#LifeAtHireRight: Celebrating Our LGBTQIA+ Community
HireRight is excited to celebrate Pride Month! This month we talked to one of our Pride Affinity Group Leaders, Olivia, about what our group is doing this year.
Here at HireRight, our teams work hard to build the future of screening services while striving to put the customer first. Internally, we rally around a culture committed to collaboration, a service-first mindset, a sense of ownership, and other corporate values to help employers get it right – every time, everywhere. But what is it like to work here? And who are the employees behind our background screening and workforce solutions?
We are continuing to spotlight what #LifeAtHireRight means for our team members – in their words. During the month of June, we talk to members of our employee-led PRIDE affinity group! Today we talked to Olivia Melendez. She shares with us her role in the group, and a bit about her career here at HireRight.
Olivia, can you tell us a little bit about your role in the PRIDE affinity group, and how you got involved?
Originally, my role was to host our virtual Audio/Video (AV) club where we discuss films and media that are important to the LGBTQIA+ community. Although that was my main role, I also provided suggestions to the team for our meetings, along with new ideas and activities. The leadership group reached out and asked me if I would be interested in joining them, and now I participate in our leadership meetings to help come up with ideas for future meetings and initiatives for our PRIDE group.
Would you share with us some of the activities that are planned around Pride month this year?
We have some really fun activities planned all month for Pride! June is always very active in the group, and we have a great time celebrating.
We will look at the importance of allyship for our community with some allies throughout the company. There will be a meeting where we will hear from allies within the company about why it’s important to them to practice active allyship as opposed to passive allyship.
We are reviving our drag bingo event that we started last year; it was so popular it was requested that we do it again.
We’ll be discussing the 1995 classic “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar” in our Audio/Video Club meeting.
We are hosting a virtual Pride parade to close out the month with photos and videos of how everyone celebrated.
How do you feel that the PRIDE affinity group is making a difference here at HireRight?
I think we provide a place for community and discussion for our LGBTQIA+ team members and allies. We have our PRIDE teams chat group where team members can openly discuss issues and topics that are relevant for our community. We often hear from team members around the world that we are the only place that they feel safe to be themselves due to restrictive laws in their home countries. Our group’s engagement continues to grow thanks to the popularity of events like our drag bingo games.
What do you hope to see in the future for the PRIDE group?
I hope we can continue to grow as a group and continue our outreach to our LGBTQIA+ teammates around the globe. We continue to see growing engagement, especially in our Mexico City office, where team members from this group frequently contribute a unique perspective on issues that face our community. Our drag bingo event is very popular, and we have started to receive international media recommendations for our AV group.
Let’s learn a little more about you! How long have you worked at HireRight and what is your role?
I have worked at HireRight for 17 years and I am an Account Manager with our Healthcare Team. As a member of the Healthcare Team, I work with customers to help ensure their programs meet their unique needs while also providing their candidates with the best possible onboarding experience. I also help customers streamline their screening program to help mitigate as much risk as possible while also remaining within their budgets.
What HireRight office location are you working from? Or do you work from home?
I used to report to the Irvine office, but I now work from home.
What was it like to join the team, and what do you love most about your job?
Joining our Healthcare Account Management team was a great process, I felt very welcomed right away. The thing I love the most about my job is really getting to know all my customers while helping their onboarding teams develop the best possible screening program.
What does inclusion and belonging mean to you?
To me, it means being treated like any other team member while also acknowledging that we can bring a unique perspective to our teams. Being my true authentic self at work allows me to be open about my unique life experience with my colleagues and our customers. I can help my colleagues and customers address situations that they may run into with individuals who come from a similar background with a level of empathy that may not otherwise be possible.
Why is diversity, equity, and inclusion important for organizations?
Diversity, equity, and inclusion helps organizations attract the broadest talent pool possible. If people don’t feel that they are going to be welcome at an organization, they may not want to bring their unique talents to the organization.
Be part of a diverse, global team dedicated to helping the world’s greatest companies – including some of your most loved brands – hire their talent with confidence.
At HireRight, our team members are innovating together to build the future of screening services and personal data. Experiencing #LifeatHireRight means working with great people on inspiring ideas to help employers get it right – every time, everywhere. Check out our opportunities across the globe at HireRight Careers today!
Release Date: June 1, 2023
HireRight
HireRight is a leading provider of on-demand employment background checks, drug and health screening, and electronic Form I-9 and E-Verify solutions that help employers automate, manage and control background screening and related programs.