From the CEO Standing Together Against Racism and Injustice

Open letter to the Emburse team from Eric Friedrichsen, CEO
June 2, 2020

I wanted to follow-up on the note that Nord and I sent to you. I’ll be honest - I’m still processing everything that’s happening around us, as I’m sure are many of you. Even with more time to reflect, there is still so much to try to comprehend and address.

The shocking and unnecessary death of George Floyd, and countless others before him, has sent ripples throughout the world and our company. I, like many of you, have been trying to wrap my head around the deep injustice that exists, and tragically, has been occurring for many years. I won’t pretend to understand what it is like to be a Black person in America. I am cognizant of the fact that these experiences are not my own. However, this is a problem that we all own and need to resolve together. To the members of the Black community, I want to be very clear -- I stand by you.

To stand in solidarity, we have posted a message on our social platforms to honor Blackout Tuesday, as we mourn today the Black lives lost to injustice. You can share our Blackout Tuesday post, but note that we have paused sharing any company-related content (products, events, reminders) on social media for now, and we ask that you do the same.

I appreciate the dialogue that has accelerated within the company over the past few days. This is vital to a deeper understanding of the issues around discrimination. We will focus our efforts on discussing these issues constructively as we continue to expand our efforts around diversity and inclusion. I would encourage each of you to check in on one another, be empathetic to how our colleagues are doing, and see if there's anything they need.

Our leadership team has put our thoughts together in the message below. Please know that we are committed to making our company, and the communities around us, places where hate and racism will not be tolerated. We can do better. We need to do better. And we will do better.

Eric Friedrichsen
CEO, Emburse

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Message from the Emburse Leadership Team

Recent events across the country have brought into clear focus the deep racial injustices that are still pervasive around the world, and have left many of us angry, hurt, frustrated, and fearful. We recognize you might be feeling an array of emotions, and are likely still processing everything happening around us. We are here for you.

We value you.

We want you to be assured that every one of us is committed to live by our core values and cultivate an environment of respect, equality, and inclusion. There is no place for racism or discrimination of any type at Emburse. In line with our core values, we ask each of you to be empowered to use your voice.

Keep yourself and your colleagues accountable -- if you see something, say something. If you experience, hear of, or witness intolerance, racism, or bias, speak up. Staying complicit condones negative behavior, it’s up to each and every one of us to ensure we act out of fairness and empathy. If you don’t feel comfortable speaking up, please reach out to someone on the People Operations team.

We value each and every employee and their individuality, and strive to create a place where people can bring their full selves to work.

We support you.

We understand that these events have impacted many of you, and may make carrying on with everyday tasks more difficult. We encourage you to take care of yourselves, and to speak to your manager should you need additional support.

We believe that it is important for people to speak out in their own way and support all of our employees who choose to peacefully protest. Some of you may need even more time now to support your loved ones. We are here for you, and understand if you need space and time. If you need to take time away from work, please reach out to your manager.

You can also make use of our Employee Assistance Program, which provides confidential support, resources, and health and wellness information. You may also reach out to your manager or any member of the People Operations team.

The recent events have disrupted the communities where we live and work. We are looking to partner with local organizations to help affected communities, and we’ll share an update as we finalize the details. In the coming days and weeks, our leadership team will continue discussions with our employees -- to listen, provide support, and learn what we can do together to help our communities.

Please reach out to any of us, if you want to talk or have any questions.

In solidarity,

Emburse Leadership Team