Diversity Impact

Giving Back to Other Women in the Industry

This article discusses the importance of mentorship and networking for women in the industry, and the need for a sponsor or advocate in executive leadership. It also highlights the importance of connecting with leaders and extending oneself outward to find success. The author shares her experience of being part of a women's committee at Microsoft and a centralized group of women at her current company, and how she has played the role of mentor and mentee many times.

How to increase your team’s diversity

This article discusses the difficulty of making a team diverse after it has already been established. It explains the steps taken to increase diversity, such as implementing a diversity slate system inspired by the Rooney Rule, and reaching out to minority groups through conferences and sponsorships. The article emphasizes the importance of being mindful of who is hired when first setting up a team, as it pays off in the long run. As a result of these efforts, 55% of the team's recruits are now women.

Cultivating the Positive Effects of Agile Retrospectives

Agile retrospectives are meetings held at the end of an iteration or at a scheduled interval, where team members can voice their opinions on what worked well and what needs improvement. Doximity has implemented team-wide retrospectives every two months, as well as smaller retrospectives for sub-teams. The lessons learned from this process have been positive, with everyone happy with the outcome.

Retaining Women In Tech

After leaving her engineering manager position at Apple due to burnout and lack of supportive leadership, the author started her own small business helping other small business owners with their technological needs. Through this experience, she realized the importance of resilience, an inclusive environment, and strong leadership for women in the tech industry. She encourages women to network outside of their own organization, and to stay in and influence the industry in order to shape the future.

Play to Their Strengths: Effectively Utilizing Offshore Resources in the Face of Deep-Rooted Prejudice

A developer on a team with offshore resources in Hyderabad was tasked with salvaging the situation before the resources were dropped due to poor output and utilization. After careful evaluation, the developer identified the core of the problem as a combination of poor communication, excessive "blockers", and racial bias. The developer took steps to address the time zone difference, identified an individual with exceptional intelligence, and made him the technical lead. This resulted in improved code quality, increased confidence, and better job satisfaction. The developer learned lessons about recognizing racial bias, evaluating dysfunctional team dynamics, and making changes to solve problems.

The Benefits of Returnship

This article discusses how to create a successful returnship program for people returning to the workforce after a career break. It outlines the steps to take, such as creating a time-bound internship program with experienced mentors, and targeting boot camps and non-traditional programs to receive applications from diverse candidates. The article also explains how returnship programs are beneficial for both individuals and companies, as they lead to less churn, strong commitment, and deep loyalty.