Susan B. Anthony, the pioneer of the women’s suffrage movement in the United States, once said she would like to be able to “live another century and see the fruition of all the work for women.” Anthony died in 1906, fourteen years before the fruit of her own labor paid off in the form of the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, granting women the right to vote.
Aug. 26 is Women’s Equality Day, marking the anniversary of the certification of that amendment in 1920. And while there have been great strides toward gender equity in the last century, some challenges persist.
Women make up nearly half of the American workforce, but their presence in global technology companies hovers around one-third of the total employees. Those numbers are increasing though, and some companies are making concerted efforts to hire, support and promote women into leadership.
From being intentionally invitational in hiring practices to consistency in pay transparency, Austin tech companies are working to move the industry forward.
Built In sat down with women leaders from five of these companies to hear about how their employers are championing women in the workplace. Susan B. Anthony might find herself encouraged by their answers.
LogicMonitor is the leading, fully-automated, cloud-based infrastructure monitoring and observability platform, empowering companies to focus less on troubleshooting and more on innovation.
What does your company do well to support, champion and empower women in the workplace?
At LogicMonitor, I am valued equally among my peers. Our company works diligently to ensure we have a diverse workforce, prioritizing equitable inclusion and diversity of thought.
We have several inclusion programs aligned with these goals, including our Women@LM group. This employee resource group (ERG) is a safe space for women and allies to gather and support one another. This group has facilitated team attendance at the Texas Conference for Women, organized coffee chats and brought in guest speakers. We aim to share insightful content to help women thrive in the workplace.
Soon after joining LogicMonitor, I was involved in changing company-wide policies that reduced the required employee tenure for parental leave benefits. Originally, the required tenure was one year. Our leaders listened to women’s concerns and recognized the vulnerable position in which this policy put potential employees. They ultimately decided to shorten the tenure requirement to six months. LogicMonitor also introduced fertility benefits around the same time.
Seeing how quickly our company took action around such important issues was inspiring. At that moment, I realized I had joined the right team.
How do your colleagues — and in particular company leadership — show that they are allies to women in the workplace?
At LogicMonitor, we emphasize respectful communication and actively avoid interrupting one another. Additionally, my colleagues genuinely practice allyship with women in the workplace. They often seek my perspective, knowing I’ll be able to bring a different lens.
The support for these values starts at the top with our company leadership. They've made diversity a top priority, and have taken concrete steps like conducting pay parity studies to ensure all are compensated fairly and equitably. Our talent team requires diverse interviewers during the hiring process, creating a welcoming atmosphere for all candidates.
Last summer, I was invited to shadow our executive leadership team for an offsite concentrated on realigning company values, priorities and focus areas. It is rare to have such a diverse ELT in the tech industry, especially one with a female CEO. Of the nine C-level leaders at LogicMonitor, five are women and three are people of color. Our leaders use their position to drive initiatives that help the next generation of women in leadership. I'm grateful for the opportunities to grow and succeed here and proud of the inclusive and supportive environment at our company.
What would you share with fellow women in your field?
The reality is that we are in the middle of a monumental shift. More women are part of the workforce than ever before. We have to continue to lift one another up and pay it forward when we can. We have to continue making daily conscious efforts to be allies to diverse employees of all kinds.
We have to continue making daily conscious efforts to be allies to diverse employees of all kinds.”
In this evolving landscape, companies and individuals alike are recognizing the value of diversity of thought and appreciating different perspectives like never before. To effectively serve customers worldwide, we must understand and embrace the diverse realities of the global population.
Is the system perfect? Of course not. Is it better for me than it was for my mother? You bet. Now it is our job to make sure that it is even better for our daughters. Game on.
Unanet is the leading provider of ERP and CRM solutions for GovCon, as well as Architecture, Engineering & Construction.
What does your company do well to support, champion and empower women in the workplace?
The support for women in tech is clear from the inclusive culture built by Unanet. One of our employee resource groups, Women at Unanet, is a group of women who come together to discuss varying topics and their current struggles. As a group, women share their experiences and resources they've found helpful.
Our culture also supports women through remote work which includes support for flexible work schedules and embracing work-life balance. As a working mom, I can easily make time for school drop-off and pickup, doctor appointments or cutting out early for a softball game. The flexible schedules allow us to work around our family instead of away from them.
The flexible schedules allow us to work around our family instead of away from them.”
