Startup founders aren’t always building their companies with equity in mind… On this week’s pod, Hebba sits down with Desiree Morton, a DEI practitioner and tech founder, to discuss the importance of building companies with equity in mind from the beginning. From managing expectations to prioritizing equity initiatives, Desiree shares valuable insights and advice for creating a more inclusive and equitable workplace.  Bonus: Hebba and Desiree chat about why manipulation isn’t always a bad thing when it comes to equity, why it’s okay to admit your baby’s ugly (because, let’s face it, not everyone thinks it’s cute), and how “He’s Just Not That Into You” is applicable to just about everything. Plus, everyone’s got baggage—so how can we approach difficult situations (and er… people) using a more empathetic framework?    00:01:24 - The Influence of DEI in Operations 00:03:30 - Building a Company with Equity 00:14:19 - Addressing Equity Problems in HR 00:15:59 - Building Strong Employee Resource Groups 00:18:22 - Challenges of Building with Equity 00:24:47 - Prioritizing Equity Initiatives in Business 00:29:36 - How to Juggle Business and HR Priorities 00:36:09 - Creating an Equitable Environment for Employees 00:39:41 - Equity Issues: Advice for First-Time Founders 00:44:49 - Innovate, Not Rely on Tech for HR Equity 00:50:15 - Building Equity and Exit Strategies   And if you love HR Therapy, sign up to I Hate it Here, the newsletter for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration. https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/   For even more exclusive insider content, don’t forget to check out my YouTube page.    Follow Desiree: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/desireekmorton/ Website: https://www.aginci.com/   Follow Hebba:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videos LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssef Twitter: https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef 15Five is the performance management platform that drives business results and gives HR teams a complete solution to deliver high employee performance, engagement, and retention while improving manager effectiveness.  Find out more about 15Five here. And if you'd like to keep learning, Hootsuite’s new 2023 Social Media Career Report is loaded with insights about social marketers’ pay, promotions, job satisfaction, challenges, gender pay equity, mental health, and more—to help you attract, hire, and retain the best social marketers. Uncover the state (and state of mind) of the social media marketer in the full report!