We need more women in the HR technology industry. There are countless studies linking gender balance with increased performance, innovation and creativity — but currently, only 26 percent of computing jobs and five percent of leadership positions in the technology industry are held by women.
Kirsten Helvey, Cornerstone’s COO, and I recently spoke at the HR Technology Conference about the many challenges facing women today: the candidate funnel, inadequate professional development opportunities and the reinforcement of existing gender imbalances. Here at Cornerstone, we take these challenges seriously and are constantly working to create an environment where women can thrive. Particularly because of the current environment for women in tech, I am happy to share that Cornerstone has been named as one of the 2016 Best Workplaces for Women by global research firm Great Place to Work and Fortune.
We couldn’t have received such a tremendous distinction without the passion and support of our employees. Being included on the list is the result of our own employees’ assessments of various aspects of being a part of Cornerstone, which includes opportunities for development, an environment conducive to work/life balance and benefits that support women, among other factors.
We’re proud of the fact that, as a technology company, women make up more than 40 percent of our U.S. workforce and 20 percent of our VP or higher leadership. In an environment where 48 percent of women feel they are being overlooked for leadership positions, we’re focused on creating an environment where no one feels evaluated by anything except the quality of their character and work.
But it’s not just the demographics that matter; it’s the support enabling those demographics. For example, support for working parents is critical to address the gender gap. A Women in the Workplace survey found that five times as many senior level men have stay-at-home partners compared to their peers, and 41 percent of women reported doing more childcare than their husbands. Cornerstone offers many benefits for women at the company to address these discrepancies. We offer generous maternity and paternity leave, and a fully stocked nursing mother’s room for new parents. There’s Mommy’s Club, which meets and talks about collective issues that new mothers face, and a Women Empowerment group for discussing career issues and trends, both of which were created by the women of Cornerstone for the women of Cornerstone. There’s a host of other perks, such as onsite yoga, chiropractor care, massages, Bring Your Child to Work Day and others.
The special thing about Cornerstone is that we strive to not only make this a great environment for women to work, but for everybody to work – no matter your nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender. Our company operates on the belief that every human being that joins our team has the power to realize their potential, and that the combined efforts of empowered people create a company that makes a lasting impact.
We pride ourselves on being a company where everyone is truly empowered to be their best. While there’s still a lot of work to be done when it comes to women’s representation in the workforce and at Cornerstone, we’re constantly striving to be an example of progress and thoughtful inclusion in the tech industry.
