Corporate America is changing.
Last year, more than 20,000 Google employees participated in a global “walk out for change” to protest the company’s response to sexual harassment allegations leveled against top executives. This month, Away’s CEO, Steph Korey, resigned when a viral Verge article described a “toxic work environment” that silenced minority employees who discussed the issues they faced at work with each other.
These are the exact problems Sidney James’ startup, Inyore, is trying to prevent.
Inyore’s platform allows employees to anonymously voice their opinions and experiences with employers and each other. Employers create “communities” or forums that are meant for discussions relating to a specific topics, ranging from gender and race to salary and work hours. Employees can follow these communities and contribute without disclosing their identity.
“Our goal is to really make sure that employees are protected,” James said. “This is a truly anonymous platform. It is a trusted place where you can come and have these sensitive discussions without repercussions.”
James came up with the idea for Inyore after experiencing some discrimination of his own when he moved from Atlanta to Seattle. While applying for jobs, he found that if he identified himself as black, he was repeatedly rejected. However, if he lied and claimed to be white, he was contacted for an interview 80 percent of the time, he says. This prompted James to do some research and talk to other employees about their experiences with discrimination.
“I started to find out there were a lot of similarities. People felt suppressed and bullied, like they didn’t really have a voice in the workplace. That was something I could relate to,” James said. “A lot of times, you have all these experiences, but you don’t really have a voice and you don’t really have a way to connect and overcome these challenges. So, that’s what led me down this path.”
Inyore was created to not only give employees a safe space to voice their concerns, but also encourage company leaders to direct the conversations and use what they learn from aggregated data reports to actively create a more inclusive and positive workplace. The idea is to give company leaders access to the unvarnished conversations employees may not ordinarily feel comfortable having in the office.
“Even when you have your trainings and you have these fireside chats, they usually get controlled by a few people and not everyone gets a chance to chime in and really voice their opinion about what’s going on,” James said. “We are hoping that this platform gives them a place where they can come and have these open dialogues company-wide.”
The company has raised $75,000 since its founding in 2018 and is looking to add a business development manager and a technical product marketing manager to its team of four. A beta of the platform was launched last month and the company is currently looking to take on customers.
