Topic 9) Cultural Fit - is the term being misused and what should it really mean

Last meetup we brainstormed ideas for future meetups. We compiled a really good list. Thank you to those who contributed.

I'd like to give a big shout out to Christiane for reaching out to host this meeting. She has attended many meetings since June 9th last year and wanted to contribute by hosting this meetup at her company, Progressa. (Progressa is a FinTech company that provides loans to underbanked Canadians and helps them rebuild their credit. They utilize semi-autonomous systems to evaluate and pre-flight these loans.)

During the previous meeting, one of the members brought up cultural fit as they felt they couldn't get passed the first phone interview due to ageism. Other members agreed and expanded the topic to race and gender as reasons for not getting hired or termination.

On the flip side, another person at the meeting gave a good example of what they thought the cultural fit was used correctly. For example, work habits, coding styles, and general team interactions.

Christiane, Progressa and I would like to bring the discussion to everyone in the group so we can all contribute. I hope we can take the key points and ideas from this meeting to our respective companies to further discuss the phrase "Culture Fit". I think we need a good kick in the bum to make sure this buzz word isn't being used to avoid hiring diversity in the workplace.

Men are welcome. However, I wish to keep the invite in the +1 guest format as I want to ensure this meetup to be a safe space for people to share and attend.

Doors open at 6:00 for socializing and snacks. Official start will be 6:30 with a bit more mingling to follow.

If you arrive late, you will need to ring the buzzer located outside the building. The buzzer panel is beside the North East doors. It faces West Georgia street by the park benches. Please dial #2000 and someone will let you up.

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Please RSVP if you're coming, and please update promptly if your plans change.

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