Last week, we looked at the history of women in tech, the current gender gap that exists in our industry, and the efforts that the Salesforce ecosystem is making to rectify gender disparity whilst championing inclusivity and diversity. Whilst we are proud to be part of a fast-growing, values-driven industry, each of us must do our part.
“As we work to find and employ a diverse team, we aim to ensure that no one feels like a minority.” Fred Walker, Director, Atlantic Technologies UK
Today, we look into our own office environment to create self-awareness, identify opportunities and welcome positive change.
To discover the solution, we must fully understand the challenge. From here we successfully create opportunities. We speak to a range of women and men from different departments within Atlantic Technologies to unearth their perspectives.
Atlantic Technologies; Women in our Workplace
43% of the Atlantic Technologies HQ is female, as well as five out of seventeen of our London office. Our goals for diversity strive beyond gender, rather, to build a workplace that represents a diverse set of viewpoints. As we develop the identity of our company and define our values we feel it is important to communicate our intentions. We have opened this conversation up to the world in order to to be held accountable to a high moral standard and to attract a like-minded community of employees, customers and partners.
To understand how accessible the IT industry is for women, we must first look at how discoverable the industry is. Why is it that the industry is easier to enter for men?
How did you end up working in tech?
Our first UK employee, Helena, started working in tech as a result of meeting our Marketing Director, Pamela, while playing tennis. “I fell into the industry coincidentally, but very fortunately! I am stimulated by the fast pace of my job, and am grateful that the ever-changing nature of technology pushes me to continue enhancing my skill set on a daily basis.”
Other employees came across cloud computing through their existing role in another industry. Yetunde has “always worked in a project environment but with little or no knowledge of technical solutions. My manager at the time encouraged me to learn Salesforce. I fell in love and never looked back. Now I find so much fulfilment helping organisations deliver solutions that improve their business and customer experience. I also get to work with an amazing technical team and it offers me the opportunity to learn something new every day.”
Whilst many people feel as though they ‘fell into’ their careers, education, human connection and personal motivation all have a part to play. If the existing Salesforce ecosystem is currently doing most of the work, the wider Salesforce family can too become part of the solution.
What is the Atlantic Technologies office environment like for women?
As Atlantic Technologies UK has grown over the past few months, it has been wonderful to see our gender balance begin to even out. Whilst we continue to search for a diverse workforce, it is the job of our senior management and established workforce to make everyone feel valued on both a personal and a professional level.
“I was the only woman on Atlantic’s UK consulting team for over 6 months. I’ll admit that this was tough at times, but in some ways, I feel almost grateful to have had this experience. More than ever, I felt the need to gain respect and make my voice heard. As a fairly reserved person, this was initially a challenge, but now I wouldn’t think twice about speaking up and sharing my opinion.” Helena, Senior Consultant
Yetunde continues “It is a great place to work. We all work together as a team and every day, I see Atlantic Technologies women fiercely taking on challenges and delivering effortlessly. Credit is given where it is due. I do not feel, as a woman, my contribution or work isn’t relevant simply because of my gender. I am thankful to work in such an environment.”
“A key goal for Atlantic Technologies is to ensure we create a positive environment for each of our employees. As we work to find and employ a diverse team, we aim to ensure that no one feels marginalised. The question is, how can we improve on this further?” states Fred Walker, Director at Atlantic Technologies UK
Is there an equal treatment in the Atlantic Technologies workplace?
“Yes! We’ve come a long way since the male-dominated beginnings of Atlantic Technologies UK. I’m happy that several more women have joined our team over the past few months and that they have been welcomed with open arms. In addition to contributing significantly to project work, women are active participants in our company’s social events, which are always inclusive and fun for everyone.” Helena
Yetunde shares her perspective, having joined more recently “I still feel that the current ratio of men to women in AT UK needs more work. More needs to be done to strike an equal or close to equal balance. I believe equal opportunities exist to apply for a role here at Atlantic Technologies UK but we need to consciously access the hiring process and don’t have an inherent bias that sees only men walking through the door. We need to ensure our values and ethics to equality are woven into the core of who we are as a company to ensure we have the right mix of talent.”
Growing forward, together
As Atlantic Technologies UK has grown over the past few months, it has been wonderful to see our gender balance begin to even out. This is a trajectory we aim to continue along. Women are still outnumbered. Our applicants are majority male. Through external communications and recruitment, we need to ensure we appeal to a diverse workforce.
It is the job of our senior management and established team to make everyone feel valued on both a personal and a professional level. Furthermore, we continue to encourage employees to discover and support peers in external sanctuaries such as Rad Women, Ladies Be Architects and the Women in Tech Trailblazer Community Group.
Having opened the doors of our UK office little over a year ago, it is great to feel that the progress we have already made is recognised. We will not stop here! With the support of the Salesforce ecosystem, it is clear that the efforts being made by Marc Benioff are rippling across to partners, platforms, employees and more.
If you like the idea of working in an inclusive, nurturing environment please send over your CV. We are always looking for brilliant new minds to join our team.
