Breaking Bias: Pendo’s view of International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day honors the diversity of women and their contributions to the world. With so much devastation occurring around the world, we’re viewing this year’s International Women’s Day through a lens of empathy. An empathetic lens empowers us to create space for each other and recognize our common humanity. In that spirit, we honor the contributions of so many courageous women and forge ahead to break the biases that continue to hinder women from advancement.

For Pendo, diversity is about celebrating the uniqueness of our individual identities and experiences. Equity is about providing equal access and opportunities. Inclusion is about creating a space where employees feel they are empowered, can thrive, and are valued. However, unchecked biases can impact how diversity, equity, and inclusion lives in our Pendo culture. Bias impacts individuals or systems at large, often appearing as if one person or group is favored over another. 

We recognize that confronting biases with empathy builds an inclusive environment where Pendozers can be authentic, do their best work, and thrive together. By focusing on #breakingbias, we are able to impact the nearly 60 percent of women who experience bias at work—typically in the recruiting, hiring, and promotion processes. 

Three of our affinity groups—Women of Pendo, Femmegineers, and Gender, Sexual, and Romantic Minorities (GSRM)—are tackling bias head on by promoting gender diversity through research-based solutions. These solutions also create opportunities for collaboration, mentorship, and development, in a safe space of understanding. 

Here are some of the ways that we #breakbias at Pendo:

• • Promoting open conversation: In January, our affinity groups led a company-wide conversation on the State of Women in the Workplace with Kathryn Kuhn, partner at McKinsey, and Gina Cardazone of Lean In. We discussed breaking bias in the performance review process and other challenges facing women in the workplace.
  • Discussing mental health and wellness: Breaking bias also requires a level of understanding that diverse lived experiences are rich with value and add to our culture. Last month, we celebrated the intersectionality of women at Pendo with a conversation on mental health and wellness with Dr. Joy, founder of Therapy for Black Girls.

Here’s how we plan to #breakbias as we celebrate International Women’s Day throughout the month of March:

• • Supporting aspiring managers: To build a diverse pipeline of managers, we must invest in our women looking to become managers and address historical bias that assumes management roles are best suited for men. The first Aspiring Manager Forum was hosted on March 7th to support Pendozers who are interested or curious about management and leadership roles. This program is designed to give every Pendozer a window into people management and to help them build core leadership skills that can be put into practice right away wherever they are in the organization. 
  • Building community: On International Women’s Day, observed on March 8th, our Femmegineers affinity group will host an art expression session where members will create a 3D portrait of a woman who represents #breakingbias. This session builds community, and engages women and allies in a roundtable conversation that centers on the courageous, positive impact of women who #breakbias daily.  
  • Providing financial education: Our Women of Pendo affinity group will champion Equal Pay for Women by hosting Mary Ann Best, Kim Davis, and Tara Thompson Popernik of Alliance Bernstein. Alliance Bernstein is a global investment firm that fosters diverse perspectives and embraces innovation to help clients navigate the uncertainty of capital markets.
  • Building up female leaders: To further address the barriers preventing women from reaching roles in leadership, Pendo is partnering with Divhersity—a tight knit community of female engineers and engineer leaders that provide women with the support and access they need to achieve VP Engineering and CTO roles. On March 24th, Divhersity will lead a session for women who are growing their careers and families simultaneously. This event is open to the public—you can sign up for this event, The Mythical Work-Baby Balance, via Eventbrite.
  • Promoting the contributions of transgender women: GSRM will continue #breakingbias this month through daily Slack messages that educate Pendozers on notable transgender women in tech.

Learn more about how we are breaking biases in recruiting, hiring, and promotion processes by checking out our DEI page.