Links on this page have been removed to protect confidentiality of additional internal-facing Field Guide pages available to Automatticians.
What is an Automattician Resource Group?
An ARG is a group of Automatticians that identify with each other through a shared characteristic or life experience, such as race, gender, age, sexual orientation, parenthood, veteran status, etc. ARGs are communities that provide personal connections and support and the opportunity to work toward a common goal.
Although we have Slack support groups, an ARG is different in that it’s a group of volunteers who are committed to working toward making positive changes for the group, Automatticians, and the WordPress community. This could range from recruiting efforts (think Tech Inclusion), career development workshops, organizing hackathons (think Out in Tech), or even helping small business owners create an online presence (think Rebrand Cities).
This resource from AIHR (https://www.aihr.com/blog/employee-resource-groups/) provides a nice overview of how broad things could get for ERGs (which they are called at other companies). And we have this internal guide too.
ARGs will often cover the same demographics as our Slack support groups, but the Slack groups are casual places for chat and support among Automatticians. ARGs are expected to have action-oriented goals and clearly defined objective(s), and to act as a committee working together toward a common purpose. Either directly or indirectly, an ARG’s goals need to contribute to Automattic’s overall goals.
If you’re interested in joining one of our Slack support groups instead (ex. Bluehackers, #latinomatticianz, etc.), you can find information on how to join here.
Whether you’ve just created an ARG or joining one, the page “Running an ARG” can help you learn more. You can also learn about starting one on the Starting an Automattician Resource Group page.
Current ARGs
- Queeromattic – est. March 2019
- Sustainability ARG – est. February 2020
- Cocoamattic – est. May 2020
- Neurodiverseomattic– est. June 2020
- Women of Automattic (WOA) – est. June 2020
- Physical Disability ARG (PDARG) – est. June 2021
- Sobermatticians – est. Aug 2024
More Resources Available on the Internal A8c Field Guide
- Information about membership, goals, meetings, support and resources.
- Information about budget.
- Information about performance management.
- For ARG leads: managing your committee and project DRIs
- How to demonstrate impact for ARG work.
- How to write self-feedback about ARG volunteering.
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