Dina Knight, Chief People Officer at Logicalis Group, has over 25 years of experience working across international workforces and building strong teams that deliver change and drive results, all whilst ensuring employee wellbeing remains a top priority.
Dina shares her insights on what women should look out for when considering organisations that will support their career growth. She draws on her experience at Logicalis to outline her top tips, stretching beyond the broad focus on training and skills development.
Representation of women in leadership
From company culture to opportunities for progression, there are lots of things you should keep in mind when deciding between potential employers, particularly if the overall focus is to develop your tech career. One way to check if an organisation offers a supportive and equitable environment for female employees is to look at how many women are already in senior roles.
Today, according to insights from McKinsey, women make up around 50% of the UK workforce, yet they only fill 24% of tech roles – and similar figures are seen globally. In my experience, companies that genuinely endorse gender equality are taking steps to ensure that women are represented across the workforce and at every level.
Culture and company values
Female tech careers are often much shorter, with women leaving the industry at almost twice the rate of men, according to the same McKinsey research. I’ve found that one of the biggest reasons for this is that many women are working in environments that do not have a culture that supports or recognises them, meaning they are left feeling unsupported or like they need to go above and beyond to maintain their roles. Despite this, women who work in companies with a supportive culture, where provisions are in place to create an inclusive environment that allows women to thrive, far outperform those who work for companies that do not.
This was a big factor for me when deciding to work at Logicalis. I saw how proactive the business is when it comes to creating a culture that is positive and uplifting, not just for female employees but for every colleague, or “Architects of Change” as we like to call ourselves.
Over the last few years, our focus has been on developing this further with an explicit set of statements to articulate our Employee Value Proposition and Company Values. What we found was that by pledging 3 core commitments to our employees, we have been able to create a global workforce in which everyone could ‘Belong, Grow and Thrive’.
- Belong: ensuring that every voice is heard.
- Grow: bringing everyone together and creating a global ecosystem of people who inspire each other.
- Thrive: harnessing an energetic and collaborative environment where people can achieve a happy, balanced work life and thrive in everything they do.
Researching and spelling out our culture and values in such an explicit way has helped us to successfully address any prejudicial behaviours and unconscious biases, and clearly state what we aspire to achieve as a company that actively celebrates equality, diversity, and inclusion.
Finding a company that does this, and is consistent in the way they approach equality issues and taking steps to reduce unconscious biases, is something women should look out for when deciding if a business will truly support their future career aspirations.
Mentor program
Having great role models and a solid support system is fundamental for successful career development. Whether or not organisations offer this should be a key consideration for women who are serious about advancing their tech careers.
Speaking to other women in the industry and drawing insight from their rich pool of knowledge and wisdom is invaluable in many cases – especially where mentors can often relate to the challenges other women are facing. According to insights from TechUK, women who are mentored stay with organisations longer, and adjusting a company’s culture to be inclusive of mentoring could retain a vast 1.4 million women in tech roles by 2030.
The experience of other women
Finally, do your research and look at how other employees are treated.
Personally, I always look on LinkedIn to see if current and previous employees, particularly women, were promoted during their employment, what was the time frame and if there is anything you can take away from their experience. You can learn a lot about a business from the people who work there, they are valuable resources who can speak firsthand on the values and culture of the workforce and how they translate into day-to-day life.
Diversity is crucial in the tech industry, and there are a huge number of opportunities for women who forge their careers in it. The key in choosing the right path for you is to focus on finding employers that embrace diversity and inclusivity through their values and commit to creating an environment that recognises female employees and all they have to offer.