Today, March 08, the world is celebrating International Women’s Day. While women are winning in different fields, some are still struggling with taking roles as leaders, meeting expectations, and enjoying equal opportunities in the workplace.
According to the United Nations, fair division of wages, unpaid labor, and having an equal share of men and women in the labor force are the common factors affecting the goal of having gender equality at work.
At The KPI Institute, women are accomplishing various feats in different fields. To celebrate their valuable contributions to our community this month, we invited five of them to share their inspiring stories and thoughts on empowering women and supporting gender equality in the workplace.
Daniela Vuta is a business research analyst at the TKI Research Division. She is in charge of the development of TKI’s Top KPI Series and serves as a technical editor for the PERFORMANCE Magazine – Print Edition and its website, performancemagazine.org.
Raluca Vintila is a Management Consultant and has been working at The KPI Institute for over eight years. She will launch the newest edition of the Certified KPI Practitioner Live Online Course on 07-09 March 2022. Sign up here.
Iulia Tutulan is a Senior Customer Engagement Specialist. She is most passionate about sharing her knowledge in people or employee performance. For her next Live Online Course, follow and stay tuned on The KPI Institute’s LinkedIn page.
Carmen Boboc works as Partnership Manager at The KPI Institute. To know more about partnerships and to join TKI’s growing Global Partnership Network, visit this link.
Roxana Barb is the head of Educational Programs at the Lereroworld Division. The KPI Institute offers different online certification programs, online training courses, and webinars to help clients’ professional development. For more information, visit TKI eLearning here.
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What Women Face in the Workplace
When asked about the common issues that women face in the workplace, the interviewees point out how a woman’s role in her family affects her career and employment.
Roxana said that some companies are still keen on not hiring women because of their caregiving responsibilities.
Iulia has the same sentiment, stressing that women act as their family’s caregivers and providers at the same time. She added that returning from maternity leave is another challenge for women. In hiring, she believes that asking women in a job interview if they plan to have children in the future is irrelevant.
Carmen said that “Companies should hire men and women and give them the same chances to promote equality. People should be hired based on their qualifications, experience, desire to learn, and if they are suitable or not for the job.”
Working at The KPI Institute
As conversations on women empowerment at work linger, the efforts to increase gender diversity within companies are evident in the past years. This is beneficial for organizations too. The McKinsey & Company Diversity Wins Report 2020 suggests that “companies whose boards are in the top quartile of gender diversity are 28 percent more likely than their peers to outperform financially.”
Daniela and Raluca expressed their appreciation for what they are experiencing at The KPI Institute.
Daniela, who started her journey in the company three and half years ago, said that she is able to achieve work-life balance in her role: “Growing within my career as a researcher has been beautifully combined with my personal development goals. Each new project or task I have to perform creates a new opportunity for me to develop intellectually, emotionally, and even spiritually. Our working environment and organizational culture make it easy for me to set and respect healthy boundaries, thus constantly achieving a work-life balance.”
“I can say that one of the things I appreciate most at The KPI Institute is the freedom and flexibility to explore opportunities, solutions, and activities. It’s a delight to be part of an organizational culture that is ready to accommodate changes and can afford to support its team members’ preferences,” said Raluca.
Celebrating Women’s Day
When asked about the importance of International Women’s Day, Iulia said it is “a celebration of life.”
She finds that fitting because “women are the ones giving birth to life, and it is also in spring. But now that I think of it, with more experienced eyes I hope, I see the joy that usually women bring to the world. I see warriors that fight for their rights. I see so many amazing women that are actually moving mountains in the name of love – love for their projects, for their loved ones, or for their beliefs.”
For Carmen, International Women’s Day is important to recognize and celebrate women’s achievements as well as their extraordinary acts to fight for their rights and gender equality.
Roxana considers Women’s Day as a day to remind everyone about the roles women play in their lives: “as a friend, girlfriend, wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, and an employee.”
Advice for Young Women
What one piece of advice would they give to a young woman just starting to build her career?
“Explore, explore, explore! Moreover, create opportunities. I think an open mind is what matters most in any career journey,” said Raluca.
“Believe in yourself and your inner strength. Be perseverant and ambitious, and you can achieve anything!” said Carmen.
Meanwhile, Daniela emphasized the importance of having mentors and learning from different situations. ”Learn from every situation no matter how hard or easy it is…. I would encourage her to stay confident and perseverant, and success will naturally follow,” she said.
Roxana believes that taking things step by step and being patient with the process is part of one’s journey to success. “Learn from your mistakes as they are lessons to be learned, not failures,” she added.
Iulia notices that many young women are starting their careers early “with the need to fight, to stand up, to be sure that they have a place at the table.” She believes that they should also take time to “re-evaluate their motivation, to search for their passion, and to use that fire wisely because each of us is unique, and they need to find their uniqueness. And this can be done only by gaining experience.”
“One of the things that actually helped me in my career is this idea of never giving up – learning from yourself, from others, from coaching sessions, and certifications. You have to keep learning and be patient. You never know what this will lead to. I am actually a big fan of the quote ‘Learn before you Earn,’” she said.
Iulia also wants young women to not forget about themselves as they reach for their dreams. “Honor yourself, your spare time, your need to do your hobbies, your passions. Spend time with your loved ones. The career will be there, but moments with loved ones might vanish. When building a career, make sure you build one that can serve you and help you even later in life. That means to do something that you like, something you see yourself doing for most of your adult life.”
