We are all in
We live in a diverse world. And the tech industry needs to embrace it. But we know that real change starts with us doing our part. We are committed to making diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) part of our global culture.
“Our diversity, equity and inclusion strategy focuses on empowering our people, creating culture and community, and amplifying equitable impact. We take a leader-led and iterative approach to tackle the work from the behavioural all the way to the systemic in order to drive tangible, and measurable outcomes.”
Megan Kollar Dwyer
Head of Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Governance and Accountability
Nothing changes without transparency
For real change to happen in any organisation, it has to come from the top down. We have established a Diversity Council made up of our most senior leaders to ensure we are making our company more diverse, equitable and inclusive.
This council establishes policies and practices that are conducive to the recruitment, retention and development of a diverse, high-performing organisation that fosters a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. And to address inequity in the communities we serve, partner with organisations that are addressing DEI across the globe.
People First
We are people people
We want Zendesk to be a place where diversity truly thrives. And that begins with our people. We aspire to be an employer of choice for diverse talent and foster an inclusive culture where differences are leveraged towards innovation. Talent from underrepresented communities have opportunities to develop their careers to match our growth as an organisation.
“As an Afro-Caribbean woman with a background outside the software industry, I experience everyday the benefits of bringing together diverse teams to solve complex problems.”
Nancy Díaz Lemmon
Read the story of Nimisha
Professional and cultural development
We have created programs to help employees develop new skills towards their career, as well as support our inclusive culture.
Education on racism, equity and privilege
Every employee is assigned training annually that explores racism, equity, allyship and privilege. These equip our employees with practical tools to apply what they have learned into their day-to-day actions.
Illuminate Leadership Program
A leadership program designed to equip people managers with the fundamentals of leading themselves, their teams and our business. The program includes meaningful integration of inclusive leadership, unconscious bias and psychological safety.
New leader onboarding
Starting on day one at Zendesk, during our New Hire Onboarding, each employee is introduced to our culture with an emphasis on DEI and the role that each employee has to play in promoting an inclusive workplace.
Ignite Development Program
Programs such as BetterUp Coaching and Ellevate encourage, and enable employees at all levels to dedicate time to intentionally building their own career path.
“My coach has taught me how to approach conversations and interactions in a way that creates a really positive win-win environment, and to frame challenges as a common goal to work towards together. This shift in how to approach interactions has been life-changing and will forever impact my well-being, and success. I am so grateful!”
BetterUp Program participant
Fostering a diverse workforce
Every organisation at Zendesk is committed to supporting DEI goals to address organisational and location-specific needs. We will continue to evolve how we attract, retain and support our talent.
Global gender data
United States ethnicity data
60.9%
White
18.9%
Asian
7.2%
Hispanic or Latinx
5.9%
Black or African American
0.3%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
3.5%
Two or More Races
0.2%
American Indian or Alaska Native
2.2%
Decline to state
Global age data
22.3%
0-29
51.8%
30-39
19.2%
40-49
6.7%
50+
All workforce data as of 31 December, 2021.
Leadership includes director level or above.
Due to rounding, some figures do not total 100%.
Zendesk classifies “tech” employees by job role. Technical roles are those that rely heavily on knowledge and skills in areas such as engineering, and mathematics to support the business. Examples include roles in data science, software engineering and product management.
We recognise that our current data is limited, because gender is presented as a binary. In early 2022, we took our first steps towards a more inclusive voluntary self-identification (Self-ID) program by adding sexual orientation and gender identity options beyond cisgender man and woman in the U.S. This was an important first step towards better informing Zendesk of the broader diversity of our workforce.
Zendesk’s latest EEO-1 Type 2 Report can be accessed below. This document cuts data a little differently from what is detailed above, which is more representative of how we track our efforts in diversity representation. Also note that the EEO-1 report is a snapshot of one moment in time and based on categories mandated by the federal government. In addition, the EEO-1 report may measure data in a different manner than we disclose in other publications or filings.
Download the Employer Information Report EEO-1 Report
Ireland only: For Zendesk International Limited’s 2023 Ireland Gender Pay Gap report click here.
Our mission
Weave DE and I into the fabric of our culture
Our DEI strategy is driven by a people first and leader-led approach.
For our employees
Create a culture where diversity is valued and all employees feel included, supported and can be their true selves.
For our customers
Foster a diverse workforce and inclusive products that reflect our customers and their needs, leading to better experiences.
For our community
Use our resources to bring awareness to important causes, combat injustices and support causes in our broader community.
Inclusive culture stories
Great customer experience requires more than the right tools. It is also about the people. Our people.
“We are better and stronger when we operate with a collective mindset of inclusivity with our colleagues, our customers and the world around us.”
