I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME ROAR!

Wednesday was an historic day for America! Regardless of my political beliefs (or yours), the significance of Kamala Harris being sworn in as the first female VPOTUS stirred my emotions.

I felt my inner-lioness roar as I listened to news coverage and read countless social media posts about women making history and shattering glass ceilings! I found myself humming Beyonce while I worked, and felt an overwhelming sense of excitement for my daughter and other young women to see that we truly can have a seat at the table.

Who run the world? Girls (girls)
Who run the world? Girls (girls)
Who run the world? Girls (girls)
Who run the world? Girls (girls)
Who run this mutha? Girls

In the midst of my feminist euphoria, I stumbled upon McKinsey & Company’s 2020 Women in the Workplace study through a Facebook Group for Women in Technology. The introduction struck me.

“In a year marked by crisis and uncertainty, corporate America is at a crossroads. The choices companies make today will have consequences on gender equality for decades to come.”

This annual study tracks the progress of women in corporate America. Since its inception in 2015, data has shown comparable rates of women and men at every level have considered leaving or actually left their companies. In 2020, however, the pressures of COVID-19 have completely changed that balance and women are 1.3 times more likely than men to consider leaving the workforce.

Worst case scenario could equal over two million women—more than the number of women who graduate from college and graduate programs in the US each year—and over 100,000 women in senior leadership roles.

Ugh. I fell hard from my feminist high. This could set us back decades.

I sat back and looked around my home office. You know, the one I share with my husband when he is also working remotely, and my 8-year-old son when he is homeschooling. I closed my laptop screen and let out a long sigh.

That’s when I saw the Lego. Nope, not one of my son’s toys, although quite possible in this shared space. It is a Lego minifig replica of yours truly, made to celebrate one year since I joined Central PA Technologies. One year since I left the corporate job I had for nearly a decade, in search of more flexibility and work-life balance. It was a risk, but one worth taking! CPT has the technology to make this flexibility possible, but also the mindset that it can be done.

It’s important to note that I left my corporate job before this study took place, and before the pandemic turned our lives upside down. So the challenges of working a “double shift” of work plus taking care of the kids and the house is intensified by homeschooling, along with a whole lot of family togetherness…but it works for me. It works for us. And it can work for others!

There is an opportunity right in front of us for businesses to be creative, to rethink workplace norms and to ensure that women can fulfill their careers as much as men…and we don’t need to take decades to do it. If anything, our reaction to the COVID-19 is proof that we can make fundamental changes quickly.

Last March, our business helped many of our clients move to the cloud in order to work remotely. It happened quickly and without much warning. There were questions about how to manage remote employees, concerns over collaborating in real time, and the security of business data. We made it work. And many businesses are thriving with happier and more productive employees!

[Moment of euphoria]

At Central PA Technologies, we have a mission, vision and a set of core values. The key to our success is to challenge ourselves every day to ensure we are truly living our values -- providing a quality experience for our clients, while cultivating a positive culture within our own company.

They say behavioral change at home prompts cultural and societal changes and trickles into the workplace. Well, we don’t have time to trickle! But home is the new work, and we have the technology to build a more accommodating workplace. CPT is just one small business, but I believe we can help accelerate change.

So, 20 days into the new year, I finally took the time to hang up my new calendar, featuring the notorious Ruth Bader Ginsberg! January’s quote is what prompted me to write and share this blog.

FIGHT
For the things that you care about
But do it in a way that will lead others to join you
-RBG

So while I am over here fighting, and changing (the laundry from washer to dryer in between Zoom meetings), I wish our new Vice President much success. May she be the first of many!