Grubhub CEO Inspires Inclusiveness

This is not about our recent election, who won, etc. This is about encouraging inclusiveness and accepting diversity in our workplaces.

I live and work in one of the most diverse regions in the U.S.: Silicon Valley. I have been alarmed by people being singled out for their ethnicity, religion, etc. Some seem to believe that it is no longer necessary to be “politically correct.” This is showing up as people being attacked, verbally, physically and emotionally. This is reprehensible.

Matt Maloney, Grubhub CEO, decided to tackle this issue with his team. Here are portions of an article that appeared in Entrepreneur:

“We have worked for years cultivating a culture of support and inclusiveness. I firmly believe that we must bring together different perspectives to continue innovating — including all genders, races, ethnicities and sexual, cultural or ideological preferences. We are better, faster and stronger together.”

While Maloney’s intentions may have been to ease any worry of his colleagues, he ended up facing some criticism because of this passage:

“I absolutely reject the nationalist, anti-immigrant and hateful politics of Donald Trump and will work to shield our community from this movement as best as I can. As we all try to understand what this vote means to us, I want to affirm to anyone on our team that is scared or feels personally exposed, that I and everyone else here at Grubhub will fight for your dignity and your right to make a better life for yourself and your family here in the United States.

If you do not agree with this statement then please reply to this email with your resignation because you have no place here. We do not tolerate hateful attitudes on our team.I want to repeat what Hillary said this morning, that the new administration deserves our open minds and a chance to lead, but never stop believing that the fight for what’s right is worth it.”

He later wrote an addendum explaining that he was not calling for the resignations of employees who had voted for Donald Trump, but rather looking to impress upon his staff that hateful speech would not be welcome.

I applaud Matt Maloney for tackling this issue. While some see this as an attack those who voted for Trump, I see it as defining the workplace culture he wants to create and maintain. He is against a hostile work environment, not advocating for a hostile work environment for those who support Trump.

He’s merely stating if you don’t share these values, then Grubhub isn’t the company for you. That’s authentic leadership.

Leaders have an obligation to offer inclusive working environments for all employees. Are you satisfied with your company’s efforts in this regard?

 Thought for the week:

“Regardless of industry, in order to succeed, you need to be maniacally obsessed about your customer’s success.” – R. Ray Wang