Getting technical for IWD 2019
At Local Heroes, we depend on data to help our business run. We rely on the insight we can gather and the story that can be told through data to shape how our website looks, how customers interact with us and the decisions we make about our next steps as we continue to grow as a business.
We believe there is, from our own experiences, a big gap in the industry when it comes to women working in STEM industries like data. Pair that with the industry that Local Heroes operates in, it can be difficult to have a gender-balanced workplace. We're fortunate enough to have women in what is usually a male-dominated space, such as Operations, Software Development and Technology Product Management roles.
We asked Lucy for her take on the current state of the industry. Lucy works as a Digital Optimisation Manager, working daily with data and turning what she sees into a story that can be worked with to better the performance of our website.
What is your current role?
Lucy: “I'm the Onsite Optimisation Manager at Local Heroes, my role sits in the Data & Analytics team but I often get to work with Product, Dev and Marketing. The main aim of my job is to use data and insight to improve the website and help customers find a Local Hero! I often test new things on the site as A/B tests to gather data and this helps us to make informed decisions about what our customers find helpful as well as what will help us improve our conversion rates.”
How have you found being a woman, working in your sector?
L: “To be honest, I’ve not had to think about it! I think perhaps there is a view that data science is for mathematicians (I have an English degree) so I’ve been very focussed on proving my worth in other ways as well as trying to improve my numeracy and spreadsheet skills rather than being focussed on the fact that I’m a woman.”
What are the current challenges for women in your sector?
L: “I think I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve never felt challenged at work because of my gender, if anything it drives me. I think the struggles that many women face in the workplace are around finding balance and not apologising or feeling like you shouldn’t have a personal life that means as much if not more to you than your work life does.”
“I think the struggles that many women face in the workplace are around finding balance and not apologising or feeling like you shouldn’t have a personal life that means as much if not more to you than your work life does.”
“For any woman that works in data (or man for that matter) who doesn’t feel like I do, I’d really encourage you to find a workplace that will celebrate your skills and develop your weaknesses, whilst allowing you to not feel apologetic for having balance in your life; ultimately if you have balance you will enjoy work more and work harder as a result.”
In your opinion, does the glass ceiling exist for women in your sector?
L: “I think the glass ceiling is still a universal issue, are some countries/industries/sectors closer to smashing it? Absolutely!
“We are at a point in time where the requirements in the workplace are different to what they were a few years ago; many companies now offer flexible working, joint or matched maternity/paternity, the ability to work from home, a less formal dress code. These new factors, for me, indicate how close a company is to breaking the glass ceiling.
“To be able to work flexibly or from home, or to not need to comply to a dress code makes me feel trusted. To me, trust really is the biggest way in which companies can make individuals feel accepted and happy.”
“To be able to work flexibly or from home, or to not need to comply to a dress code makes me feel trusted. To me, trust really is the biggest way in which companies can make individuals feel accepted and happy.”
“I think in my sector, where much of the work I do is online or can be done from a laptop, knowing that I can be trusted to work from home has made me confident that in the future I would be able to work alongside any other commitments I may have.”
Do you feel like enough is being done to promote women in the workplace?
L: “I feel like as a society we are a bit shy about celebrating individuals, whether they are male or female. For me, I would love to see more individuals being promoted in the workplace as well as knowing more around why they’ve been promoted. If we are open and honest about why someone is being celebrated then it is much easier to not judge that this has happened because they are a man or a woman and rather, congratulate them on what they have done and achieved.”
What advice would you give to someone looking to start working in your sector?
L: “Be passionate! Be enthused about what you do and certain about what you would like from your workplace and don’t settle for a company that you think won’t trust you to do your job in a way that works for you!”
Would that advice be any different to a woman looking to start working in your sector?
L: “No! We all deserve to feel trusted in the workplace and that our company will support and encourage us to have a sense of balance in life!”
At Local Heroes, we're supportive of women in STEM industries. While there has been a fair amount of progress in the past few years, it's fair to say that there's still some work to be done to transform various industries to make them more gender-balanced. We'll continue to support this change where we can.