Prelini Udayan-Chiechi
SVP Global Digital and Regional Marketing
An empathy-led strategy for change
Between a global health crisis and civil unrest, multiple crises affected our employees in the last year. As a company, we felt an urgent need to find meaningful ways to support them.
By listening to the concerns of our employees, we created our Equity Policy, programs that prioritised employee mental health and wellbeing and Empathy Circles, a safe space for employees.
Empathy circles
Empathy Circles are a safe space for employees to share their experiences—and for leadership to listen and learn. These conversations have become an important part of driving our DEI actions. So important, in fact, we created a playbook to share our insights with others.
Download the Empathy Circles PlaybookRacial equity and justice commitments
Silence is complicity—and actions are the loudest words. Zendesk remains committed to playing an active role in establishing a more equitable society, starting with necessary improvements to how we address these challenges. We want to be an active catalyst for change in the SaaS space, broader tech sector and the global community.
See our values in actionEmployee experience
Employee communities
Employee Communities (ECs) play a critical role in building our culture. They teach us how we can embed inclusive practices within leadership, create communities that bring us together and most importantly provide our employees with support tailored to their cultural needs.
“Our friends and neighbours fighting their own battles need us to show up as an informed ally.”
Ryan Gailey
Global Veterans Network
The Global Veterans Network celebrates veterans in and out of Zendesk, helping them transition into the workforce.
Mosaic
Mosaic encourages people of colour at Zendesk to embrace and celebrate their differences and creates a safe space for discussion, networking and professional growth.
Pride
Pride ensures that all LGBTQ+ employees are valued, seen and supported.
The Village
The Village provides a support system to employees balancing work and parenting or caregiving.
Women at Zendesk
Women at Zendesk celebrates women at every level of their careers, uplifting them and helping them achieve their personal and professional goals.
Women in Engineering
Women in Engineering champion and create a space where women engineers can meet and build supportive relationships with each other across each office.
The Bridge
The Bridge supports and provides a space for multigenerational employees and their allies.
Whole Self
Whole Self brings employees together to learn, understand and share their stories about mental health, neurodiversity (ADHD, OCD, ASD, etc.) and physical disabilities.
“Building inclusive leadership at scale is critical to shaping Zendesk’s future. Leaders impact the candidate and employee experience every single day through how they behave, and showcase our values. Our leaders are essential to empowering our diverse, global, digital-first community on our journey from great to iconic.”
Michelle Saurin
Senior Director, Talent and Leadership Development at Zendesk
Equity at Zendesk
Zendesk is committed to creating a more equitable global workplace by fostering a culture of respect, fairness and inclusion. No matter your background, personal experiences or unique life situations, we are committed to your success.
Prohibiting destructive behaviour
Zendesk prohibits destructive behaviours such as discrimination, harassment, microaggressions and retaliation.
Making equal pay a priority
We review, no less than annually, our pay practices and parity and make adjustments where needed.
Creating equitable and inclusive workplaces
Our goal is to consistently build an equitable and inclusive workplace experience for all our employees globally.
Accessibility
The customer service industry is a job source for millions of people. But if people cannot use our technology, they cannot access those jobs. And, if customer service software is not created with accessibility for all in mind, a large number of people could be cut off from getting resources they desperately need.
We strive to create thoughtful technology, so that everyone feels empowered, regardless of how they access technology or experience the world.
“At Zendesk we do not think about Accessibility as a technical or business issue. We consider it a human right. It is about inclusivity and opportunity for everyone. By shipping accessible products, we can drive disability inclusion at scale.”
Jon Aniano
SVP, Product
Our community
Creating a more equitable world
Zendesk’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion includes not only our offices across the globe, but the world outside our windows. We are committed to working with organisations making a difference in our communities, while developing relationships with diverse businesses.
Read the story of Aza
Read our global impact report
Supplier diversity
Supplier diversity programs fuel growth for companies which often do not get the support, visibility or resources they need to sustain their business. At Zendesk, we are committed to engaging with small and diverse businesses as part of our strategic supply base. We believe this commitment will create an advantage for our customers, help diverse businesses thrive and stay true to one of Zendesk’s core values—improving the communities where we live and work.”
Partnering towards a better world
Zendesk strongly believes in being a catalyst for change in the SaaS space, broader tech sector and the global community. But we cannot create a more equitable world alone. We have partnered with organisations that are doing truly innovative and inspiring work in the diversity, equity and inclusion space.
Zendesk is an active member of Equal@Work, a multi-stakeholder initiative created by the European Network Against Racism (ENAR). The initiative brings together businesses, social partners, NGOs, public authorities and academics to find solutions so that ethnic, and religious minorities can fully participate in the labour market. We are proud to support their work, including their toolkit which provides actionable strategies to combat structural racism in the labour market.
Learn moreOther ongoing partnerships
Come and join us
Zendesk is a global, remote-first company on a mission to make the world better—one customer experience at a time. Join us.
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