During her interview process with DISQO, Michelle Kim mentioned to the hiring manager how helpful it was for her in the past to have an outside mentor provide her with unbiased feedback and expertise. She didn’t expect anything to come from it.
On her first day at the Glendale-based marketing technology company, Kim was pleasantly surprised to learn that the interviewer had taken note of what she said, and arranged for her to meet with two potential mentors outside of the company.
It’s just one example, Kim says, of how DISQO supports women in its workplace. Even before her first day, however, Kim said that hiring manager encouraged and affirmed her — just by being a visible woman in leadership.
“One of the main reasons I joined DISQO was because the hiring manager was a woman who had a very similar professional background to me,” said Kim, who is now a senior UX researcher at DISQO. “I felt like I belonged. I felt like I could ‘make it’ like her.”
This Women’s Equality Day, Built In Colorado connected with Kim and 10 other women leaders to learn about their inspiring career paths and how their companies work to elevate women in tech. Celebrated annually on August 26, Women’s Equality Day commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The amendment protects women’s right to vote — though, at the time of its ratification in 1920, it only immediately granted suffrage to white women.
For the 11 workplaces featured below, Women’s Equality Day represents an opportunity for leaders to reflect on and celebrate their companies’ strides toward gender equality, while resolving to improve. Women leaders who spoke to Built In were excited to share about how their companies had nurtured their professional growth while paving the way for other women.
Across companies, empowering women often meant providing invaluable mentorship networks and support groups, sponsoring professional development opportunities, hosting inspirational speaker series and adhering to companywide diversity, equity and inclusion policies. Most companies also offer robust benefits such as flexible work programs, unlimited PTO, equitable compensation and generous parental leave.
Time and time again, however, these leaders repeatedly emphasized the importance of seeing and learning from the women leaders around them.
At Zoom, the Denver-based video communications platform, Solutions Manager Kirsten Wang recently promoted one of her high-performing employees who was on maternity leave — and was supported by the software company’s leadership in doing so.
A mother herself, Wang said Zoom provides her with the flexibility to work wherever and is supportive if she needs time off to care for her child. She finds further comfort and joy in a virtual support group for the company’s mothers, dubbed Zoom Mamas.
Outside of mothers, women are supported at Zoom with quarterly check-ins, career growth plans and an environment where diverse opinions are valued.
What are your overall career goals, and to what degree have you been able to fulfill them at Zoom?
My team builds integrations connecting employee data in and out of systems to automate manual processes across our organization, improve our operational efficiency and scale our global business. We dream big, think outside the box and make impossible things possible. I would like to become a strategic tech leader that drives our business success via process automation, optimization and innovation.
As an immigrant woman, I was given the opportunity at Zoom to manage our integration team, where I have built a global team of 10 developers from the ground up, established our operational excellence and leveraged our top notch technologies to automate manual processes, saving 1,000-plus hours every quarter.
As an immigrant woman, I was given the opportunity at Zoom to manage our integration team, where I have built a global team of 10 developers from the ground up.”
What professional development resources does Zoom offer that help support and elevate women in the workplace?
Zoom is a very agile environment where there are a lot of growth opportunities across the entire company to support women’s career growth.
We have quarterly career check-in conversations, during which I am able to talk to my manager about what is and is not going well, and areas where I may need support. Every conversation is very effective and we create a plan for me, clearly outlining what it will take for me to grow my career at the company.
As a woman in leadership, I recently promoted one of my employees during her maternity leave, and our leadership never doubted or discriminated against my decision. We’re a “pay by performance” company and promotion is equal regardless of gender, ethnicity or leave status.
How has Zoom built an inclusive and equitable culture for women?
I am one of the very few women in our IT leadership team and I’ve never felt that I am treated differently. My voice is well-heard and my opinions are respected. Zoom embraces diversity and equality. Every time there is an opportunity, the leadership team looks at who can bring the best value to the task, instead of focusing on someone’s race, gender or age.
Being a working mom, I am able to balance my work and home life at Zoom. I am given the flexibility to work anywhere I want to without any peer pressure or fears. When my kid is sick at home, my team and manager are very understanding and supportive. I’ve never felt guilty telling others at Zoom that I need to be away or take time off to take care of my family.
