectional efforts, 93% of Women of colour at Wattpad agreed with this statement, up from 88% in 2018.  

When asked if they agree with the statement that “I feel like Diversity & Inclusion work has positively impacted my experience at Wattpad,” 88% of Wattpad staff agreed. This positive sentiment is shared by 97% of of Women of Colour and 100% of LGBTQ+ staff!

It’s important that everyone at Wattpad, regardless of background or identity, feel that they are reflected across the company. When asked if they agree with the statement, “I feel my identity reflected in people at Wattpad,” 77% of our team agreed overall. Looking intersectionality, LGBTQ+ staff agreed at a similar level of 73%, though that number is lower for Women of Colour, at 66%.