Why Hold International Women’s Day Events in Your Firm?

By Jarod Cerf

As McKinsey’s 2012 report on gender and corporate culture can attest, firms and companies still have the power, means, and capacity to serve as primary advocates for the women they employ. Given the context and theme of “Inspiring Change” for this year’s International Women’s Day, the month of March can serve as an ideal time to increase the volume on conversations about the challenges and opportunities for professional women.

While it is important for companies and their employees to be agents of change every day of the year, many firms take advantage of International Women’s Day to increase awareness, provide data, relate progress, and encourage participation in ongoing efforts to increase the number of women in leadership roles.

Defining Keys to Success and Unlocking Potential
Accenture has released a new study called “Career Capital” in honor of International Women’s Day. The study emphasizes the need for continued proactive training programs and leadership initiatives that focus on how men and women approach their career paths—as well as where the two genders differ on certain values.

The study revealed that men are still more likely to ask for (and negotiate) a raise, while women tend to rate efficiency somewhat higher than men as the skill they bring to the table, whereas men rate their leadership skill higher. Both men and women anticipate a greater number of women CEOs and board members by 2020, with correspondents across the board (74 percent) claiming that experience mattered more than education.

Accenture also hosted a webcast this past Friday with keynote speakers Arianna Huffington and Gayle King, and panelists ranging from Accenture’s Managing Director of Global Inclusion and Diversity, Nellie Borrero, to the Chairman and CEO of BAV Consulting, John Gerzema. The conversation centered on professional insights and how participants can best acquire and build their own career capital.

Community Outreach Builds the Pipeline and Boosts Morale
To celebrate International Women’s Day, SunGard teamed up with Girl Develop It – an international organization providing affordable and accessible programs to women who want to learn software development through mentorship and hands-on instruction – to host screenings of the film, Girl Rising, and raise awareness for access to education for girls across the world.

Suzanne Penavic, Director of Employee Engagement at SunGard, commented on how being aware of issues can really get people thinking and talking.

She noted, “As a technology company we rely on our software developers, who represent 33% of our total workforce and are based in numerous locations around the world. We support recruiting and retaining a diverse talent pool among this group, and within our entire company, because in the end we want the best minds working together in our organization. We invited Girl Develop It to help connect the dots around this notion.”

Penavic added, “Girl Develop It will join SunGard in other locations such as Chicago, Miami and Philadelphia, and in screening locations where they do not have a presence, such as Pune and Tunis.”

Engaging Women in the Workplace
Capco, likewise, continues to evaluate and evolve its mentoring efforts, with Kaylin Kugler, a principal consultant and leader at the company, acting as one of the chief advocates for Women@Capco –an initiative the company launched in 2011.

Kugler said the network consolidates available resources, including Capco’s mentoring circles, and provides current (and incoming) generations of women with a means for reaching out to the leadership, as well as each other, for support.

“I wanted to make sure that other women at Capco could access the same level of mentorships and guidance that I had,” Kugler said, “and I think that, because I was passionate about it, and organized, the Capco leadership could say, wholeheartedly, ‘go ahead and rally the troops.’”

According to Kugler, getting everyone on board is a critical component of the network’s success. She remarked, “When we say that we’re ‘aware and engaged’ as a brand, we have to mean that as much with our clients as with our own people.” While membership in the network and mentoring circles is entirely voluntary, Kugler and her associates have seen a remarkable degree of buy-in, both from senior leaders as well as clients.

Creating Opportunities on International Women’s Day and Beyond
Capco plans to honor International Women’s Day with an inaugural panel on March 14th, featuring senior technology partner, Scott Claus, author Shari Harley, as well as speakers from Citi, HSBC, and Prosek Partners. The panel coincides with an ongoing social media effort called #BeYourselfAtWork, which emerged in partnership with The Guardian.

As part of this ongoing effort, which began last month, Capco will collect and preserve the life lessons and stories shared in a visual archive aimed to inspire future generations of women leaders. The company has also revised the structure of their mentoring circles for the year, with greater emphasis placed on small and local conversations, and junior women candidates prompting the discussions.

To Kugler, increasing both the level and degree of engagement serves as a remarkable form of validation and proof of concept. She stated, “I’m constantly inviting feedback on the programs, the topics, and participation to ensure that it’s always exciting, engaging, and remains informative.”