Last week, DataGals?a Vertica employee resource group that encourages women in STEM?hosted a hot chocolate and discussion event open to all employees. DataGals members provided various baked goods and hot chocolate. Our chair Lisa Donaghue and co-chair Styliani Pantela guided a conversation about articles sent out several weeks before (linked below).
Delicious treats baked and brought by DataGals members
Members of the DataGals group and newcomers alike provided interesting perspectives and personal experiences. First, we discussed the article ?White House women want to be in the room where it happens? which describes the difficulties women have succeeding in White House positions and how previous presidents have attempted to combat this issue. One technique the article referenced is called ?amplification??where women repeat a key point made by a female coworker. This reinforces the original idea and gives credit to the author. Our discussion about amplification led to an impactful conversation about how important it is for both men and women to provide positive feedback when interacting with each other in a workplace.
The second article we talked about, ?Male CEO Chooses His Family Over His Job? focused on the double standard that exists in maternity leave and assumed familial responsibility. Max Schireson, the CEO of the software company MongoDB, quit his job to spend more time with his family and wrote about how people expected him to give up his home life to pursue a successful career. We talked about how this double standard can hurt both men and women?women are forced into a caretaker position while men are often refused it. Read Max Schireson?s original blog post here.
This group discussion had a great turnout. We hope that future events will continue to provide an open forum for conversation among Vertica employees on a variety of applicable and relatable topics.
Attendees discuss the articles over snacks
About the Author
Chana Zolty