Unanet also supports pay equality through programs like pay transparency. They include salary ranges for both new job postings and promotions. Pay is determined by the role and experience, not gender.
How do your colleagues — and in particular company leadership — show that they are allies to women in the workplace?
Women are in leadership roles throughout Unanet. You can see it in every department from engineering to customer success and finance. Colleagues support these women by sharing positive experiences with them through our recognition and rewards platform, Bonusly.
Leaders also take the time to provide feedback through one-on-one sessions and mentoring to help women continue to develop in their leadership roles.
Our leadership team has also provided different professional development programs geared toward women. One in particular, Women in Leadership, helped us identify our natural strengths and biases to elevate our leadership skills. After partaking in other professional development programs, it was refreshing to be involved in a program aimed specifically at women.
How do you feel like your voice is heard in the workplace?
I feel I am heard at Unanet through the opportunities provided to me. Leading and participating in the Women at Unanet group has helped me connect with other women at Unanet and share my own thoughts on women in tech.
I've participated in national groups like Women in Tech and spoken at some of their events. I've also had a platform to discuss my work, my team and my own growth in the company during our monthly all-hands meeting.
Wise is one of the fastest growing Fintechs in the world, on a mission to make money without borders a new norm.
What does your company do well to support, champion and empower women in the workplace?
Within the context of Wise's broader diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives, a dedicated group focuses on empowering women through mutual support. This platform enables women in leadership to share their knowledge, providing valuable guidance and advice to all participants. The opportunity to be mentored by a diverse and experienced group of women who have likely faced similar challenges in their careers is truly invaluable.
The opportunity to be mentored by a diverse and experienced group of women who have likely faced similar challenges in their careers is truly invaluable.”
The group organizes a thought-provoking Feminist Discussion Circle, inviting open dialogue on a range of influential topics concerning women, both in the workplace and within contemporary society. For instance, this month's discussion centers around women's health and the issue of bodily autonomy, a particularly relevant topic in the current context of the United States.
Through these initiatives, Wise actively promotes a culture of empowerment, inclusion, and meaningful conversation, fostering a supportive and progressive environment for all.
How do your colleagues — and in particular company leadership — show that they are allies to women in the workplace?
The profound impact of being consistently led by women has significantly contributed to my growth as a leader. Witnessing their ability to combine compassion with assertiveness in the workplace, particularly when navigating male-dominated environments, has served as a powerful source of insight and motivation.
Establishing trusting relationships with one's lead and reciprocating that trust as a leader with the team is crucial in fostering an environment where concerns can be openly addressed and valuable advice can be sought. I have been lucky to work with great leaders from the Wise Product and Banking team who I look up to.
Beyond my own growth, I've received great support in my efforts to create and nurture the Queer community at Wise. Building this community has allowed me to host insightful talks and discussion circles, both locally and globally, fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for all members of Wise, irrespective of their sexual orientation, race or gender.
The emphasis on providing a safe and welcoming space for every individual underscores Wise's commitment to being a truly supportive and diverse workplace.
What would you share with fellow women in your industry interested in your company?
The level of trust and opportunities provided by the company for me to share my experiences and knowledge with a wider audience is unmatched by anything I've encountered in other workplaces.
I've had the privilege of imparting knowledge on U.S. Payments to the entire Austin team, sharing insights into my team's achievements and well-being with the Northam team, and advocating for Queerwise (the LGBQT+ community at Wise) initiatives with relevant teams.
And we're not stopping there — our ambition stretches further as we settle into Austin. Our aim is to expand our reach and amplify our voice. We envision bringing together the ATX Fintech community, creating an inclusive space for meaningful discussions that encompass not just payments, but also Women in Tech and LGBTQ+ initiatives.
By fostering an environment of openness and collaboration, we aim to make a lasting and positive difference, both within our organization and in the broader tech community.
SciPlay is a developer and publisher of fun, authentic digital casino games millions of users enjoy.
What does your company do well to support, champion and empower women in the workplace?
SciPlay supports diversity, equity and inclusion in all aspects of its business. Our current workforce is approximately 32% female, and we are actively working to increase that number.
Both the HR and Talent Acquisition departments work together along with our employer branding teams to ensure that job descriptions are inclusive and appeal to all applicants. The company includes the following paragraph with its open job descriptions to encourage women and people of color to apply:
"Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At SciPlay we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles we have! #beYOU."
