At Intellek, we strive to foster a culture of diversity, inclusion, and empowerment for all of our employees. This International Women’s Day, the men of Intellek are refocusing their commitment to supporting our female colleagues and promoting gender equality in the workplace.
IN THIS ARTICLE...
Invest in Women and Accelerate Progress
The 2024 theme “Invest in women and accelerate progress” calls upon people of all genders to take action enabling women to advance and achieve their highest potentials. As Adrian Portway our Head of Network & Security puts it, “We commit to fostering an environment where women’s voices are elevated, their expertise recognized, and future female leaders nurtured. On this International Women’s Day, we reflect on how we can best lend our support.”
Championing Inclusion in Technology
As CTO, Julian Tucker recognizes the need for more women and underrepresented groups in technical roles. “Too few women enter and remain in tech. On International Women’s Day, I re-examine ways we can actively recruit, retain, and champion the contributions of women across all levels of our tech teams.” Intentional outreach, mentorship programs, and spotlighting role models are a few approaches Julian champions.
Examine Where Inequalities Persist
Accelerating progress first requires examining where inequality persists. Sales Development Representative Glody Mambuene acknowledges, “Achieving equality requires dismantling barriers both visible and invisible. As men, it’s our responsibility to recognize where those barriers exist in our organization and dedicate ourselves to removing them.” This could involve reviewing promotion rates, pay equity, and access to leadership opportunities through an intersectional gender lens.
Fostering Inclusion Across Development Teams
Julian Tucker also strives for more inclusive representation. “I strive to amplify diverse voices, ensure credit is attributed fairly for women’s technical contributions, and influence better representation by advocating for hiring and promoting qualified women engineers,” Julian says “It’s on all of us to address areas of underrepresentation across the development team.”
Fellow software developer Matt Fillary echoes Julian’s commitment, “Being an ally is an everyday practice in how we listen, validate others’ realities, leverage privilege to foster access for marginalized groups, and most importantly – believe them and take action towards progress.”
Tackling Unconscious Bias in Hiring & Promotions
As Head of Business Development & Innovation focused on company growth, Daryl Fitzpatrick looks at unconscious bias across organizations. “Dismantling systemic barriers requires introspection into how unconscious biases influence workplace decisions on hiring, performance evaluations, promotions, and account management. Biases hinder organizations from placing the best talent in roles best suited for them to achieve maximum success.”
Fostering Equality in Customer Support
Our gender equality efforts extend across all roles and customer-facing areas of the business.
“As a Technical Support Specialist, I interact with customers and colleagues across all backgrounds every day. Promoting gender equality and inclusivity allows us to better understand and serve the diverse perspectives of those we support.” Xavier Campbell states “I’m committed to being an ally by ensuring all voices are heard, amplifying the excellent work of my female colleagues, and creating an environment where everyone feels empowered to succeed.”
Policies Alone Can’t Transform Culture
We are proud that Intellek invests in professional development programs, family leave policies, mentoring networks, and initiatives that foster inclusion and belonging for women. But policies alone will not transform culture. As Ricci Masero our Marketing Manager emphasizes, “A diverse and inclusive workplace where all people feel valued and supported is both a moral and business imperative. We stand ready to collaborate with women across all levels of the organization, amplify their voices, and actively champion gender equality efforts.”
Equality is Everyone’s Issue
The active investment required goes beyond just surface-level commitments. Men must challenge themselves and one another to enact meaningful change. As Guille Casanova from our development team affirms, “Too often, gender equality efforts are seen as a women’s issue rather than everyone’s issue. As male allies, we commit to owning our part.”
Owning our part means speaking up when women’s contributions are overlooked, making space for diverse voices in decision-making, advocating for work-life policies that provide flexibility, and understanding that women still disproportionately bear societal responsibilities outside of work. The burden must not solely rest on women’s shoulders.
Men of Intellek: Active Allies and Supporters
The men of Intellek pledge their ongoing dedication as active allies and supporters to create opportunities, address biases, and accelerate women’s equality in our workplace and beyond.
By working together, step by step, we know we can achieve greater gender equality.
We have more work to do, but on International Women’s Day 2024, we reaffirm our commitment to gender equality and pledge our support to invest in women and accelerate progress.
Intellek (formerly TutorPro) is a founding member of the learning technology industry. With a presence in the USA, UK, Canada, and the EU – for over 30 years we have pioneered the development of cutting-edge eLearning software and online training solutions, with a large and diverse portfolio of international clientele.
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