Juneteenth has been a day for reflection, cookouts and parades for decades. But, for most of us, those activities have to wait for the weekend or after work. Despite being a holiday recognized in Texas since 1980, few employers offer it as a holiday.
Now, as protests worldwide draw new attention to inequality, inequity and racism in our nation, more companies are making Juneteenth an official company holiday -- with paid time off and suggestions on ways to learn about race in America and take action to help underserved communities.
Twitter, Nike and Target have garnered headlines for their Juneteenth holiday announcements in recent days -- in part because of how many workers they represent and the ubiquity of their brands. But it's not just big businesses making the change.
Local startups have been quietly adding Juneteenth to their lists of company holidays, as well. Among them are Sandbox Commerce, data.world, Bandwagon, Notley Ventures, Osano and The Zebra. (Did we miss your company? Let me know at bwistrom@americaninno.com.)
We're reached out to several founders to learn more about their decisions. Their responses, sent via email, are below.
All responses by Sandbox Commerce founder and CEO Sterling Smith
When and how did you decide to make Juneteenth a holiday? Believe it or not, before Alexis Ohanian made his announcement! I grew up in Tyler, Texas where we regularly celebrated Juneteenth as a holiday. There’s so much momentum behind Black history and culture at the moment, it just felt like the right time to start sharing that day with the entire company.
Did it replace another holiday or get added to the official list? We observe 10 paid holidays at Sandbox Commerce. We’ve elected to replace Juneteenth with Columbus Day. The consensus is that Juneteenth holds more weight and significance to M.O. so the switch was a no-brainer.
How did you communicate it to employees? And did you ask them to take any actions during that PTO? I explained to the company that this was a holiday that I’ve celebrated for my entire life and that it was something I’d like them to join in. I gave them a brief history of the day for anyone who might be unfamiliar with it and we’ll share some suggested reading or viewing for anyone looking to get a better understanding of the significance of the day.
What were employees’ reactions like – what questions did they have? Well, the announcement was given with pretty short notice. Most people were excited at the idea that they won’t have to work on Friday. A few employees commented that it “set a good precedent” and I have faith that they will respectfully observe the day in a way that best suits them. What were the business concerns or trade offs? (lowers productivity/work time/payroll stuff?) It was an even swap for another paid holiday. I’m not too worried about taking a three-day weekend in June vs October affecting the bottom line.
All responses by Bandwagon founder and CEO Harold Hughes.
When and how did you decide to make Juneteenth a holiday? In Q4, 2019, we really started building out team members in one location and due to that, we started thinking through things like holidays, work hours, and other infrastructure that would lead to success. We decided in February of 2020 that the company would have Juneteenth off. My team is diverse and progressive so the decision-making process was not difficult. I talked with our CTO and our Biz Ops Lead, and we came to a conclusion almost immediately.
Did it replace another holiday or get added to the official list? We added it as a holiday with the intention of not celebrating Columbus Day.
How did you communicate it to employees? And did you ask them to take any actions during that PTO? We do a weekly team video call (since I'm remote here in Austin), so on our weekly call, I told them that the company would be adding Juneteenth to our official holiday schedule and that they were encouraged to do something that adds joy to their lives and to those around them in their respective communities. I also pointed out that having Memorial Day in May, Juneteenth in June, and the 4th of July holiday in July (which we will celebrate on July 6th), really gives you an almost recurring reminder of what it took for those of us to have freedoms in this country and how much more it takes for us to sustain that freedom for all citizens.
What were employees reactions like – what questions did they have? Honestly, my employees received it as, "This makes sense. This is the right thing to do." The only question they had was if I planned to truly unplug as I'm often known not to. I let them know that I have canceled all my work meetings for that day and will be spending it with family in the backyard, grilling some food.
What were the business concerns or trade offs? (lowers productivity/work time/payroll stuff?) As a technology company, we considered the business impacts of not working on Juneteenth. It will cost us almost 40 development hours, but it is important to our company to invest in the mental health and values of our team members. Ultimately, that's a trade that we were willing to trade and we would do it again.
All responses by Lisa Novak, head of HR, and Brett Hurt, co-founder and CEO.
When and how did you decide to make Juneteenth a holiday? As the news of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd's deaths spread, and protests began, we were discussing what data.world could do immediately to support the fight for racial equality and fair treatment. We opened multiple conversations internally, and provided access to learning materials and donation opportunities. We chose to make our largest corporate donation to date to the NAACP, matched directly by Brett Hurt, our CEO, who challenged our investors to the same (we’ve since been matched multiple times by them). And the idea of adding Juneteenth as a company holiday came up. Understanding that not everyone in the Black community considers Juneteenth a day of celebration, we first did research on the date's implications, checked feedback of other companies who recognize it, and talked with people in our community. On June 8th, we determined it was a positive message and opportunity for our team, and let our employees know.
Did it replace another holiday or get added to the official list? We added it to our official roster of holidays and it did not replace another holiday.
