How We're Advancing DEI at Apartment List

At Apartment List, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is more than a corporate buzzword to us. We are taking significant steps to ensure these values are deeply integrated into every aspect of our business and culture.

An important part of the process was partnering with Mathison in 2023, a data platform that works with companies to build more equitable and inclusive workplaces. Since the partnership, Apartment List has been designated a “DEI Certified Employer.”

As a company, Apartment List is also doing the work internally to ensure that we make decisions with our A-Listers top of mind. Here is what we’ve been up to so far:

Remote Culture

Embracing a 100% remote work model in 2020 has proven to be one of the most inclusive attributes of Apartment List to date. This virtual-first approach has enabled us to attract talent from 142 cities across 32 states, five time zones, and two countries (USA & Israel). It has not only expanded our talent pool but provides A- Listers with the flexibility to balance their professional and personal lives.

Through monthly stipends and access to co-working spaces, our employees can create personalized work setups that fuel their productivity and well-being. Furthermore, being a remote-first organization has cultivated an environment where employees feel empowered and engaged, leading to high job satisfaction and a strong sense of belonging. Notably, one-third of our workforce has been with Apartment List for an average tenure of 6.5 years, a testament to our person-centered work culture.

Pay Band Audit

This year, we refreshed our compensation bands to align with our compensation philosophy and market benchmarks. After this recent cycle, we found that no one was paid below the bands and ensured equity in compensation based on an individual's role, location and performance.

Committed to pay transparency, we provided all leaders access to their teams’ bands and we launched a handbook and training to encourage open dialogue between employees and managers.

Internal Training

“Be a learn-it-all, not a know-it-all” is one of our Operating Principles, and as such Apartment List continues to invest in various training programs to foster a more inclusive and equitable workplace. This year, we launched our Inclusive Leadership workshop series, equipping our leaders with the tools needed so every employee feels valued, respected, and supported.

Additionally, we prioritize ongoing company-wide training focused on understanding microaggressions and unconscious bias and dedicate time during our all-company meetings to celebrate the unique perspectives and lived experiences of our A-Listers. Through these continuous educational efforts, we aim to maintain a culture of inclusivity that permeates every level of our organization.

Employee Resource Groups

We’re proud of our active employee resource group community: Black @ A-List, Women @ A-List, API ERG, LatinX, Pride-List and the newly launched PaCT- an erg for parents and caretakers. With over 60% A-Listers involved (and counting!), these are more than just affinity groups, they are incubators for emerging leaders and intersectional drivers for inclusion. Supported by a dedicated budget and executive sponsors that champion their success, our ERGs also provide professional development and growth opportunities while building understanding between colleagues from various cultures and experiences.

Since 2021, our employees have expressed a year-over-year increase in their sense of belonging, which we attribute to the measures we have taken to make our policies and practices both inclusive and equitable. In our last Pulse Survey, by Culture Amp 88% of employees shared that they feel like they belong at Apartment List.

DEI Council

This year, we’ve restructured our DEI council with a three-pillar approach: People, Product and Partnerships to guarantee that we apply a DEI lens beyond the employee experience and into our product and every way we show up in the world.

Achievements of this cross-functional endeavor include prioritizing product accessibility as a foundational element of our design approach and the evolution of our social impact initiative Home Bridge with Home Bridge Connect in which we partner with local organizations during our biannual all-company Give Back Days.

While it’s important to reflect and celebrate our progress, we will continue to hold ourselves accountable to having “Unapologetically High Standards” - another one of our Operating Principles. DEI is at the core of everything we as A-Listers do because everyone deserves a home and a workplace they love.