8 Mar 2019 • BLOG - News
International Women’s Day: 5 Stories That Show How Mailjet Supports Its Women
8 Mar 2019
It’s International Women’s Day and, all around the world, people are celebrating women, discussing equal rights and telling inspiring stories about the meaningful and strong women in their lives.
At Mailjet, we believe we are responsible for creating positive change, and when it comes to women’s rights and opportunities, it can’t be a one-day-only initiative. Yeah, getting the guys to sing Beyonce’s “Who run the world” at our karaoke nights is a start, but there are many other things a company can do to be a great place where women can succeed.
What makes us so special? Our superheroines tell you all about it!
Five stories that how how Mailjet supports its women
Empowering strong female leaders
When asked about female role models, most women could probably name several historical figures, but unfortunately, many of them don’t have the opportunity to see women in leadership roles within their own companies. At Mailjet, we place heavy value on equal opportunities and our leadership team, with 50 % female ratio, is a prime example of the amazing things that can happen when diversity is a top priority.
“Mailjet values female talents and equal opportunity, and the 50% female ratio in the top management team clearly shows that. As one of the chief executives in Mailjet, I am humbled by the responsibility to serve as a role model to other female colleagues across our offices worldwide.
I also feel empowered by Mailjet to lead female team-building activities and find it very easy to build a support network of female colleagues within the company who can advise, mentor and help me both professionally and personally.”
Encouraging women in the tech world
Finding a place within the tech industry is still hard for women. While women make up 59% of the total workforce, they are averaging only 30% of the workforce across major tech companies. Providing opportunities, understanding the challenges and ensuring women have an even playing field are key to ensuring the reality of the industry starts to change.
“Let’s face it: being a woman in the male-dominated world of deliverability (any tech industry, really) is tough. How many times have you been the only woman in the room? The strong women who came before us fought hard to give us the chance for our voices to be heard. Now is the time for us to embrace this effort, and for women to become the next generation of leaders in tech.
At Mailjet, a good idea is a good idea. Period. It doesn’t matter if the idea came from a man or a woman. That’s how it should be everywhere else.”
Celebrating motherhood
No matter how hard we try to ensure bringing up children is not only a mother’s job, there are still aspects of starting a family that fall on the woman’s shoulders. All around the world, women still complain they feel there is a “motherhood penalty” in the workplace. At Mailjet, we are committed to ensuring that this is not the case.
“Initially, I was part of a different team within Mailjet when the company opened a position for local support leaders. I was five months pregnant back then, but I applied anyway.
I was delighted to know I had been chosen as the Team Lead for our Sofia office, and felt really supported knowing that I was valued even though I was four months away from having my baby.”
Keeping education first
At Mailjet, we strongly believe the key to having powerful super-women in the tech world comes from providing the right opportunities to learn and grow. Having strong female leaders and mentors, enjoying the chance to study and take risks, and investing in our interns, to provide them with as many opportunities as possible is key to ensure that they find a space within the tech world.
“When I joined Mailjet, I was still working on my master’s degree, which meant I wasn’t available full time. There are not many places where you can balance work and education, but luckily Mailjet was happy to be flexible with this and allowed me to do three days a week at the office and two days at university.
This balance between studies and work has helped me gain responsibility within the team and develop a certain number of operational skills. In fact, being able to work and study at the same time is the best way to see real-life examples of what I have been studying. Since I started working at Mailjet, I have definitely grown professionally and I have certainly found my way into the tech industry.”
Embracing our differences
A burden for any woman can be the constant expectation of what a woman should be or a woman should look like. In dealing with criticism that can be anything from being too much of a tomboy to being too girly, sometimes there’s just too much pressure on women to be someone they are not. A strong part of the Mailjet culture is not having these expectations. We have the girliest girls, the nerdiest nerds… and appreciate them all just as much.
“Fresh out of university, I started my career at L’Oréal in Montréal. It was a great fit: Marketing + Beauty (a big passion of mine). The culture of L’Oréal is very fashionable and I loved that aspect. As my career developed, the startup and tech world drew me in. My industry may have changed, but my love of all things fashion and cosmetics didn’t, which made me wonder: will I fit in in this tech world?
When I started at Mailjet (the most tech-focused company I’d ever worked at) one of my colleagues gave me a stark awakening: he ONLY wears socks (never shoes) in the office. And guess what? No one cared. It was the same for me with my dresses, cute shoes (or even our Head of Content’s witty t-shirts and Harry Potter hoodies). This of course is not what represents women, but this is an aspect that represents me, and you really feel a sense of respect for that here. We’re not all the same at Mailjet, but we work, do sports class, eat lunch side by side and focus on who each other is, not the color of our socks.”
Celebrating the women at Mailjet on International Women’s Day
At Mailjet, we are sure about something: we wouldn’t be where we are without the strong women in our company. ❤️
Join us on Twitter as we #BalanceforBetter and celebrate our powerful women this #InternationalWomensDay!