How did you communicate it to employees? And did you ask them to take any actions during that PTO? We shared the news of the Juneteenth holiday through our corporate Slack channel - our key form of employee communication. Our message was as follows and was written by Lisa Novak, our head of HR: "We are proud to announce that data.world has added Juneteenth to our roster of company holidays. Our company will be closed on Friday, June 19th. We encourage you to use that day as an opportunity. Seek to continue to educate yourself on historic race issues, and what's happening today. Read, watch, listen, and learn. Let me know if you want a list. Join a movement, make a donation, or have a courageous conversation with someone you know. The #parliament-pod will be eager to hear what you discover. (Note: the Parliament Pod is our internal D&I Committee, composed of over 2/3 of our company, and #parliament-pod represents the Slack channel for discussion.)
Since making the announcement, Brett announced that Peniel Joseph will be speaking on Juneteenth. It is an optional discussion for anyone at our company to attend, along with their families, which will facilitate this day of learning and action. It will also be recorded for anyone that cannot attend. Peniel is a friend of Brett and just came out with his new book, "The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.” Coincidentally, Peniel just wrote an article for CNN on the case for Juneteenth becoming a national holiday.
What were employees reactions like – what questions did they have? The response was overwhelmingly positive, and most of the conversation was around ideas of positive ways to spend the day learning and contributing.
What were the business concerns or trade offs? (lowers productivity/work time/payroll stuff?) We're very fortunate to have a passionate and committed team. We beat our company goals in Q1 on our pre-Covid-19 plan as we shifted to a work-from-home environment, so we have no concerns of productivity or paid time-off during this time. We feel that our team members' growth and contributions to society also add value to our company.
All responses from founder and CEO Arlo Gilbert.
When and how did you decide to make Juneteenth a holiday? July 9th we decided to implement a Juneteenth holiday. The reason for the decision is that we wanted to honor the issues the country is facing but writing a statement felt like an empty response. Our employees asked us to put together a response and feedback because diversity is one of our top missions, but we felt that a blog would not be the right approach.
Did it replace another holiday or get added to the official list? This is a new additional holiday, we did not remove any others.
How did you communicate it to employees? And did you ask them to take any actions during that PTO? Slack! We have an announcements channel and wrote a long note to the team letting them know about the decision. We asked them to spend the time on Juneteenth volunteering their time or reading about racial justice. We offered them $500 to donate to any organization they donate their time to, so far we've donated to Black Girls who Code and one other one.
What were employees reactions like – what questions did they have? Very proud of the decision. Employees were collectively happy, we received numerous notes from employees praising the decision.
What were the business concerns or trade offs? (lowers productivity/work time/payroll stuff?) No concerns. Happy employees who feel valued and important and who see the mission being honored from the top down are going to stay longer, work harder and build better everything.
The Zebra
All responses come from Keith Melnick, CEO of The Zebra.
When and how did you decide to make Juneteenth a holiday? The Zebra’s foundation is based on “All Stripes Matter,” and diversity and inclusion is at the core of all we do. In establishing Juneteenth as an official company holiday, I want our staff to be able to reflect on the historic day. Juneteenth can be observed by celebration, taking the opportunity to better educate ourselves, or by establishing a deeper connection with our Austin community. I believe that this is one small way that The Zebra can be part of progress.
Did it replace another holiday or get added to the official list? Juneteenth has become an official company holiday. It does not replace any existing holidays.
How did you communicate it to employees? And did you ask them to take any actions during that PTO? Our Head of People announced this holiday in conjunction with several other diversity & inclusion efforts and next steps for the company. I also announced it in our CEO Slack channel to make sure our team understood how important this is. Employees are encouraged to understand the history and significance of this date and to use the time to get involved in the community.
What were employees' reactions like – what questions did they have? The overwhelming reaction I saw was gratitude. People were thankful the company was taking the time to recognize the significance of this date and publicly commit to celebrating it annually. We know we have a long way to go and I’m committed to putting in the work to get us there. This is just one step.
What were the business concerns or trade offs? (lowers productivity/work time/payroll stuff?) Any business concerns would be far outweighed by the benefits of making a pledge to elevate Black voices and recognize our responsibility to start to change some of the norms that have gone on for far too long.
Notley Partner Kelli Mason said: "Juneteenth is a celebration of Black freedom, but also a reminder of slavery, the institutionalized racism upon which our country was founded. Given current events that have reminded us all of how far we still have to travel to achieve racial justice, we decided to recognize Juneteenth as a paid holiday for all employees to recharge and conduct a self-audit of what they're personally doing to advance racial justice. Also, in recognizing the way voter suppression has been used to reinforce systemic inequality, Notley offers complete flexibility, not only on Election Day, but for any primary or early voting, to ensure that all employees have the agency and flexibility to exercise their right to vote, and we encourage other companies to join us."
In observance of the Juneteenth holiday, we will not be hosting a our regular programming today and our staff will be educating ourselves about racial justice.
— Capital Factory (@CapitalFactory) June 19, 2020
This year Kazoo made the decision to add #Juneteenth as an official company holiday. Find out why it was important to us as a company to add this to our calendar. #KazooCrew #LifeAtKazoohttps://t.co/ckYNweZaOi
— Kazoo (@kazoo_HR) June 19, 2020