We also have a Zoom Mamas support group, where all moms get together virtually and talk about our day-to-day life. We share our happy moments together and cheer each other on when we’re facing struggles.
At customer experience platform DISQO, Senior UX Researcher Michelle Kim was enthusiastic about the company’s professional development opportunities, such as hosting a “Women in Leadership” speakers event and sponsoring her attendance at a UXR conference. In the day to day, Kim is heartened by her access to expert mentors and leaders, many of whom are women.
What are your overall career goals, and to what degree have you been able to fulfill them at DISQO?
Balance is my career goal. I am constantly striving to show the world that you can light the stars in your team members’ eyes and inspire them to create impactful work while also not forcing them to anxiously eliminate millions of last-minute fires.
After years of sprinting madly toward an undefined finish line in my work, I was burned out to the point where I couldn’t even be bothered to clean up raw data from small user interviews.
Then, along came DISQO. DISQO provides me with the perfect environment. It’s a place where people actually take time off when they need some TLC, and they are encouraged to do so. I am part of a team that specializes in very different fields and skill sets, yet everyone has the utmost respect and openness to collaboration and feedback. I have team members who are willing to spend valuable time brainstorming ideas for my personal objectives and key results.
It hasn’t been long since I made the decision to join DISQO, but I already feel like I’m making a positive impact because of the incredible culture here. I have the ability to grow and lead with the company and team. On most days, I am given the space to be composed, excited, comfortable, experimental and fast-paced.
What professional development resources does DISQO offer that help support and elevate women in the workplace?
One of the great things about working at DISQO is if you have an idea, you can almost always expect an outcome.
During my interview with DISQO’s hiring manager, I mentioned how effective it was for me in the past to have a mentor in my profession outside of the company. This mentor was able to provide me with unbiased feedback and perspective into my job and company. Then, on my first day at DISQO, I learned my hiring manager had taken note of my feedback during the interview and arranged for me to have two potential mentors outside of the company.
Additionally, during my first week at DISQO, the company hosted an event titled “Women in Leadership” and featured three inspiring women leaders at the company. During this internal speaker series session, they shared their advice on leadership and career journeys.
I also asked my manager during my second week on the job if I could attend a UXR conference to widen my network and dive deeper into how others grow diverse UX research teams within their respective companies. Her answer? An immediate “yes.”
She’s been an incredible resource and role model, proving that women can and should be given opportunities to lead, manage and inspire others.”
How has DISQO built an inclusive and equitable culture for women?
DISQO provides us with the opportunity to have mentors and leaders who parallel our backgrounds.
One of the main reasons I joined DISQO was because the hiring manager was a woman who had a very similar professional background to me. I felt like I belonged. I felt like I could “make it” like her. I feel hope when I see how much my co-workers respect her. I feel inspired during our one on ones when she gives me the constructive feedback, guidance and support I need.
My manager demonstrates on the daily how to navigate the tech world with grace, flexibility, honesty and attentiveness. She’s been an incredible resource and role model, proving that women can and should be given opportunities to lead, manage and inspire others.
In pursuit of diversity and equity, Greenhouse unveiled an initiative to prevent people of a single gender or race from accounting for more than 60 percent of their employees. The Denver-based hiring software company proudly accomplished that goal, with women leading the company in all roles.
While acknowledging there are many benefits for women at the company, General Business Revenue Vice President Natalie Lebow says Greenhouse’s robust parental leave — enthusiastically supported not only on paper but also in practice — has been the most impactful for her.
What are your overall career goals, and to what degree have you been able to fulfill them at your Greenhouse?
It took me a few years to figure this out. Between starting in corporate America and then rolling up my sleeves in the San Francisco tech scene, I was fixated on how to get to the top as fast as possible. After starting at Greenhouse, a place where growth is measured far more than titles, I quickly realized that my professional goal and purpose were not what role I held, but what I was able to do in that role.
Across all my positions at Greenhouse, the most rewarding accomplishment has been the ability to lead teams through adversity of many kinds. Whether it was the Covid-19 pandemic, an economic downturn or organizational changes, I’ve had to learn how to carry a revenue organization forward with trust and empathy.
Getting to the other side of hurdles like those, while working with your entire team hand in hand, has got to be one of the best moments I’ve felt in my current role.
