Mailroom
“We gravitate toward people who are like us,” says Kate Downing Khaled. “We need to hack that to know each other better.” As founder and managing director of the Minneapolis consultancy Imagine Deliver, workplace transformation is her business—she advises organizations on inclusivity and innovation. Often they assume that means looking beyond their own employee base, but Khaled believes culture change starts within. She teamed up with Macalester College grad Theon Masters to launch another company called Mailroom and build a software program designed to help midsize and large businesses maximize the potential of their own talent base. The program is a little like LinkedIn meets Bumble, without names or preconceived notions. Employees share their career goals and skills beyond their current role. In turn, employers are asked to think beyond traditional job requirements and describe important skills for a particular role, like adaptability, flexibility, and innovation. “There are employees who are hungry for opportunities but don’t feel like they’re getting a fair shot at growth,” Masters says. At a time when many workers are opting out and employers are challenged to diversify, Khaled says Mailroom can “make a workplace more enticing and exciting.” And, while moving around in a company used to be frowned on, “this is actually a necessity for the future of work. Employees need to know they’re valued in their workplace. They want to know they have a future here.” After months of beta testing, Mailroom software became available for purchase in February.
