“A safe space for everyone”: ERGs at Qonto
Halfway through #TeamPride’s first year of operations as Qonto’s first Employee Resource Group (ERG), we caught up with co-chairs Giacomo “Jack” Oreglia and Pierre-Brice Haurie to talk about how things have gone so far, as well as what’s next for #TeamPride, Qonto’s other ERGs, and the wider European ERG ecosystem.
Modern workplaces are ever-evolving creative hubs. They’re fueled by their people’s unique blends of backgrounds and experiences, driving innovation and tackling challenges. Within this landscape, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) have emerged as powerful catalysts for fostering inclusivity, leading cultural shifts, and creating vibrant communities at the heart of organizations.
As Qonto’s Talent Acquisition Director, Marjorie Boruel’s conviction is that “diverse teams lead to more innovative solutions, richer discussions and, ultimately, better business outcomes”.
At the crux of Qonto’s ERG endeavors lies a fundamental belief in the transformative impact that empowered employees can have on shaping the cultural fabric of a company.
We recognize that genuine innovation and excellence thrive in an environment where every voice is not just acknowledged but celebrated. — Marjorie
When ERGs came to Qonto
We delved into the origins of ERGs, their significance, and the innovative ways companies leverage them on our blog in 2023. While Qonto’s venture into ERGs with #TeamPride was officially launched in May of that year, the groundwork began to be laid when Giacomo “Jack” Oreglia joined the company back in March 2022.
This was a pivotal time for the company, during which teams were scaling up rapidly. Pierre-Brice remembers how he felt when Jack first began shaping what is now #TeamPride:
Jack created a dedicated Slack channel in 2022, which was met with great success. It was the first sign of a need to rally the community within the company. Bringing that sense of community to Qontoers of all departments really seemed meaningful in that moment. — Pierre-Brice
Being a new initiative, there was no specific organization for a Pride event, but the company was starting to invest in employee-led DEI initiatives, so, naturally, the Diversity and Inclusion team reached out and asked Jack if he would be a part of the company’s first ERG:
They told me they were keen to get the ball rolling on an ERG and they asked me to take the lead. Initially the goal was: “can you help set this up?” So, I started the hunt for a co-chair. I found Pierre-Brice after a couple of months and we got to work! — Jack
#TeamPride’s first initiatives
Once Pierre-Brice partnered up with Jack to co-chair, the pair set about organizing Pride events for the following year. An excitement about these events being brought to life rippled through Qonto offices across Europe.
The first summer of the ERG’s initiatives culminated in the launch of a series of roundtables. The most recent “#TeamPride Table Talk” took place in December 2023 and looked specifically at queer identities in the workplace.
The bottom line was: “does it get better?” Yes, it does. “Are there tools for queer identities to thrive in the workplace?” Yes, there are. — Jack
Jack and the team were backed up by external expertise, too.
Qonto partners with Moka Care to provide mental health support to employees and I invited one of their therapists to join us here at the office, so we had a psychologist that came and provided her professional insight into the topic. — Jack
Jack was a huge driving force in the event coming to fruition and took particular pride in it being held in the Barcelona office, despite initial assumptions that there would be a bigger audience in Paris.
It was a very big win for me, because I’d been wanting to do it for so long and it was finally happening. On top of that, attendance was fantastic and the feedback we received was really great. It happened here in Barcelona, but it was broadcast to all offices. — Jack
Of course, #TeamPride is much more than a social and events club. The ERG’s fundamental tenet is to continue creating a safe space for people within the company who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community.
[We should be] reminding everyone that the doors are always open, even for allies or simply people who are curious. I try to remind myself all the time that, statistically speaking, there is a chance that there are people in our offices who are closeted and perhaps living in the shadows. So, hopefully, this can be the “thing” that can potentially spark a realization…
If you put the events to one side for a minute, for me, the end goal is really to let people know that they’re not alone and that there are ears that are listening and arms that can hug. — Jack
Bridging communities at Qonto
#TeamPride’s first six months have paved the way for the official launch of two new ERGs. Pauline Heinrich and Emilia Pezzini established Qonto’s Women@Qonto ERG in September 2023 with the aim of promoting women empowerment, fostering inclusive leadership, and raising awareness and understanding around diversity, equity, and inclusion. The ultimate goal is to develop effective DEI strategies for all Qonto offices.
Meanwhile, Timothée M’Belu and Amaya Lopez-Silvero co-chair BreakingSocialBarriers. Also inaugurated in September 2023, the ERG tackles the socio-economic disparities that persist in our society and, unfortunately, often extend into our workplaces.
Unconscious bias, limited access to education and resources, and systemic inequalities all prevent talented individuals from reaching their full potential while stifling collective growth and innovation.
To counter this, Qonto’s ongoing development of ERGs demonstrates its commitment to emboldening employees to contribute to a workplace culture that mirrors the diverse tapestry of identities and experiences within the company and in the communities we serve.
I think Qonto’s biggest strength is that we resemble our customers. We come from all over the world and we all have different stories to tell. Our customers are just like that, too. — Timothée
And Jack’s wider ambition for #TeamPride bears a striking resemblance to one of the actions led by the BreakingSocialBarriers ERG.