I’m better at what I do professionally because I’m able to be a present mother at home. The resources, support and flexibility I get at Greenhouse make all the difference for me as a mom.”
What benefits does Greenhouse offer that help support and elevate women in the workplace?
While Greenhouse provides ample opportunities for women to succeed, the most meaningful benefit for me has been having a well-supported, planned and encouraged parental leave. I’m a mother of two, and I’ve had both my babies while working at Greenhouse. Across our organization, women and parents are celebrated for taking time off to prepare with their families, heal however they see fit, return to work flexibly and, most importantly, revel in the life moments you never get back.
Most modern companies offer paid parental leave. Still, the details and nuances that can come with a leave plan often fail to consider the nuances of every woman’s unique postpartum experience. That makes it hard to go to work and even harder to love what you do.
I’ve always said this: I’m better at what I do professionally because I’m able to be a present mother at home. The resources, support and flexibility I get at Greenhouse make all the difference for me as a mom.
How has Greenhouse built an inclusive and equitable culture for women?
The most impactful initiative that we’ve implemented and executed as a company has been adhering to the policy that “no single gender or racial or ethnic group will make up more than 60 percent of our company.”
Across all of our recruiting efforts, including our internal promotions, we heavily focus on diversifying our candidate pools. We’re proud to have accomplished this goal, and to have such inspirational women leading our company in all roles.
Championing its core value of #wecare, Matillion, a cloud-based data integration platform, supports women in its workplace with flexibility, motivational speaker series, a women in tech group and a number of women-focused professional development opportunities. For Talent Development Manager Hannah Burke, the Denver-based information technology company truly proved its commitment to equity and inclusion when it recently promoted someone to regional vice president just as she was about to embark on maternity leave.
What are your overall career goals, and to what degree have you been able to fulfill them at Matillion?
It sounds cliche, but my ultimate career goal is to have a rewarding career. In every role that I’ve ever had, I wanted to have purpose and impact on people, but I didn’t know the true meaning of that until I joined Matillion.
Today, I help set the strategy for our talent development approach across 650-plus employees globally, and I feel the impact of this week after week. My career goals to date have been achieved tenfold at Matillion. In three and a half years, I have had three different roles, each time applying my experiences and learning new skills to open up opportunities.
I feel that Matillion has confidence in my ability to make a difference for the people and processes in our organization, and that is because I have always given to others and believed in the success of the company. Matillion recently supported me in achieving my master’s degree in HR management, and I can’t wait to see where this takes my career over the next few years with Matillion.
What professional development resources does Matillion offer that help support and elevate women in the workplace?
Where do I even start? Springboard is a women-only development program, designed for leaders and non-leaders to unlock their potential. Solaris is a leadership development opportunity for Black women run by an inspirational woman, Yetunde Hofmann. We have supported two women on this program.
We have licenses for Udemy and Blinkist to support self-learning, as well as for expensing books. Our monthly hack day is an incredible way to learn something new and focus on professional development. Matillion pays for professional memberships relevant to your field, such as the United Kingdom Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development for HR professionals.
We are also looking at Squiggly Careers to help Matillioners make lateral and upward moves across different teams and departments. This program will allow people to apply their skills in new areas and progress their career outside of the traditional career ladder.
Finally, we have inspirational talks from tech women leaders, such as Anne-Marie Imafidon and Miranda Nash, with many more scheduled for 2022.
Every Matillioner is empowered to create and build an environment where women and everyone can develop and progress their careers. As a woman in tech, I love that!”
How has Matillion built an inclusive and equitable culture for women?
At Matillion, one of our core values is #wecare. We have many inspiring perks at our organization, such as flexibility and a Women in Tech group, but there is one example that stood out to me, just last week, that shows our inclusive and equitable company.
One of our women sales leaders was promoted to regional vice president just as she was about to embark on maternity leave. While you may hope in 2022 that it is the norm for women to have access to promotions and opportunities, the reality is they are often overlooked when starting a family. Therefore, it is refreshing to work for a company that is genuinely inclusive and equitable for all.
Finally, I feel proud that I created training on micromessages to help our leaders and individual contributors create a more inclusive culture. This training received great feedback about how it made women feel more confident in challenging the status quo and how it educated many on how to build a more inclusive culture for all.
