Today is International Women's Day (IWD). An opportunity to celebrate women's achievements, raise awareness about discrimination, and take action to drive gender parity.
This year's theme is #EmbraceEquity. From the IWD website: "It's critical to understand the difference between equity and equality. The aim of the IWD 2023 #EmbraceEquity campaign theme is to get the world talking about Why equal opportunities aren't enough. People start from different places, so true inclusion and belonging require equitable action." Read more on the difference in equality and equity International Women's Day site.
At JMP we're devoted to helping all employees succeed. Hear stories from a handful of women at JMP (below), and share your stories in the comments and on social media channels using #IWD2023 and #EmbraceEquity.
Juliette Plager (@Juliette_Plager), Sales Manager
One important way I’ve seen JMP support women specifically and gender equity, in general, is through many, many conversations and check-ins. Whether it’s a one-to-one conversation about how to handle a conversation with a colleague from the perspective of a woman, a leader sharing a post on LinkedIn advocating for equal pay without waiting for the employee to bring it up first, or our BIG employee inclusion group devoting a meeting to the topic, all of these conversations add up to meaningful support.
Anissa Knox (@Anissa_Knox), General Counsel
Gender equity, like racial equity, should be an underlying tenet with respect to company ethos regardless of the industry, company product, or size. I appreciated that Jon Weisz and others were open and enthusiastic about discussing equity and inclusion during my interview process. I also appreciate that JMP Management is committed to focusing on equity as we continue to grow and expand. I have only been here at JMP for a handful of months. So, I’m very excited at the prospect of looking back with pride in a couple of years and seeing how we have grown as a company and as a community.
Shannon Conners (@shannon_conners), Research and Development Director
Since the beginning of my time at JMP as a product manager in life sciences, I have been fortunate to be mentored by strong women in leadership positions, including Diana Levey and Anne Milley in JMP marketing. I have also had the opportunity to mentor younger people – men and women - as they strive to navigate their careers and maintain balance at home.
It has been especially meaningful to me to see the expansion of parental leave over the last decade and to see so many of our young fathers also taking advantage of the option in addition to new moms. And post-COVID, the option to work a hybrid schedule or work remotely has been a game changer for parents (and grandparents) challenged with long commutes and busy schedules. On the days when I’m working at home, I love being able to be there when my kids get back from school so I can check in about their days.
As a manager myself, I have been happy to recommend and promote high-performing women to management positions in R&D and watch them thrive in their new roles! It is not typical in a tech company to see as many women managers as we have in JMP development. I’m proud to be part of an organization that values its workers and strives to “Embrace equity”!
Nina Chan (@nina_chan), Marketing Manager
I think the company culture at JMP encourages equity because it is based on the idea that people are the most important part of the business. It is important to be respectful of each other and understand differences. Most JMP employees are wonderful, open-minded people. It’s the job of managers to accompany and support the career journey of each individual, and in order to do that, you need to understand how gender or background can affect a person.
We have many strong, creative, and compassionate leaders in R&D, Sales, and Marketing, both male and female, who are leading by example. What we could do better at JMP is to standardize this practice and educate leaders more on how to recognize what different backgrounds and experiences mean and how to overcome biases and perceptions that we all have. Reaching diversity and equality is a journey, we are not there yet, but we are on the right track.
Diana Levey (@Diana_Levey), Marketing Senior Director
I see equity as helping everybody on the team have the resources and support they need to be successful and enjoy their jobs. I’m approaching this from the “yes, and...” idea of being open to things and expanding upon them. Here are some ways I might work to create an equitable work environment.
- Take in-person interns to a social lunch. And send homemade cookies and set up a virtual coffee social with interns who work remotely. All interns would feel appreciated and welcomed, and nobody is left out because of where they work.
- Have an open-door policy for in-person employees to run ideas by me, have a chat, or ask questions. And conduct comfortable check-ins with remote employees or more introverted team members who may be uncomfortable stopping by my office. Everybody has opportunities to be heard, and nobody has to go significantly out of their comfort zone.
- Respond to any and all questions about how raises and promotions work at JMP. And purposefully start those conversations with employees with anybody less comfortable broaching the subject. Everyone ends up with the same important information, and nobody has to be uncomfortable.
- Provide quick feedback on a piece written by a professional communicator. And provide significant editing resources to a piece written by a marketer when English is not their first language. Both pieces end up great, but one needed more time.
See this Inside SAS article for more ways to celebrate International Women's Day.
