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Our Competitive Advantage: One Diverse Team

by Jennifer Tejada January 30, 2017 | 3 min read

A memo from our CEO, Jennifer Tejada.

This past weekend, I, like many, watched the news with awe, disappointment and heartfelt concern for our families, friends, colleagues and neighbors impacted by President Trump’s executive order on immigration. This order applies an immediate 90-day moratorium on admissions and re-entry into the United States for all non-U.S. citizens from seven countries – Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, and Sudan.

In my view, this Executive Act contravenes the foundational values of the America I grew up in. I am frustrated and saddened by this demonstration of discrimination, both personally and professionally. We are a country of immigrants, and this intolerance and inequity based on ignorance and fear is a direct contradiction to America’s long-held promise to provide freedom to the oppressed and opportunity for the masses. I firmly believe this is not who we are as a country.

Despite the decision over the weekend, there is hope. America is founded in optimism, determination and perseverance. I am encouraged by the actions I see taken by regular everyday folks who are exercising their right to speak, to protest, to disagree and to help those in an unimaginable situation. I believe and know we are collectively better than this. Our fellow humans deserve more than this. Regardless of our differences, we can stand together for inclusivity and equal opportunity, and stand against intolerance and discrimination.

Our industry, company and success are built on diversity and access to people with greatly needed skills and perspectives from all over the world, from every age group, gender, lifestyle orientation, region and academic discipline. As is true with many great technology companies, our teams, our partners and our customers collectively form a community that is richly diverse and we are better for it. PagerDuty participates in the skills-based immigration programs the United States government provides in its’ efforts to support economic growth. We will continue to demonstrate through our efforts and our actions the desire to achieve success through diversity and inclusion.

At this time, while none of our employees were stranded outside of the United States, several could be impacted in terms of future travel and we are working closely internally to ensure our employees have access to information and support as this situation evolves. We will continue to comply with Federal and local governance, and will not ask employees to travel for business to any regions that put them at risk upon their return. Employees should consult with the resources from the State Department and other online agencies, as to travel advisory status and safety of American citizens and non-American visa holders, traveling outside of the US. Additionally, we are working closely with our immigration attorneys and other tech companies and will continue to the monitor the situation.

At PagerDuty, we value inclusivity — we are one diverse team, and no political or government action changes this. To do our part in furthering this message of inclusivity, we will commit to donating $5k, and match another $5k to our employee donations to the ACLU. Additionally, I am personally donating $5k to this cause and will match another $5k.