Building an inclusive culture is not the job of one team. Every Matillioner is empowered to create and build an environment where women and everyone can develop and progress their careers. As a woman in tech, I love that!
OneTrust, an ethics and compliance software company, offers great benefits that minimize career-altering roadblocks for many women, including coverage for fertility treatment, gender-affirming treatment and paid parental leave. Employees at the Denver-based information technology company can join the Our Women @ OneTrust group, which hosts events with inspirational women speakers.
For Customer Experience Senior Manager Brandi Garced, one example that demonstrated OneTrust’s commitment to equity was when the CEO emailed staff in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a case that constitutionally protected abortion access. According to Garced, the CEO emphasized the company’s support of women’s healthcare and said it would offer enhanced benefits to cover travel costs associated with accessing those healthcare services. This response, Garced said, “contributes to an environment where women can feel secure and supported.”
What are your overall career goals, and to what degree have you been able to fulfill them at OneTrust?
I hope to continue to grow in my career as a professional services leader. Professional services team members are the true boots on the ground with customers, and they’re given unique insight into the issues our customers face with both the product itself and its implementation. It’s a special position to be able to improve the customer experience, while also training and developing the individual consultants and leads on my team.
My industrial engineering degree also makes it difficult to hide my love for building efficient, scalable processes, and I’ve had the opportunity to do just that here at OneTrust as we doubled our team size over the last year.
What benefits does OneTrust offer that help support and elevate women in the workplace?
OneTrust continues to enhance the employee benefits it offers to remove as many roadblocks to continued career development for women as possible. In addition to fertility treatment coverage, gender-affirming treatment and paid maternity and parental leave, OneTrust took swift action when Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The very next business day, employees received an email from our CEO to clearly state the OneTrust position that this is an issue of women’s healthcare and to offer enhanced benefits to cover the cost of travel for employees and family members in states where access to these healthcare services have been restricted by law. The decisive response contributes to an environment where women can feel secure and supported.
This network is so inspiring and helps remind us that we are never alone in our struggles or insecurities.”
How has OneTrust built an inclusive and equitable culture for women?
Our Women @ OneTrust employee trust group hosts regular events to provide OneTrust employees with opportunities to hear from various external and internal women speakers. From hearing our Chief Marketing Officer Lisa Campbell walk us through her career journey to hearing a fireside panel of our women peers discussing challenges overcoming biases or managing their work-life balances, this network is so inspiring and helps remind us that we are never alone in our struggles or insecurities.
Global Vice President of Partnerships Michelle Calkins joined Cin7 as its third U.S. hire and the first woman. She has been instrumental in establishing an inclusive environment for women at the Denver-based inventory management software provider, and she someday aims to be a CEO.
To support its diverse workforce, Cin7 offers a number of flexible benefits, including 16 weeks of paid maternity leave, annual wellness days and a work from anywhere program. Throughout the year, the company hosts women in tech events and mentorship panels. Each spring, Cin7 pauses on International Women’s Day to evaluate the strides the company has made toward gender equity by analyzing its business metrics, hosting speaker series and participating in open discussions.
What are your overall career goals, and to what degree have you been able to fulfill them at Cin7?
When I joined Cin7, I was the third hire in the United States and the first woman. My goal at the time was to join a company early so I could help build a culture that is set up to support women. Many businesses can talk the talk, but when it comes to delivering on their promises of equality, the metrics don’t align.
Two and a half years later, I can proudly say that we’ve done it at Cin7. While there is room for improvement, we have laid an amazing foundation.
In terms of career goals, I someday want to be a CEO. When I was 23, a woman who spoke at one of the first DEI events (shoutout to Thea Ellis) discussed her career goals with everyone she met. This did two things. One, it kept her focused and dream-oriented. Two, it gave others a chance to help.
Our goals are motivating, not only for ourselves, but for the people whom we share them with. Cin7 really embodies this spirit, as it continues to allow me to test my limits, share my unique perspective, improve and grow.
In my journey to CEO, I am one step closer, as I recently earned a promotion to global vice president. My goal was to hit VP by 35 — done. I haven’t set a timeline for the CEO role, but I’ll be working on that next.
