ERGs to continue to foster inclusion by raising awareness through meaningful conversations, education, events, and other DEI aligned initiatives

Bitly Inc., the world’s leading connections platform, announced the establishment of five Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to further its commitment to improving Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) within the organization, the communities it serves, and society as a whole. The new ERGs include, Allyship, Disability, Pride, Mosaic, and Women, and will be spearheaded by Jackie Cureton, Vice President of DE&I, who joined the company in February 2022 to lead Bitly’s DE&I strategy and initiatives.

“While global companies often launch ERGs as part of their DE&I strategies, success requires bringing in the expertise to build a structure and governance that is sustainable and intentional,” says Cureton. According to the report, Elevating Equity: The Real Story of Diversity and Inclusion, roughly 80 percent of companies are just going through the motions and not holding themselves accountable. Cureton adds, “Companies often have the desire and passion to make real change, but just don’t have the right framework in place to make significant and lasting progress. It is not typical for a company the size of Bitly to invest this heavily into DE&I initiatives, and while we indeed learn from others, we have the structure in place to be leaders in this space.”

Each of the ERGs will have trained executive sponsors, global leads and area leaders, who will have dedicated time within their existing work hours to focus on ERG initiatives. These efforts will be recognized and incorporated into on-going, core performance reviews.

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In addition, Bitly has established a network for the ERG leads, which will provide resources, support and cross ERG collaboration to help the ERG leads to grow and learn together. Each lead is vested not only in the success of their selected ERG, but in the success of all the ERGs.

• Allyship – provides a safe space for Bitly employees to be vulnerable, make mistakes, and learn, with the goal of welcoming and supporting all people who wish to act as an ally to any marginalized community through education and conversation. This ERG ensures everyone can participate and be part of the conversation.
• Disability – provides resources and support to any member of the disabled community who interacts with Bitly or its products, and creates opportunities for disability education.
• Pride – increases visibility, recognition, and action as it relates to the LGBTQIA+ community. A safe space will be constructed and harnessed through consistent communication and initiatives throughout the year.
• Mosaic – provides resources, support, and a safe space for employees and allies alike to partner on surfacing racial & ethnic disparities/issues, fostering honest and transparent dialogue, and igniting impactful change within Bitly and its broader communities.
• Women – supports and fosters discussions focusing on women’s challenges and ideas. It is a space for women to educate and learn about how Bitly can drive progress and change for women not just within the organization, but for all women in the workforce.

“We pride ourselves in delivering a platform that is a catalyst for connections and we carry that commitment across everything we do,” said Toby Gabriner, CEO of Bitly. “Building human connections through a culture of inclusion, allyship, accessibility and learning is in our DNA and we are dedicated to an intentional and strategic effort to make Bitly an even better place to work by improving in these areas.”

Bitly is also committed to expanding on BitlyCares, an employee led resource that was launched last year to support positive and sustainable social impact through community outreach, reinforcing the company’s ongoing and collective efforts focused on the greater good.

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