Inspiring and empowering fellow women in tech

Today we meet four active members of KONE India Technology and Engineering Center (ITEC) Women’s Talent Council members to hear about the benefits and impacts their involvement in the council has had on their professional and personal lives. Soumia Hemaraj, Nithya Kalyani D.G., Philomena Dancy and Srividhya P, offered us a sneak peek of their learnings. We gathered 10 benefits the members have gained by actively participating in the council.

“I have seen the council taking off from its inception and it is really inspiring to see everything that we achieved over the short years of existence. For example, we increased the diversity ratio from 13% to 18% in a period of four years and were named among the best companies for women in India seven times in a row,” Nithya says.

As 2024 kicked off, a new ITEC Women’s Talent council took the reins and launched the activities for the upcoming year.

“This council is entirely run by women, for women. We have brainstormed and created the event calendar for every year and we have the responsibility for implementing them. We are not dependent on HR or other teams to run these initiatives. This gives us a sense of power in steering the course the way we want. We have organized workshops on essential subjects like “negotiation skills and ‘being assertive in the workplace'. It goes a long way in the development of our women colleagues”, says Nithya.

“Our prime objective is to empower women and help them develop their knowledge in both technical and non-technical fields. Appropriate training is planned and provided to our women to overcome the constraints and challenges that hamper their growth and advancement”.

“We create value both on an individual and company level. On a personal level, it creates value because it is a grassroots initiative. All the activities come from the target group's needs - our needs. We listen, discuss and create activities accordingly. As for the company level, this initiative brings value in terms of attraction, employer branding, and creating awareness. We have been awarded the best place to work for women in India seven times, and it has helped us attract more talented women to KONE. It is a great reminder that this kind of safe forum is needed,” adds Dancy.

“As it is an employee-driven initiative, people have full ownership of their achievements. It has been proven to have so many impacts on a company level, the most recognized of those is retention,” adds Nithya. Indeed, the first touchpoint already starts from the induction. The introduction of the council and its activity is part of the official onboarding agenda, therefore, by default, all women are part of the group. “Some women are more active than others, but just knowing that there is an existing internal group to support women’s growth creates a sense of safety,” mentions Srividhya.

Interacting with people outside of your team and department is very powerful. It is an eye-opener to the different opportunities that exist outside of your core area. “In the end, gaining exposure can spark interest in a career growth, strengthen your relationship with colleagues, grow your network, and participate in broader learning opportunities,” adds Soumia.

Learning and developing are also among core focuses and benefits of the council. Both soft and hard skills have been on the agenda and it has helped us gain new knowledge and abilities to perform our work, collaborate better, and be more productive. “In return, it has helped us personally to grow as individuals and better foresee outreach opportunities,” says Dancy.

Having a safe place to share experiences enables people to seek assistance and support, and build common responses. “When one of us experiences something, we are all behind them to support in one way or another. Having our voice heard also helps our members with improving self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-awareness as well as feeling more valued which in the end reflects in the overall well-being,” confirms Nithya.

“Exchanging thoughts and sharing experiences also results in improving the feeling of connectivity with others in the community. We have built relationships with one another and the more we know each other, the more we want to engage. Like a snowball effect, the more we engage, the more it increases our feeling of control, independence, and sense of belonging to KONE,” says Nithya.

We are creating awareness inside out. The ITEC Women's council internally contributes to the improvement of psychological safety at work and improves the overall environment for women at KONE. Along the way, it has a positive effect on men’s understanding of gender equality. “By mobilizing our knowledge and resources, it stimulates self-mobilization and actions and we convey our enthusiasm to our colleagues. Outside of our organization, we create awareness by sharing our experiences,” affirms Soumia.

“We promote gender equality in several ways. We are taking action to create an inclusive workplace, improving professional development, and ensuring that women are on the roadmap for managerial positions too. Our organization is even making efforts to make gender neutral job descriptions, thereby creating equal opportunities for all. We are making role models accessible for all and sharing success stories to inspire us,” summarizes Srividhya.