My goal at the time was to join a company early so I could help build a culture that is set up to support women.”
What benefits does Cin7 offer that help support and elevate women in the workplace?
Creating intentional spaces for development conversations drives really impactful company culture and performance. We believe that engaged employees drive amazing outcomes for our teams and customers. To that end, we are extremely disciplined with our development programs, providing structure to ensure all employees have an opportunity to lean into their career and all managers are engaged in their teams’ development.
Leaning into the whole employee experience is also critical to ensure women (and men and people of all genders) are set up for success. We view this through a people-first lens. From our 16 weeks of full-paid maternity leave to our annual wellness day and work from anywhere program, we understand that offering flexible and diverse benefits are crucial to supporting our diverse workforce.
Our leadership team is deeply committed to driving increased diversity through being a top employer that can attract, retain and grow amazing talent. We also ensure that we keep our eyes on metrics, measuring our performance against our peers in the tech space and striving to improve, always.
How has Cin7 built an inclusive and equitable culture for women?
Each spring, we pause to recognize International Women’s Day. This is a globally recognized pause to reflect on the strides being made toward equality for women in the world, while reflecting on the work still to be done.
We share business metrics, speaking sessions and time together to create space for this incredibly important conversation. These are moments in time, but they give us an opportunity to create consistency in our commitment to diversity. We back these up through the year with women in tech events, mentorship panels and benefits that represent the whole employee experience.
At content creation platform Verblio, the social justice club plays an important role in daily operations. Dubbed the “Justice League,” the group hosts diverse speakers and organizes companywide celebrations for occasions like Women’s Equality Day.
Vice President of Product and Design Mandi O’Brien says Verblio is her first majority-women workplace. In addition to promoting her, the Denver-based marketing technology company also allows her to own a wide range of tasks and offers external leadership coaching, which she thinks is especially helpful for women who might not otherwise seek out support.
What are your overall career goals, and to what degree have you been able to fulfill them at Verblio?
I’ve always been a bit of a polymath, and I have wanted to avoid being stuck doing one kind of job. At Verblio, I don’t have to choose between being a creative or being strategic, and I don’t have to choose between being a leader and people manager or still doing the day-to-day work. Because of Verblio’s size, I’ve gotten to keep doing a bit of everything, as I’ve been promoted from director to vice president.
Because of Verblio’s size, I’ve gotten to keep doing a bit of everything, as I’ve been promoted from director to vice president.”
What professional development resources does Verblio offer that help support and elevate women in the workplace?
Verblio’s professional development prioritizes one-on-one coaching with experts from outside the organization. That approach isn’t the typical “go to a conference” option, and I think it’s particularly useful for women leaders who might not otherwise get the support they need. I work with a leadership coach and our conversations are confidential, with no topic being off limits.
How has Verblio built an inclusive and equitable culture for women?
Verblio is the first company I’ve ever worked at where the majority of us are women. We’re very much still an imperfect work in progress, but our social justice club, the “Justice League,” has become a big part of our day-to-day culture. They bring in DEI speakers and help elevate days like Women’s Equality Day with companywide celebrations.
The leadership team is mostly women at AirDNA, a provider of data and business intelligence for the travel industry, and it actively works to recruit, promote and elevate women in its organization. For example, when Director of Spain Lauren Basler wanted to lead a facilitation program, AirDNA paid for her training and allowed her to pilot a program with four company cohorts.
To further support women and parents, the Denver-based travel software company offers a host of great benefits including generous parental leave, unlimited PTO and sick time and professional development stipends.
What are your overall career goals, and to what degree have you been able to fulfill them at AirDNA?
I joined AirDNA with the goal of facilitating a successful startup exit, which we completed in February this year with our acquisition by Alpine Investors. In addition to achieving this goal, I have been lucky to discover where my passion and skills collide as a facilitator and coach within the organization.
Prior to working at AirDNA, I was unsure of what I wanted to do with my career in the long run. Luckily, I discovered the art of facilitation thanks to AirDNA, and I was encouraged to pursue my passion and practice this new skill set in a safe and supportive environment.
What benefits does AirDNA offer that help support and elevate women in the workplace?
