Containment and technology: women in tech advise other women in tech
How are women in the technology industry faring? We interviewed a dozen of them to understand their new reality.
In the midst of the crisis, but far less affected than most sectors, the technology and IT community stands out for its promise of renewal and continuity. Online services have, for some, gone from optional to essential and, for others, from essential to even more essential. But ease of logistical adaptation and business opportunities must not overshadow a company’s most important asset: its workers and their well-being.
We look at the conditions created by this crisis for women who continue to work in technology. This article is the synthesis of a preliminary survey of a dozen women. If you identify yourself as a woman in technology, we invite you to complete this survey to help us refine our understanding of your reality and offer you more articles, support and guidance.
Everything has to change to stay the same
The first striking observation is that the daily lives of those who kept their jobs were relatively unaffected. Some of the telecommuting options deployed were already in place, or at least already available. For large companies offering off-site services, there were no major changes. Adaptations consist mainly of implementing internal remote communication strategies, or allowing employees access to software or sensitive information.
“Remote working has always been an option for me, and the company already had a VPN for employees who wanted to work from home. This made adapting to the crisis easier – not to mention that my client is located in Ottawa, so it doesn’t change anything in my work process.” – Vanessa, Solution Developer for Deloitte
The crisis has even enabled some companies to pivot, adapting their services to new demand and new needs. The story of PixMob, which developed the SafeWatch product in just a few weeks, is a spectacular example.
Isolation also favors remote collaboration solutions of all kinds. Companies that were already banking on dematerialized services now have an unexpected opportunity to develop their market, at the price of a few adaptations. Take Bazookka, a startup that uses artificial intelligence to match recruiters with interns or graduates. Hiring is slowing but not freezing, especially in tech, one of the most in-demand sectors at the moment. CEO Sam Bellamy explains that, despite the obvious changes in their customers’ habits, business continues. Previously low-priority functionalities are coming to the fore. For example, Bazookka intends to develop improved communication tools to centralize the entire recruitment process and avoid users being scattered from one platform to another. The company also wants to offer more free services to make life easier for its users in times of crisis.
New professional and personal challenges
Large companies have the means to adapt, while lean, innovative start-ups can do well, provided their market has not been too severely affected by the crisis. Medium-sized companies, on the other hand, appear to be more vulnerable in the long term: they are heavier than smaller companies, but have fewer human and financial resources than larger ones.
Finding financing and customers for the most unstable companies, those that have needed to pivot more than 90°, or even the strongest whose market has been deeply affected, is a challenge that has some fearing a reduction in their working hours in the long term. For the time being, however, the mood seems to be more upbeat.
In a world where women are often expected to perform more for the same level of recognition as men, the temptation is great to give not 200%, but 400% of oneself in order to remain useful and relevant. Of course, beware of burns.
“The tendency I usually see in women is that they let work take up too much space in their daily lives. A lot of companies are overwhelmed because of the crisis, and I see a lot of people suffering under work overload and the stress of being in an unstable situation.” – Seynabou Ndiaye, fullstack developer for Myelin
All our respondents report a more or less significant increase in their workload. While the tasks remain more or less the same, their number is multiplying to meet the need for rapid adaptation.
Keeping in touch is no mean feat either. Certain tasks requiring clear, rapid communication with non-verbal elements are affected by distance. And yet, paradoxically, distance has never brought us closer together, as one respondent, who wishes to remain anonymous, points out. Zoom, Hangout, meetings in all directions. The need to stay connected with one’s team in order to keep on top of project progress is driving the proliferation of videoconferencing, which in turn can damage productivity and morale by invading personal space.
Clearly separating private and professional life was a difficulty encountered by all our respondents who were not already working remotely. And even for the regulars, the exceptional circumstances created by the crisis have the potential to shift the boundaries.
Despite this, teleworking is seen as an opportunity by most of our respondents. Some even see an improvement in their quality of life, as they no longer have to travel long distances to get to work, and have greater flexibility in their working hours. All of them hope that the means implemented to facilitate remote working will remain in place once the peak of the crisis has passed, because, when deployed correctly, this is an opportunity that is as much personal as it is professional.
Tips for survival
For those who find themselves in similar situations to their own, our respondents’ main advice is to:
- Make sure you have good equipment and an optimal Internet connection;
- Get as much fresh air as the confinement allows, and find an exercise routine. Those of us who are used to telecommuting know that if we don’t want to lose our heads, we need to take them away from our screens on a regular basis;
- Set clear boundaries between work and personal life, and insist that they are respected by employers or customers (avoid weekend calls or meetings wherever possible, so as not to create too much availability during these important rest periods);
- Limit non-professional meetings to well-defined times, and avoid reunionism. Out of sight is not out of mind, so it’s counter-productive to multiply non-essential follow-ups. It’s better to have one long, effective meeting every three days than short (or even equally long!) daily meetings interspersed with personal conversations.
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If things were going well for the company and its employees before the crisis, there’s a good chance they’ll continue to do so after a few austerity adjustments. Remote working even offers several opportunities to improve conditions. The installation of confinement and the lasting changes it entails, however, point to longer-term pitfalls. Beware, for example, of work overload or the invasion of personal life by professional life, which threatens those whose telecommuting wasn’t already part of their daily routine. We must remain vigilant not to let bad conditions become entrenched.
And what about those who want to change jobs or find new ones? During the crisis, recruitment continues at a distance. Recruiters’ expectations, new processes – we’ll be looking at the new rules of the game in future articles.
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