Hi James, That doesnt seem to be the case: when I was still at the foundation they actively discouraged or prevented hiring contractors. This prevented me from even interviewing (for term limited time bound roles) several excellent community members in Africa and Asia that have gone on to become excellent community leaders.
Alex S. On Thu, Mar 19, 2026, 19:59 James Heilman via Wikimedia-l < [email protected]> wrote: > Hey Erik > > From what I understand this only applies to employees and does not affect > future contractors. Please correct me if I'm wrong. > > J > > On Thu, Mar 19, 2026 at 4:11 PM Erik Moeller via Wikimedia-l < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Hi there, >> >> It looks like the number of US states WMF can currently hire from >> excludes quite a few states (e.g., Nevada, Maine, New Hampshire, >> Kansas, etc.). [1] My understanding is that the list of countries from >> which the Wikimedia Foundation can hire has also been rather >> substantially reduced recently (e.g., no longer including Denmark, >> Ireland, Sweden, Costa Rica). >> >> In my view, as an international org, WMF should ideally aspire to hire >> amazing people wherever they may be. There will naturally be limits, >> especially when maintaining a legal presence in a particular country >> imposes unacceptable risks on the organization or its employees. >> >> That said, I would distinguish between 1) intractable limits ("we >> can't be in this country because it would expose us to too much risk") >> and 2) limits imposed by cost/benefit calculations ("we can't hire in >> Nevada because we don't judge the talent pool to be worth the cost"). >> >> In the latter case, I hope WMF will prioritize being expansive rather >> than restrictive, because the ability to hire as broadly as possible >> should be understood as a core value. Given the broader organizational >> and movement value considerations, I feel this is an appropriate topic >> for this list. >> >> (Please note that I say this with much love and respect for the work >> legal and HR professionals do navigating these complex matters daily. >> Ultimately, this feels like a leadership question to me: what is the >> ability to hire in more locations worth to the organization?) >> >> What's WMF's take on that question? Does the organization view >> expanding that list again as a future goal? >> >> Warmly, >> >> Erik >> >> [1] >> https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/wikimedia/jobs/7612860?gh_src=vbdohg801us >> _______________________________________________ >> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- [email protected], guidelines >> at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and >> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >> Public archives at >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/[email protected]/message/YNLAAF6F6NBULLOBZAQDWJTDZHBTNCEY/ >> To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] >> > > > -- > James Heilman > MD, CCFP-EM, Wikipedian > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list -- [email protected], guidelines > at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l > Public archives at > https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/[email protected]/message/Q7JIVOAYCZ6SAAZYTRJZ76W6YHLPTUNC/ > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]
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