Up & Out
Up & Out's mission is to create meaningful, collaborative relationships among our LGBT+ employees and allies, while also building awareness via philanthropic outreach, educational programs, & social experiences.
The three pillars of our group are engagement, education, and philanthropy.
Engagement
All Upwork employees, whether they're members of the LGBTQ+ community or allies, are encouraged to get involved in Up & Out. And we have a lot of fun as a group, from themed events like our annual Valentine's Day "Love is Love" event to social outings like movie screenings, trivia nights, or our Pride bar crawl!
Education
We're always striving to create a more inclusive company environment. To educate ourselves and our coworkers about the LGBTQ+ community, Up & Out brings in speakers to talk to the whole company about topics like the history of Pride, pronoun awareness, and issues facing the LGBTQ+ community today.
Philanthropy
Giving back to the community is an essential part of what we do, whether it's volunteering work like our annual event with the San Francisco Aids Foundation, or fundraisers for organizations like True Colors United, which helps homeless LGBTQ+ youth.
Han Yuan
Senior Vice President, Engineering
I am proud to be the executive sponsor for Up&Out, and I've learned a great deal since becoming the sponsor. I am excited to continue this partnership and advocacy for such a critical and vibrant part of our organization. Upwork has embraced this group and all it stands for. As part of Up&Out's internal outreach, we've hosted guest speakers and orchestrated celebrations. Through it all, we've had active and challenging discussions.
Our partnerships with organizations which serve this community create support and opportunities for our LGBTQIA team members internally and advance support externally.
The ERGs at Upwork reflect how we create a community based on our values and our firm commitment to encourage our teams to bring their whole selves to work.
