Acquia Culture in Action, July 2020
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Acquia thrives on a culture of perpetual learning. We’re always working to develop our career skills as well as seeking to better our understanding about how we can help others do more. This month, we came together to share our knowledge, personal experiences and creative achievements with each other. No matter how much we grow, there’s always more we can do to build a stronger future and make an impact on the global tech community.
#GiveBackMore and Encourage a More Diverse Future of Tech
This month, Acquia was excited to attend and sponsor the first ever DrupalCon Global, where members of the Drupal community came together online to learn and celebrate the boundless potential of open source and the amazing Drupal community. The mission of this year’s DrupalCon was to promote accessibility and showcase diverse perspectives and voices from around the globe. At Acquia, we believe we should be doing more to provide equal opportunities for historically marginalized groups to pursue technical careers. That’s why we chose to partner with the nonprofit Black Girls Code at DrupalCon Global. Black Girls Code believes in empowering girls of colors to become leaders and builders in their own community through exposure to computer science and technology education. For every person who stopped by our booth during the three days of DrupalCon festivities, Acquia made a $5 donation to Black Girls Code.
To further our organization’s commitment to our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiative and better engage diverse job candidates, Acquia recently announced our official partnership with Diversity Jobs. This partnership will specifically help us with sourcing networks that link underrepresented communities to all of our current job postings. We also encouraged current Acquians to serve as mentors within their own communities through General Assembly, an education and career development organization. Acquians were invited to volunteer as technical mentors in virtual roundtables to discuss their experience in STEM. We believe that strong mentors and advocates are critical to making the tech community a more inclusive and welcoming space, which is why Acquia will continue to offer resources to those who dream of developing their own technical talents.
#LevelUp with Learning Opportunities and Workshops
While Acquians were helping others learn, they continued to seek out ways to grow their own skill sets as well. This month, we continued hosting our Cognition Kitchen program where Acquians learn from one another to understand how different roles and departments contribute to our success. July’s Cognition Kitchen presentation was a joint effort between the User Experience (UX) and Solutions Architect teams as they shared insight into how they created the next generation of Acquia’s Style Guide. The enriching seminar gave an insider look at the process of design thinking and development and taught us all a valuable lesson about how to combine style and function.
In India, Acquians continued their Philosophy Breakout guest speaker program. This time they virtually hosted Dr. Subi Krishnan, an IT industry veteran with over 22 years of experience who shared tips on career development and advice on being a strong leader. Dr. Krishnan is currently the General Manager, India for Apptio, a fellow member of our Vista family.
#CommittedToAwesome New Office Spaces and Acquia Pride
Our India team has also been embracing their Acquia pride with a new employee ambassador program that encourages people to spread the word about Acquia within their own networks and encourage future talent to come join our community. Even with most of our workforce still operating remotely, we were proud to officially open a new Acquia office in Santa Clara. We can’t wait to welcome people into this beautiful space.
#InspiringCrazy with Photography and Meditation
While we haven’t been together in person these past months, many Acquians are still finding creative ways to share the beauty of their homes and surroundings with others. The EMEA team recently hosted a photography contest, encouraging everyone to spend some time outside enjoying nature. To participate, you were asked to submit a photograph of a landscape taken on a camera phone.
Submissions came in across Europe from Germany to Sweden to the United Kingdom, highlighting some truly stunning forests, flowers and sunsets. The winning image (featured above) was captured by Carina Lentner from our Munich office. Great work, EMEA team, for reminding us all that even in difficult times, it can help to take a breath of fresh air and appreciate the world around us.
Acquians in India are also pursuing activities to relax from the stress of day-to-day work through stress management and motivational learning. A recent session by spiritual guru, Shri Ravi Shankar and The Art of Living (AOL) Foundation was held for all Acquia India employees. The session focused on stress management and self development, featuring instructions for breathing techniques, meditation and yoga.
No matter if we’re working from home or voluntarily choosing to return to the office, Acquia is proud to unite and lend support to our team members by giving them the resources they need to excel. It’s never been more clear that we are #StrongerTogether.
Chief People Officer Acquia, Inc.
