October 22, 2022 50:58 E114

Women Leaders in Tech

In this episode, we cover the topic of Women in Tech. Chris Detzel, Director of Community and Engagement at Reltio ask his guest some tough questions around the topic.

Joining him is Allison Boudreau, Director, Digital Programs, Education and Community at Calix; Elizabeth Kinsey, Director of Community at Slack; and Nicole Saunders, Director of Community at Zendesk. Check out the YouTube Video: Episode 114: Women in Tech

The representation of women in the tech industry has long been a contentious issue. Although progress has been made in recent years, there remains a significant disparity in the number of women holding positions in this rapidly growing sector. This article will delve into the experiences of women leaders in the tech industry, exploring ways to dismantle gender stereotypes, empower women in the workplace, and create a more inclusive hiring process.

Accidental Entry: The Importance of Early Education and Mentorship

For many women, a career in tech was not a conscious choice but rather a serendipitous encounter. This emphasizes the need for early education, mentorship, and community support to inspire more women to consider careers in tech. Schools and universities should introduce technology-related subjects and coding workshops to female students from a young age, while tech companies and organizations should provide internships, mentorship programs, and networking events to encourage and support women entering the industry.

Empowerment in the Workplace: Growth, Development, and Fair Pay

Companies must recognize the importance of providing opportunities for growth and development to their female employees. Training programs, career development resources, and mentorship opportunities should be readily available to help women advance in their careers. Equally important is addressing the gender pay gap, which continues to persist in the tech industry. Employers must commit to fair pay and promotion practices, ensuring that women are not left behind in terms of compensation or career advancement.

Breaking Societal Pressures and Systemic Issues

Women in leadership positions in tech often face societal pressures and systemic issues that create barriers to their success. Traditional gender roles may require women to shoulder a disproportionate share of household responsibilities, limiting their availability for career advancement. Moreover, women-led companies frequently struggle to secure venture capital funding, as they are often unfairly perceived as riskier investments. To break down these barriers, society and the tech industry must recognize and address the existing gender biases and work towards creating a more equitable playing field.

Overcoming Gender Bias in the Workplace

Despite increased awareness, gender bias remains a pervasive issue in the tech industry. Women often face challenges when negotiating salaries, asserting themselves in meetings, and feeling like they truly belong in their roles. Building strong networks of allies and mentors can provide crucial support and guidance, while fostering a work culture that allows individuals to express themselves authentically and communicate in a manner that suits them can help level the playing field. Implementing blind hiring processes can also contribute to a more equitable recruitment process, free from gender-based bias.

Creating an Inclusive Hiring Process

A truly inclusive hiring process is essential for fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace in the tech industry. To achieve this, companies should ensure that women are well-represented on interview panels, create welcoming interview experiences, actively recruit women at the executive level, and celebrate trailblazers and mentors.

Breaking down gender stereotypes, empowering women in the workplace, and creating an inclusive hiring process are all vital steps in building a more equitable work environment for everyone in the tech industry. By addressing these challenges head-on, we can create a more diverse, inclusive, and innovative sector. It is high time for the tech industry to make a conscious effort to cultivate an inclusive environment where women can not only survive but also thrive and lead.

Creators and Guests

Host

Chris Detzel

Chris is a versatile Digital Community Strategist with several years of experience. He has owned community vision, strategy, and execution. He is responsible for leading the development and execution of community engagement programs, creating compelling content for customer communities and acts as the voice of the customer. He believes that data should drive decisions as it is the key element of any long-term successful strategy.

Host

Nicole Saunders

As Director of Community at Zendesk, she oversee the Community Team (part of the Global Digital Experiences team), set strategy, define policy and governance, develop and launch new community products, and engage our user community. Our programs include: an online community, virtual events, user groups, community champions, customer advocacy, and an annual global virtual community summit.

Guest

Allison Boudreau

Leads the strategy development and execution of Success at Scale initiatives, including Community, Digital Customer Engagement, and Education Services. An enthusiastic leader with 15+ years experience in B2B business, 6+ years of leading teams, and developing new leaders with an emphasis in telecommunications, healthcare, and SaaS markets. Focused on helping customers achieve business objectives, accelerate business results and realize differentiated value. Skilled in creating and growing relationships, always looking to drive innovation to create value and improve the overall customer experience, with a proven record of exceeding goals. Offers exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills and the ability to communicate/collaborate effectively with all levels of the organization, management, and executives.

Guest

Elizabeth Kinsey

Community, events, and marketing professional accomplished in managing on and offline programs and campaigns. Experienced moderator and speaker. Specialties include community program strategy and operations, community team management, live events and webinars, product initiatives, email marketing, content creation, inbound lead generation and lead nurturing programs. Love cats, memes, fire hydrants, popcorn, sci-fi, and The Joy of Painting. Perpetually late returning my library books.