The world is changing for the better. Society is starting to recognize and appreciate the potential that every single person on this earth has to make a difference, come up with a game changing idea, and pave the way to greatness regardless of their gender, race, physical ability, sexuality or economic status, if they are just given the chance. And it’s about time.
Yet according to Forbes magazine, while 52% of professional jobs are held by women, only 14% of those have high executive leadership roles, and there are three things holding them back. Those three things are: a fear of failure, balancing work and responsibilities within their family, and an inferiority complex.
I am proud and grateful to work at an agency, where not only do my male counterparts take the time to listen to what I have to say, and value my ideas and input, I am encouraged to leave those outdated insecurities that inhibit women from reaching their full potentials, at the door every time I step foot into our office.
Here are three ways Webtmize is empowering females in the workplace, the proven results of our methods and how other digital marketing agencies can follow suit.
At WebTmize, we are encouraged to live by three words in our professional lives. “Create. Connect. Give.”
Three words that are each powerful in their own right, but my favourite aspect of our mantra is “Create.”
What does create mean in the context of our agency?
Our team is empowered to work in an environment where all its members have a psychologically safe space to think out of the box, innovate, and bring new ideas to the team.
This isn’t just “feel-good PR jargon.”
This is a mantra that has created proven positive results for our team. Not only for the personal and professional growth of each employee, but for the agency as a whole.
As a woman trying to work my way up in the digital marketing world, I can admit that one of the greatest things that holds me back from creating something is my own fear of failure.
At Webtmize, we are encouraged to forget the fear of failure and just do. We are constantly reminded that through failure we learn, we grow.
We hold weekly scrums where each member of the team is given the spotlight to present an idea, ask questions, and offer solutions to our colleagues in challenging situations, as well as teach the team something we learned the previous week. Empowering every single person on the team to create and speak up not only raises every employee’s self-esteem, it creates higher productivity levels for the company. Because every member of the team has something unique to bring to the table and are more likely to offer it when they are encouraged, valued and heard.
According to UN Women, women globally bear a disproportionate responsibility for unpaid care and domestic work. At WebTmize, it is recognized that responsibilities at home and work can be difficult to balance at times. That’s why our agency offers flexibility in schedules, and “work from home days.” Ultimately, when employees are trusted and offered the option to work from home on days where coming to the office proves to be too difficult, it lifts a huge weight off their shoulders, allowing them to focus on their work and therefore be more productive.
This year for International Women’s Day, Google launched their #IamRemarkable campaign, where they encouraged women to name one thing that makes them remarkable. In order to shatter those feelings of inferiority that often hold women back in the workplace, and encourage women to be proud of showcasing their own accomplishments.
In the marketing world, it’s easy to market a company, a product or even another person. It’s much harder to promote yourself. Especially for women who believe they should always be modest.
But when you don’t allow yourself to be proud of your own accomplishments – it can be easy to forget your value.
In that spirit, I asked every female on the Webtmize team for one thing that makes them remarkable, and while at first, I was met with a little bit of blushing, and hesitancy, here is what everyone had to say:
– Paid Media Account Coordinator
“I am remarkable because with the farm that I help manage, I am able to fully sustain myself off the land.”
– HR Office Manager
“What makes me remarkable are my human qualities, my desire to make the world a better place and my creativity”.
– SEO Specialist & Webmaster
“What makes me remarkable is being able to manage several accounts successfully, while sharing my expertise through training other members of the team and empowering them to grow within the agency.”
– Paid Media Account Manager
I am proud of my female coworkers – not only for their wonderful qualities and accomplishments, but for allowing themselves to be proud of their accomplishments as well.
And finally: I am remarkable, because I allow myself to be vulnerable enough to express myself through my writing, and challenge myself to learn something that will help me grow professionally everyday.
– Paid Media & SEO Account Coordinator
Happy International Women’s Day!