Intentional Communications Policy
Policy
We aspire to create an environment where employees are considerate and thoughtful in everything they do, from interacting with teammates and clients to sharing case studies with the world. One way we can all contribute to such an environment is by evaluating the language and images we use in our speech, writing, code, and more, ensuring that the ideas we communicate are truly reflective of our intentions and responsive to their impact.
We expect everyone who works at Skylight, attends Skylight events and meetings, or participates in online forums or other virtual collaboration to use respectful language in their communications. As a government contractor, many of our communications are public record and can be reviewed at any time. This applies to all of our methods of communication: office chat rooms, commit messages, email, and both formal and informal conversation.
With this in mind, we ask everyone to take the following three steps to support this policy and help create an environment of consideration and thoughtfulness in every interaction:
- Understand and replace offensive words and images
- Accept when you’ve made a mistake
- Speak up when you notice a violation
Understand and replace offensive words and images
Words matter. One way to be more intentional with language is to examine the common words and phrases we use. Some words or phrases can carry historical or societal connotations that inadvertently alienate or marginalize those defined by characteristics such as religion, gender, sexual orientation, neurotype, disability, physical appearance, political belief, and others. By learning and reflecting on where these words, phrases, and images originated, we can help create an environment where everyone feels welcome and included.
Skylight team members have compiled resources that highlight potentially harmful patterns of exclusion and marginalization.
We expect that you’ll not only remove offensive words and images from your communication patterns, but that you’ll also review existing documents, code, and other materials and replace any problematic words or images with suggested alternatives. To learn more about why some words and phrases are considered problematic, you may do your own research and consult recommended resources. The goal of this policy is to raise awareness for why we need to update our language, not to censor or monitor.
This is a living document, so if you learn that a form of communication is offensive, please share it with the team. If you’d like to add suggested replacements, a rationale, or a resource link too, please do — but don’t feel obligated. The list is never exhaustive or complete, but is meant to serve as a guide to help all of us be more intentional with our words.
Accept when you’ve made a mistake
Using more inclusive language can be hard. We realize this policy is asking some of you to change deeply embedded communication patterns. Moreover, we know that even if you’ve reviewed all resources and made every recommended replacement, you might still say or share something that causes offense.
This is where we reaffirm that impact matters more than intent. Typically, when you make a mistake, it’s easy to want to defend your intent. Someone — bravely — shares that they were offended by something you said. You — not having intended to hurt them — might say: “That’s not what I meant!” Unfortunately, your intentions didn’t match your impact.
When you make a mistake, we ask that you accept the impact and apologize without trying to defend yourself. Instead, try something like: “I’m so sorry. I didn’t understand or remember the impact of that word/phrase/image. Thank you for sharing that insight with me.”
Speak up when you notice exclusionary communication
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Skylight supports an environment of respectful communication, and we strongly encourage you to speak up immediately if you witness or become aware of exclusionary communication. We recognize that this can be uncomfortable for some people. Nonetheless, we ask you to take on that discomfort.
If you perceive a violation of Skylight’s Code of Conduct or this Intentional Communications Policy, regardless of the speaker’s intent, it’s important that you feel empowered to speak up in the moment, even if the violation doesn’t impact you directly.
When such a situation arises, you can use the buzz word “Ouch.” This word, spoken or written in chat, flags the situation as something that should be stopped, and the conversation should immediately move on with no questions asked. If there’s time at the end of the meeting, the person who used the buzz word can opt to share why they buzzed. If there’s no time or inclination, they may share with the team later and/or reach out to Skylight’s Chief Operating Officer. They can help craft an explanation for the buzz or facilitate a larger conversation, if necessary.
If you’re not comfortable using the buzz word, or have concerns about someone’s conduct, please reach out to the leadership team. This policy is intended to accompany Skylight’s Code of Conduct Policy.
Future changes
If we decide to change this policy, we’ll update the modification date below.
Updated: February 25, 2025