Foundations

Introduction

• Introducing Foundations, demystifying companies' diversity and inclusion information
• We are Isabella, Josh, Angharad, Ruksan, and Natasha
• This is our submission for the Softwire challenge of "How might we spotlight and hold non-diverse bodies accountable or celebrate those doing well?"

Framing the problem

As a jobseeker, it's currently really difficult to find unbiased information about a companies EDI and culture. The government only requires companies (over 250 people) to report on the gender pay gap, but we know that EDI is more than this. We want to know how they consider the inclusion of all minority and unrepresented groups. Current options include messaging current employees on LinkedIn or using GlassDoor, but these are flawed - they lack anonymity, there are barriers to entry and DEI stats are heavily underrepresented and inaccessible. Unsurprisingly, companies only want to share their statistics when they are good.

Idea explanation

The product provides jobseekers with an insight into the EDI data of a workplace, data which is provided by current employees. The employees provide this information through by answering closed-questions to provide the window into the previously inaccessible company culture. By having a go-to place where all companies' DEI information is visible, it becomes easy to see which companies aren't sharing that information - the lack of information speaks for itself. By not engaging with the platform, employees can see the level of transparency the company is willing to provide.

Project Technology Stack

We used Next JS, Tailwind, TypeScript, React, shadcn, and Vercel. The project codebase was composed with the following list of technologies:

For this MVP we stored the gender pay gap data in a JSON, but for future development we would use a database.

Development process

Our team consisted of Isabella, Josh, Angharad, Ruksan, and Natasha. Over less than 24 hours, we ideated, received feedback from mentors and the Softwire judges. We moved on to refine our ideas and focus on the needs of our potential users. Into the evening we started building our codebase using Next JS. Angharad, our UX designer, built our graphics, logos, wireframes and mockup. On day two, we came together to create our presentation and submission.

Accomplishments

• Built a fully-functional, mobile-responsive and desktop app
• Used up-to-date data from Companies House on all currently reported gender pay gap statistics

Business monetisation strategy

In the short term, we would use ads to cover initial moderation costs.

In the longer term, In our research phase we looked at other organisations such as B Corp, which provide a standard for companies to meet in terms of sustainability. We envisioned our idea developing into a similar organisation, meeting the need for comprehensive diversity and inclusion standards. B Corp holds charity status and receives 75% of its funding from companies signing up to become certified, with 25% coming from individual donations, foundations and government funding.

Our project, Foundations, could find similar revenue streams by selling companies reports back to them, providing tailored advice on how to improve their diversity and inclusion initiatives, and seeking varied sources of funding from donations and government.

Future features

We envision our product developing into a similar organisation to B Corp in the future, providing a comparable framework and industry standard for the currently unregulated diversity and inclusion in the workforce. We would include more diversity categories, such as socio-economic background, especially the percentage of staff in leadership positions. Expanding beyond providing current information, Foundations would become a digital 'inclusion hospital', providing companies with the tools they need to become better and more inclusive workplaces for their employees.

We would also look to integrate a jobs board. This could include sponsored job posts for monetisation.

Video demo

Available in the slide show

Project links

• Deployed website: https://foundations-app.vercel.app/
• Github repo: https://github.com/joshuaisaact/dei-dashboard
• Presentation slide deck: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGUwcSXP2U/RbnHgAx2E4-SKeEzIeYNNw/edit?utm_content=DAGUwcSXP2U&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton
• Gender pay gap statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/companies-house-gender-pay-gap-report-and-data-2023/companies-house-gender-pay-gap-report-and-data-2023