A look inside our Melanin Employee Resource Group

Our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) have been a core part of our culture at Motive. At Motive, we embrace diversity and intentionally make it a business priority. Diversity drives innovation and improves an organization’s ability to adapt to rapid change. In line with our core values of unlocking potential and building trust with one another, we insist on equity and inclusion of our teammates to ensure all voices are heard.

As our ERGs have grown, so has our support! This month, we are excited to highlight our Melanin ERG to learn more about their mission, purpose, and vision.

We interviewed Christina Marshall, Senior Product Operations Manager at Motive, to give us insights on what it’s like to be apart of Melanin, their goals, the different ERG roles, and more:

What was the catalyst for you to become involved in Melanin@Motive?

I joined Melanin through the need to have a safe space to amplify the voices of folks who look like me and could understand my unique experience in the working environment. Also, it’s important to be to have an outlet where we can authentically lean on each other through obstacles and best advocate for one another.

What inspired you to take on a leadership role within Melanin?

This was an intentional effort as soon as I was onboarded at Motive. I held the same position at my previous company. It gives me invaluable insights into the pulse of the business, building meaningful relationships where folks trusted my voice at all levels, allowing me to have leadership accountable, and ensure our efforts are being allocated accordingly.

What’s your mission?

Melanin at Motive aims to amplify the voices and careers of our employees that identify as Black, African American, and/or of African descent. We strive to build a culture that fosters growth, inclusion, belonging, and innovation.

How has Motive supported Melanin?

Applied an annual budget to host events that directly make me feel seen. Motive also sponsors different recruiting events such as Sistas in Sales, AfroTech, and others to help increase the number of diverse candidates we have at the company.

What role do you see an ERG like Melanin having at a company like Motive? Why do you think they’re important?

The reason folks both join and stay at the business is directly driven by how much of a community they have alongside them.

What advice do you have for someone looking to start their own ERG?

Start sharing your passion openly, we are all learning as we go, it doesn’t have to be a huge burden & you can go at your own pace, ask for help from who you see doing it well, people will come and see about your efforts, lean into your superpower, hearing how you showing up as your full self gives others permission to do the same is truly rewarding.

What goals does Melanin have for 2022–2023?

Building stronger relationships, retaining the top talent we’ve recruited, seeing professional growth in those around me, and creating lasting memories that go beyond a 9–5 work day.

How often does Melanin meet? What do these meetings look like?

We officially meet on a monthly basis with all 90 ERG members but have other check-ins that occur weekly as needed.

How would someone go about joining Melanin?

Anyone can simply join the Slack channel (#Melanin) and say hello! We are always excited to have new faces help bring our mission to life.

What can someone gain from joining Melanin?

We truly have a great time! Whether it’s a slack thread, a meeting to discuss where we want to go next, or an event to celebrate all that’s been accomplished in our community- encouraging one another and making folks feel seen, heard, and included is the foundation of our ERG.

How many people are in Melanin and what are the different roles/responsibilities?

We have 90 people (including allies). Responsibilities are spread around to anyone who has capacity at the time, so no one person gets overwhelmed outside of those in leadership roles.

Anything else you’d like employees or job seekers to know about our Melanin? This could be a fun fact or whatever else you may be open to sharing.

I really enjoy being in Melanin. It makes my heart warm, especially on my hardest days. Make time to be a part of an ERG, no one has your voice and that’s what makes it so essential. Be the solution and know you don’t have to do it alone.

Let’s get to know a few of our Melanin members:

Interested in joining our Melanin ERG at Motive? Be sure to join our slack community and introduce yourself to the team. To learn more about Motive and our open positions click here!