We are creating a company that encourages growth, self-expression, and respect for all people 

 

In 2017, Near Space Labs’ co-founders set out to build a company to not only disrupt the Earth imaging industry with innovative technology, but also showcase their collective values. That’s why we believe that it is our responsibility to build a company culture that is inviting, welcoming, and supportive. 

At Near Space Labs, diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential values to our business and culture. This post explains what these principles mean to Near Space Labs and our leadership team, spotlights the initiatives we’ve put in place to create a more equitable and inclusive organization, outlines areas where we want to improve, and the actionable steps we are taking to make progress.

So what does diversity, equity, and inclusion mean at Near Space Labs? 

 

Diversity

We define diverse teams as groups that are comprised of people from different backgrounds, cultures, communities, and identities – gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, religious beliefs, age, and more. Having a diverse workforce not only brings the obvious benefits of new perspectives and innovations, it most importantly creates an environment where people, no matter their background, feel comfortable and excited to come to work because they know they are safe, they are heard, and they are respected. 

In the aerospace industry, where women are significantly underrepresented, we are proud that in our company women make up 50% of our leadership team, 26% of our engineering team, and 32% of all employees overall. We will continue bringing women into our team and creating an environment where women will thrive.

As a company, we also recognize that we have work to do to improve employee representation in other areas – specifically the representation of Black, Latino, and Asian employees at all levels of our company. We are focused on creating positive impacts through accessible data across the world and it’s important that we understand the cultural complexities, local sensitivities, and historical backgrounds of the communities we serve. We believe having a racially and ethnically diverse team is key to achieving this and, most importantly, actively reflects the rich diversity of our world.

 

Equity

We believe in order to create an equal work environment, there must be fair access, opportunities, and advancements for all people. Near Space Labs’ mission is to democratize access to high-quality information about our planet to everyone and anyone who needs it. We believe equal access opens opportunities and is extremely important for not only our industry, but for those using data to create solutions for the betterment of our society, communities, and planet. 

On an internal level, we’ve implemented specific policies and practices to ensure fair and equal opportunities and advancements are provided to our employees and talented people seeking opportunities at Near Space Labs. These standards are applied to remove as much internal and external biases as possible from processes such as hiring, performance reviews, and promotions.

For example, Near Space Labs is committed to creating a compensation process that is as equitable as possible for everyone on our team. We focus our compensation benchmarking and reviews on measurable attributes and objective data and aim to offer pay that is competitive to market rates. We strive to pay our employees in a way that is equitable and fair, and maintain a work environment that rewards high performance, and supports employees to continue growing in their careers.

 

Inclusion

Near Space Labs aims to create and constantly improve on ways to build an inclusive space so everyone has the opportunity and feels comfortable to show their true selves, voice their opinions, and feel like they are an important part of the company and our culture. 

Some of the ways we’ve worked to create an inclusive environment include: 

1. Supporting the addition of pronouns to our email signatures and Slack profiles
2. Engaging a third party HR provider helping to manage reporting and support Near Space Labs’ accountability when someone voices a concern or asks questions
3. Encouraging self-expression by hosting a weekly “What Makes Me Weird” segment in our company-wide all hands to learn about each others personal interests, passions, and hobbies 

 

A Message From Leadership 

Head of Operations, Rianna Mallard – “As a member of the leadership team, I want to make this the best place possible for all of our employees to work and we can’t do that for anyone if we don’t focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion as central values in how we build and grow the company.

“My goal is to help build a strong foundation at Near Space Labs that intertwines these values together for a greater good.” 

 

Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Journey

This is just the start of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusive (DEI) journey. As a 5-year old startup, we want to set DEI as a precedent for our company as we continue to expand. We’ve hired DEI expert, Katrina Jones, to work alongside Near Space Labs to help us learn, grow, recognize areas for development, and implement strategic practices that will benefit our employees, prospects, partners, and the industry as a whole. Through Katrina’s quarterly DEI training for all staff, our team is learning about the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, histories of different cultures, and actionable takeaways to bring into our company and daily lives. Along with DEI training, we’re also developing talent management practices with equity at the center, including our performance reviews and compensation philosophy. 

“Near Space Labs has shown deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and ensuring that their approach is both thoughtful and strategic”, says Katrina Jones, CEO and Founder of Advancing Equity. “This isn’t a short-term project or initiative. The overarching goal is for DEI to be integrated into the way that the company works, in every aspect – from candidate and employee experience to customer engagement, and beyond. Most importantly, Near Space Labs’ executive team believes in the underlying values and principles of DEI and they’re continually asking questions, checking their perspective, and are also mindful of the work they must do, personally, to consistently show up in a way that’s in alignment with their commitment to DEI.”

These practices are, and should always be, continual. We are constantly learning and working on ways to create a more just and fair working environment, and this is just the beginning. To us, our employees come first, and we promise to always put forth efforts to maintain a healthy, safe, and inclusive company atmosphere. 

For information about Near Space Labs’ open job opportunities, please visit: https://hubs.la/Q01q9mGm0.