Break the bias – Voicing women empowerment in technology landscape

Look around you, and you’ll notice how women are immaculately steering the wheel of business growth and profitability of multiple leading organizations. As a driving force in workplaces, they are breaking years-long stereotypes, mentoring driven teams, and leading by example. Organizations need to invest more in recognizing and addressing biases that are holding them back from performing at their true potential. Along with spearheading gender diversity initiatives, creating work-life flexibility, leadership opportunities, and breaking bias at work have also become a necessity.

When it comes to the IT sector, the numbers are encouraging, with women representing a collective of 33% of the workforce in leading technology firms globally. Responsible businesses foster gender-neutral workplaces that create equal opportunities for employees and empower women to take frontline roles in organizations.

How can organizations break the bias?

As we adjust to the new normal, it becomes integral to define how we live, work, and thrive in professional settings. Most of us had the liberty to work from home or in hybrid environments that maximized productivity and potential. With work-life integration bringing diversity to the workplace, it has created new ways to break the bias through flex-work engagements, improving their overall health and lifestyle.

A study on remote working in the technology sector showed that 42% of women working from home found themselves to be more effective while transitioning from physical workplaces. Shifting focus on opportunities rather than hours spent has been a significant part of this journey, as women continue to usher in the new domain of work-life balance.

Here are some best practices to consider when empowering women to do their best at work:

• A result-driven approach that supports workplace transformation
• Keeping a check on your burnout and virtual meeting fatigue
• Honing time management and self-motivation
• Learning online collaboration techniques

Redefining the meaning of mentorship

Women in the tech industry face many headwinds. The most popular and stereotypical perception is that technology and women share a rather unusual relationship, if not the contrary. Some organizations, however, are promoting, developing, and retaining female talent to reinforce the concept that women are great leaders. But what exactly does mentorship mean today? Cultivating the right path to women's empowerment starts with breaking the bias at the workplace and talking about modern ways they can communicate, create the right networks, and voice their opinion with confidence.

In tech, the right partnerships, mentors, and work verticals are necessary to ensure an ecosystem where employees feel valued, regardless of their gender. Some aspects of empowering women as impactful tech leaders include creating a comfortable space to discuss their career trajectories and investing in personal development strategies.

Well-being comes first

It takes a lot of effort to be the only woman in a tech company. Consciously or subconsciously, it impacts women's choices at work. When it comes to their well-being, building a gender-neutral atmosphere is a good initiative, as offering support, or simply doing the basics right – recognizing the bias and addressing it.

With pandemic-influenced rapid shifts in lifestyle, understanding that the playing field may not be equal is crucial in tackling underlying issues like work-related stress, mental health stigmas, etc. Practising inclusivity and gender diversity in the workplace can ensure biases are properly dealt with.

Reignite by Systems Limited: Empowering women in tech

Uncovering stereotypes that prevent women from advancing in the technology landscape is essential for nurturing workplace ecosystems. Systems Limited, with its workplace transformation initiative—Reignite, aims to reinvent the professional trajectory of female employees and their contribution to the company’s success. Reignite directly challenges gender bias by providing equal opportunities and facilities to welcome women returning from a career break, giving them complete ownership of their professional growth.

Here’s how Systems Limited is helping break the bias at work and creating unmatched career development opportunities for women.

Breaking barriers in tech

Organizations are rethinking how to create career paths that empower women to thrive in their professional as well as personal lives. Systems Limited, as Pakistan’s premier IT company, recognizes this need and inspires women to go for leadership and technical roles with unparalleled growth-driven roadmaps. With an eased working schedule, work-life stability, and

constant appreciation, women at Systems Limited feel honoured and valued, which drives them to work with dedication.

Here’s what Javeria Fahad, Head of Global Marketing at Systems Limited, has to say about encouraging women in tech, “I want to #breakthebias for changing circumstances; equality today for a sustainable tomorrow. I strive to be a part of an environment where women, as individuals, are recognized and appreciated for who they are and what they have achieved on their own. I believe courage is the best armour we can wear.”

Thriving in leadership roles

Women at Systems Limited are setting the foundation by leading forward in technical and executive positions. Reignite’s holistic approach is not limited to onboarding women coming from career breaks but incorporates investing in their personal development, empowerment, and long-term career goals. A workforce with an encouraging gender diversity ratio comprises women performing their roles from a diverse set of backgrounds, experiences, and responsibilities.

A concrete representation of women in our C-suite and other leading roles in the frontline workforce backs this fact, setting the precedent for women’s empowerment in their respective domains. Roohi Khan, Chief Financial Officer at Systems Limited, shares her take on breaking the bias at work, “I want to #breakthebias around women working in the leadership roles in the Finance function. Being a woman in a male-dominant field, I have heard stereotypical statements like women are not good with numbers, women cannot work long hours, women cannot take stress, etc. It is only through determination, passion, and hard work that women can stand their ground in a leadership position. We need to accept, encourage and promote women working in male-dominant fields or anywhere else as I believe women are equally talented.”

Leading the way forward by breaking the bias

Thriving in the technological revolution has never been easy. When it comes to organizations, a gender-balanced workforce is a thriving workforce, which guarantees equal opportunities for all. Understanding the root cause of gender bias, and developing a proper mechanism to address it is a crucial part of women contributing their best in the workplace.

While organizations take initiatives in this regard, hybrid work models, focused career development, and safe professional ecosystems are the cornerstone of women’s empowerment, enabling them to leverage their maximum potential.