AirDNA offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to create maximum work-life balance. In Denver, our generous parental leave policies and unlimited PTO and sick time help support those with kids by allowing employees to take time off when they or their families need it.
Furthermore, AirDNA offers a professional development stipend to all employees to inspire them to grow and develop in the areas that are most interesting to them. Employees are encouraged to choose a class, training or certification program that will enhance their career development.
AirDNA has worked diligently over the past few years to build an inclusive and equitable culture for women by hiring and promoting women leaders throughout the organization.”
How has AirDNA built an inclusive and equitable culture for women?
AirDNA has worked diligently over the past few years to build an inclusive and equitable culture for women by hiring and promoting women leaders throughout the organization. Our leadership team is largely women and actively works to elevate other women within the organization. Throughout the organization, we work hard to promote a supportive and welcoming community that encourages women to feel comfortable to speak up, share ideas and take risks.
I have been lucky to develop a facilitation program at AirDNA where different groups practice deep listening and trust building in a safe container. AirDNA helped me receive the training I needed to learn this skill with the SpiralMethod, and also allowed me to pilot a program with four different cohorts in the organization. The leadership at the company supported me with my development in this area from the beginning, but more importantly, my colleagues encouraged me as I learned and developed this new skill set.
At FORM, a Denver-based digital platform for frontline workers, women are supported through women-only communication channels, mentorship networks and the company’s DEI department. Senior Director of Solution Engineering Iuliia Proskurina said her team inspired her to pursue leadership, where she found she could support team members’ growth while fulfilling her professional potential.
What are your overall career goals, and to what degree have you been able to fulfill them at your FORM?
In my career, I am always looking for professional development opportunities and interesting day-to-day work. FORM provided me with both and added a fun team, exciting projects, a very comfortable work environment and a competitive salary.
They inspired me to join the leadership team, which I have now been a part of for more than six years, surrounded by inspiring professionals who are open to mentorship. Thanks to them, I realized how amazing it is to support team members’ growth while fulfilling your own potential.
After more than a decade here, I cannot help but feel lucky and grateful to have found such an outstanding place to work.
What professional development resources does FORM offer that help support and elevate women in the workplace?
Along with providing women-only communication and mentorship channels, FORM’s DEI department guarantees potential candidates and employees are treated equally.
We celebrate diversity and acknowledge personal and group achievements publicly for all genders, which elevates everyone.”
How has FORM built an inclusive and equitable culture for women?
I have always admired FORM’s commitment to equal opportunities for men and women. We celebrate diversity and acknowledge personal and group achievements publicly for all genders, which elevates everyone. This, along with having inspiring women leaders, helps our colleagues open up to their full potentials and be their authentic selves at work, which drives results.
You can see it straight away with FORM’s outstanding rate of having women in 28 percent of senior positions. This is truly phenomenal for a software company.
Leaders at Choozle, a provider of a digital advertising software platform, are working to improve gender representation at the company, which is now approximately 40 percent women.
The Denver-based adtech company offers quarterly education stipends, which Marketing and Demand Specialist Sarah Lily is using to develop her expertise with a Google Analytics 4 course. Choozle additionally sponsors participation in women in tech conferences and hosts “Bookless Book Clubs,” during which women employees connect over a fun happy hour.
What are your overall career goals, and to what degree have you been able to fulfill them at Choozle?
I’ve always wanted to be in a position where I am able to focus on new opportunities and projects in a fast-paced company. At Choozle, my title is marketing and demand specialist, but my role has evolved over the years as we brought on new partners and marketers. I wear many hats, and I plan on continuing to grow my career by being a person who can adapt to change easily.
Working in the advertising industry means watching the world evolve around you, and it is a great space to always be learning in. I’m very results-driven, which is why I was drawn to working in tech and marketing, specifically. The digital ad space is so fast-moving and focused that I am provided with several chances to take on new challenges as we continue to grow in a startup environment.
Choozle makes it clear that our education is a priority and gives us the chance to ensure we are growing as individuals.”
What benefits does Choozle offer that help support and elevate women in the workplace?
Choozle offers every team member a quarterly education stipend that can be used on any type of learning. This stipend does not have to be work-related. It can be anything you want to participate in that would elevate your career or personal development.