Additionally, SciPlay also has several ERGs — SciPlayHERS, SciPride and the Professional Development ERG — to help employees connect through their similarities and celebrate their differences.
How do your colleagues — and in particular company leadership — show that they are allies to women in the workplace?
Our Chief Revenue Officer Noga Halperin is a woman, and both she and our entire company leadership demonstrate their commitment to supporting women. This is evident through the company’s focus on actively recruiting women to work at SciPlay.
Last spring, we conducted our annual employee engagement survey, and our psychological safety score received a high rating of 89% favorable. SciPlay prioritizes and fosters a safe workplace environment so all employees can work free from harassment.
SciPlay prioritizes and fosters a safe workplace environment so all employees can work free from harassment.”
SciPlay has nurtured an inclusive environment by establishing and funding internal organizations that provide support to women, such as the ERG mentioned earlier, SciPlayHERS, of which I am president. We even have a dedicated Slack channel called “The Girls’ Room."
How do you feel like your voice is heard in the workplace?
I feel that my voice is well-heard at SciPlay. One of our core values is #beYOU, and that is reflected in the fact that SciPlay is passionate about welcoming and celebrating people who come from diverse backgrounds, identities and experiences.
My SciPlay colleagues and corporate leaders value and encourage the ideas and contributions of employees of all genders. As a company, SciPlay truly believes that creating a safe and supportive environment where all employees can feel empowered is critical to the success of its workforce and the company at large.
Orchard is transforming the way people buy and sell their homes by simplifying the process to be fair, true to market, straightforward and easy.
What does your company do well to support, champion and empower women in the workplace?
Orchard does an amazing job of treating everyone with respect and offering an array of opportunities for women in the workplace.
Orchard offers management development courses for any individual stepping into a people management position. The course is led by some amazing women within Orchard and is attended by women and men across several departments.
Our People Team shares recruiting efforts and statistics that show what percentage of women were recruited, were contacted and applied for job openings. This level of transparency fosters a more inclusive culture and demonstrates Orchard’s commitment to offering equal opportunities for women.
One of my favorite examples of empowering women within Orchard is our Slack channel, #who-run-the-world, dedicated to connecting women within Orchard by sparking fun and interesting topics of conversation.
The level of transparency at Orchard fosters a more inclusive culture and demonstrates our commitment to offering equal opportunities for women. ”
Orchard provides a supportive environment that enables women to thrive by offering amazing benefits. Health and wellness benefits, unlimited PTO, robust parental leave and support for women returning to work are just a few.
How do your colleagues — and in particular company leadership — show that they are allies to women in the workplace?
Throughout my time at Orchard, my colleagues have shown tremendous support and allyship for women in the workplace.
My managers at Orchard have encouraged me to stretch in a number of ways. During our one-on-one check-ins and review sessions, my managers check in with me on my professional development and areas of opportunity.
If I provide feedback or a desire to sharpen my skills, they take the time to either teach me or connect me to other colleagues within Orchard that possess the skills I seek to develop.
At Orchard, women of all levels are often seen presenting during cross-functional meetings and at Orchard Town Halls on the latest product developments, program launches or financial health of our company.
The executive team also hosts Executive Q&A sessions with smaller groups of employees. This provides an opportunity for a candid conversation with Orchard’s leadership. During these sessions, we learn more about their backgrounds, previous work experience and lessons learned. Meeting with executives in a more intimate setting gives us an opportunity to ask questions we may not feel comfortable asking in larger settings.
How do you feel like your voice is heard in the workplace?
At Orchard, feedback is truly a gift. Orchard has created a culture that ensures my voice is heard in the workplace by offering different opportunities to provide feedback and speak up.
Performance reviews at Orchard are conducted twice a year. During review season, we have an opportunity to provide meaningful feedback to our managers and colleagues with whom we work day-to-day. This provides an opportunity to have a productive conversation with my manager.
Once the review is completed, my managers demonstrate that they take our feedback seriously and will often ask for it throughout the year. This shows that my opinions and feedback can positively impact the company culture.
One of the most effective ways my voice has been heard is through our Orchard Employee Surveys. These surveys are anonymous and offer me an opportunity to share feedback on a variety of topics, including our benefits package and general employee sentiment.
The feedback we provide in these surveys has resulted in positive changes such as new department policies that promote cross-functional engagement and new benefits like unlimited access to Headspace.