One of our initiatives involves inviting groups of teenagers and students to our offices to teach them how to work in a tech company or how to code. I think we could even go much further than that.
Qonto is a place to grow. And I think Qonto has to extend that opportunity to people outside the organization. That doesn’t mean that we can hire hundreds of kids and train them up. But the company has some really talented people in tech and I know they want to share what they’ve learned, what they’ve achieved at Qonto, and what life in general has taught them.
I think this is our duty. We were lucky enough to be given some great opportunities, so we have the duty to share that with others. — Timothée
Support and guidance as the driving force
Overall, momentum is building across the company, and that’s also what’s powering the ERG movement. Pierre-Brice from #TeamPride is encouraged by the support they’ve received and the upward trend of Qontoers reaching out with ideas as exposure grows.
The acronym “ERG” didn’t ring a bell for anyone a year ago, but today it’s definitely an established concept. — Pierre-Brice
We’re seeing increasing support even from people who are not part of the community; even showing up is support in a way. Steve and Alex [Qonto’s co-founders] have been very supportive. We’ve also been getting a lot of help from Camille Pelcé and Marjorie Boruel from the People team, as well as our sponsor, Aymeric Augustin, CTO. With their backing, we’ve really been able to get a lot of traction. Overall, the reaction has been super positive, both from employees and management. — Jack
This support also extends to the company’s newer ERGs. One of Qonto’s Impact ambassadors, Marine Masson, recently led an awareness-raising initiative in association with #TeamPride, BreakingSocialBarriers, and Women@Qonto. All three ERGs teamed up to launch a hard-hitting poster campaign around our offices, challenging all-too-common misconceptions and prejudices in the workplace.
Beyond borders: Qonto in the European ERG landscape
Europe is just catching up with ERG culture; American companies like Hubspot, Levi Strauss, and Cisco are extending their existing networks to the region. But, of course, while these companies have large European operations, their Diversity and Inclusion initiatives are often spearheaded by their corporate outfits from across the pond.
I think it’s also about us looking at what American companies are doing, because there’s a real culture for this over there among startups and larger companies. We’ve been hanging out a lot with the people at Netflix, Amazon, PayPal, Google, and Snapchat.
We’re not pioneering anything, but we’re definitely within the first few purely European businesses involved. — Jack
We’ve developed good relationships through our inter-ERG event and mingling nights with other companies, just trying to figure out what we’re doing right and what else we can do. — Pierre-Brice
So, support from outside the company — mainly from other tech players — is also shaping Qonto’s ERG journey. It’s exciting being at the forefront of the uptake in ERGs across Europe, so what teachings could Qonto offer the wider European ERG landscape to help shape its future?
Forward focus: the future of #TeamPride and ERGs at Qonto
Jack has high hopes about the potential for each of Qonto’s five offices to carry the torch of regular, local ERG initiatives:
Ideally speaking, we would have one or more people for each office carrying on the work we’ve done so far. We could have community spaces and drop-ins that provide regular, local liaisons. — Jack
The ERG also has broader ambitions to integrate more closely with the local communities within which Qonto operates. While many companies are happy changing their logos to a rainbow version once a year for Pride month, Jack is determined to encourage these contributions to be even more meaningful — starting with how #TeamPride can help Qonto’s impact.
The rainbow logo can, of course, be useful as a way to tell people “we are here and we hear you”, but more than anything else, I hope we can be more public and get involved in Pride parades in our local markets and where Qonto employees are. — Jack
And in the run-up to the ERG’s first birthday, which coincides with international Pride events across Europe, minds are turning to the future direction and leadership of the group. Jack and Pierre-Brice decided when they took on their roles as co-chairs that they would initially serve a one-year “term” before reevaluating, due to the time commitment of overseeing the running of the ERG.
It’s very clear in Jack’s mind what he needs to achieve between now and then:
I will definitely lay the ground for this year’s Pride and by the time we hit our one year mark in July or August, Pride month will be over across our different markets, so we’ll get to decide and see what feels right for the future. — Jack
So, from the early days of navigating uncharted territory and gauging the pulse of our community, #TeamPride has emerged as a catalyst for change within Qonto’s cultural landscape.
The series of successful roundtables, regular events, and the upcoming one-year anniversary serve as milestones in a journey fueled by passion, dedication, and a commitment to inclusivity. Each of these initiatives and collaborations has contributed to the tapestry of the ERG’s success.
#TeamPride’s journey so far is not merely a chapter in Qonto’s story; it’s a living, breathing testament to the potential of empowered employees shaping their cultural narrative. As all three ERGs move forward, the commitment to fostering a workplace culture that celebrates every voice, every identity, and every experience remains unwavering.
The excitement lies in being part of this evolution, contributing to the narrative, and collectively shaping the future of #TeamPride, #Women@Qonto, and #BreakingSocialBarriers — as well as future ERGs at Qonto and the wider European ERG landscape.
The journey continues, and every month sees more and more Qontoers joining in to create safe spaces for everyone.
