Alation Adds Another Best Workplaces Award to Its Trophy Case!

We’re thrilled to announce that Alation has been named one of the UK’s best workplaces for women by Great Place to Work UK®!

This award, now in its fifth year, is unique in that anonymous feedback determines the winners. Survey respondents answer questions about culture, female representation in leadership roles, and career opportunities. These responses are analyzed and ranked to spotlight the top great workplaces.

The Challenge for Women in Technology Today

This award comes at a poignant time for technology workers, and women in particular. The reality is that today, women in tech face an uphill battle. Data shows that:

• Only 24% of computing jobs are held by women.

• The percentage of female STEM graduates is about 19%.

• Women leave the tech industry at a 45% higher rate than men. (Source: Dataprot)

Add to that the modern realities of the Great Resignation, as people struggle with the isolation of a global pandemic coupled with the stress of always-on remote-work environments. In 2021, a record-breaking 48 million people quit their jobs. And the trend is not slowing down: In March 2022 alone, 4.53 million people quit their jobs, topping a record set in November of 2021.

Yet the Great Resignation did not happen overnight. Workers have reported feelings of burnout for years. According to Gallup, women are more likely to suffer from burnout, which was exacerbated by the pandemic:

In 2019, 30% of women and 27% of men said they “always” or “very often” felt burned out at work. That three-percentage-point gap expanded to 12 points in the pandemic-era months of 2020, from March to December, and has averaged eight points in 2021 — 34% of women and 26% of men this year have reported feeling burned out.

How can modern workplaces address these challenges?

Company Culture Comes First

It’s hard to understate the incredible value of a great company culture, particularly to women working in tech today. Increasingly, women seek a culture offering empathetic support in all areas — from career advancement opportunities to compassionate benefits, like maternity leave and schedule flexibility. In fact, women today point to a stellar company culture as a “non-negotiable” for their next job.

“Women are essential to our team in the UK, as well as the company as a whole,” says Steve Neat, General Manager, EMEA. “And our commitment to an empathetic culture is essential to keeping them committed to Alation, in turn. We’re thrilled to be recognized as a Great Workplace UK for our work in this area!”

Julie Smith, Alation’s Director of Data & Analytics, and Rebecca Riley, Director of HR, are two female leaders on the UK team at Alation. We sat down with them to discuss this award, and why an excellent company culture is so important for women today.

Alation Culture for Women: In our own words

For Julie, a great workplace for women is defined by recognition of the unique role women play. “A great women’s workplace, for me, means appreciation of our unique skill set and take on the world,” she states. “And recognition that our career is usually just one of several hats we have to wear during the course of a day — yet this does not detract from the contributions we can make —in fact, it adds to it! A sense of involvement irrespective of gender is also key. Oh and cake — sending out cake is a winner!”

“Alation is great at supporting all manner of groups within its population, and women are just one such example,” Julie points out. “They are great at raising awareness of issues faced and giving a voice to them — both internally and externally.”

“We recognise the individual strengths of each of our Alationauts and that diversity (of all kinds) will help us to succeed,” adds Rebecca. “Our ‘listen like you’re wrong’ value encourages open dialogue and debate, and we take time to hear what is being said.”

Culture addresses the deep need for human connection in a remote-working world. “Remote working has emphasised the role and influence of company culture,” Julie says. “You no longer have the regular social contact made possible in an office environment, so the manner in which a company engages with its employees and encourages them to engage is everything.”

“Working full-time and being a mum to two kids means a lot of juggling,” points out Rebecca. “And so it is important for me that when I am working, it is with like-minded colleagues who are supportive, smart, and empathetic.”

“There is a deep sense of community throughout women at Alation,” Julie elaborates. “We know there is a place we can go to open up and be ourselves — and in return we get understanding and support, not judgement.”

Conclusion

As Alation grows its global footprint and employee base, our commitment to an incredible culture grows ever-more important. We’re thrilled to be recognized by Great Workplaces UK for our dedication to a fantastic culture and the women who are so integral to it.