Currently, I am enrolled in a Google Analytics 4 course as part of developing my expertise at Choozle. With the opportunity to learn more about technology as it is being developed and affecting our industry, I feel very lucky to have Choozle support me through all of the changes. Choozle makes it clear that our education is a priority and gives us the chance to ensure we are growing as individuals.
How has Choozle built an inclusive and equitable culture for women?
Choozle is a workplace that not only talks about increasing gender and diversity representations but actually follows through, increasing the effort to recruit, hire and retain a diverse workforce. Choozle’s workforce is now somewhere around 40 percent women in the office.
I was also lucky to attend the Women in Technology conference hosted in Denver last month. We had the opportunity to network with women in the field, listen to industry leaders and do some promoting and recruiting for Choozle. It was really refreshing to be surrounded by women in the industry from all over, as well as local women leaders. I feel like empowering women is a priority for Choozle.
Lastly, Choozle hosts a fun “Bookless Book Club,” which is mostly a fun happy hour that we host every month with the women in the office. We take this a chance to connect, share opportunities and offer helpful communication across teams.
Automox, a cloud-based IT operations solutions provider, extends generous healthcare benefits, unlimited PTO, equitable compensation and stock options. The fully remote company has manager cohorts and a RAISE council that lead open conversations around diversity and inclusion. Women employees may also choose to communicate, share their experiences and support each other through a women-only Slack channel.
Since joining Automox, Enterprise Sales Development Manager Maggie Bacon says mentorship and leadership opportunities have helped her hone her voice and develop confidence in her abilities.
What are your overall career goals, and to what degree have you been able to fulfill them at your Automox?
Automox has made it easy for me to build on my career goals. Coming to this company gave me a voice I wasn’t sure I still had in me. I am proud to say that on a daily basis, my team of sales representatives show up ready to book meetings and have fun.
Everyone here is so supportive of innovation and continued education, which makes it easy to provide my team with the encouragement and resources they need to grow. I’ve been able to execute training and processes that will help my team both win together and lose together. Losing together hurts less when you have each other’s backs.
When reflecting on my professional development, I have come leaps and bounds from where I began. I’ve found a renewed sense of confidence in my work and have left imposter syndrome in my past. I’ve been coached to make decisions proactively and not be afraid to voice my opinion as a woman in leadership.
I’ve watched my team excel under my leadership, and I’ve seen the smiles I bring to people’s faces when I make a decision that is strong and with purpose. I’m just calling the shots because I am confident in myself and my leadership skills.
I’ve been coached to make decisions proactively and not be afraid to voice my opinion as a woman in leadership.”
What professional development resources does Automox offer that help support and elevate women in the workplace?
Automox does a great job at providing resources that are beneficial to professional development. From healthcare to unlimited PTO to manager cohorts and everything in between, there’s a supportive environment for all employees.
After coming to Automox and seeing the inclusivity of all managers working together and collaborating to grow, it’s something that I will look for wherever I go in my career. The manager cohorts are awesome. Reflecting on topics and how you handle situations with other leaders that are in different departments is something really valuable to career growth. It’s interesting to hear different perspectives on things such as DEI and resilience from people with varying levels of experience and background.
There’s a Slack channel where all the women of the company share their experiences, welcome each other to the company, talk about work and, most importantly, it’s a place where women can come together to support and elevate each other.
We all know that being a woman in tech sales isn’t always a walk in the park. It’s nice having a community of women, as well as a company that supports our unification and appreciates diversity.
How has Automox built an inclusive and equitable culture for women?
One of the most appealing aspects of Automox is the inclusive culture that they provide for women. They provide competitive and equitable compensation to women in our workplace, as well as stock options when they join and throughout their time here.
There isn’t a single time I can think of where a woman wasn’t considered for a role or opportunity. Just a few weeks ago, we started the RAISE Council as our DEI group here at Automox. The majority of the committee consists of women who want to bring everyone together and honor each other’s differences and experiences throughout the company. It’s great to see that we are supported to speak up and lead conversations of diversity and inclusion.
I would also like to mention that senior management, no matter their gender, ethnicity or background, supports their direct reports in their careers and helps them plan out their futures. My manager is always eager to discuss where I am going in the company or help me see where I have opportunities to continue to grow.
