Omnibus Project: Q4 2017 results

Last April, we launched our diversity initiative, the Omnibus Project, to promote diversity at Busbud and beyond. Our team selects up to 5 actions per quarter that we can take to help foster diversity, and report publicly every quarter on our progress.

We are thrilled to share the results for Q4 2017, ending December 31st. Here are our actions for this quarter:

1. Welcome guide for international team members relocating to Montreal

In the past few months, we hired three awesome new team members from outside Canada who’ll be relocating to Montreal to work with us. They will be joining us from Brazil, France and Ukraine respectively.

Moving to a new country can be challenging, so our team wanted to do something that would help our new team members in this big transition. We decided to prepare a comprehensive 25-page welcome guide that includes:

• Information necessary for a newcomer to establish themselves in Montreal, such as how to open a bank account, how to find an apartment and how taxes work in Canada.
• An overview of Montreal, including information on Quebec’s history,tourist attractions, as well as recommendations for top restaurants, bars, coffee shops and festivals.
• Tips that’ll ease their integration into Canadian lifestyle & culture, from information on general etiquette in Canada to how to learn French to Anglophone and Francophone slang.

 

2. Photo wall to share team travel memories

Having such an amazing diverse team and working in the travel industry, it only make sense to have a place to share unforgettable memories of the trips we have done. So we invited each team member to share one travel photo, printed them and displayed them in a dedicated corner of the office. Each new team member will be invited to bring a photo on his 1st day at Busbud to contribute to the photo wall.

The idea is to have a place to start a conversation and exchange anecdotes and adventures between peers. Getting to know your peers in another way is a great way to break the ice, specially for new hires that could feel a bit intimidated trying to adapt to a new environment.

3. Volunteering at local mission during Holiday period

As part of our efforts to promote diversity and community involvement, some of the Busbud crew teamed up with Mission Mile End for their holiday period fundraiser.

This community organization, based just a couple of blocks away from our office in Montreal’s Mile End neighborhood, strives to provide a safe and welcoming space for those who need it the most in the area. For over 26 years, they have helped the poor, socially excluded and disadvantaged members of our community, serving more than 15,000 meals per year and holding numerous events during the holiday season.

For the mission’s yearly fundraiser, our team of volunteers braved the cold and the snow to collect donations from residents and visitors in our neighbourhood. We were truly impressed by the generosity of members of our community.

Doing our part to give back to those around us was a wonderful and fulfilling experience and we’re thankful for it.

 

4. Mentoring a technical event in the local community

Busbud reached out to Cassie Rheaume, Montreal chapter leader for Ladies Learning Code (ie. Canada Learning Code), offering to help out.

One of our senior backend developers, Nic, will be serving as a mentor at an upcoming event in January. He will helping to lead a session on problem-solving using artificial intelligence and machine learning.

We’ve been proud to be involved in the local tech community since the foundation of Busbud in 2011, sharing our knowledge and giving back. We’ve been involved in particular with Ladies Learning Code in the past, and are strong supporters of the importance of women in tech.

In my next post, I’ll share a few more thoughts on completing a full year (four quarters) of diversity at Busbud in 2017, and the impacts of the Omnibus Project so far.