International Women’s Day serves as a time to pause, honor and celebrate women and everyone who works to promote an equal and inclusive environment, as well as those who empower and provide guidance and strength in the workforce. To give #IWD2019 its proper attention, MediaMath hosted a panel at our NYC headquarters centered around the theme of #balanceforbetter.
Balance is a common topic of discussion among working women. Balancing a successful career, family, social life, healthy lifestyle, religious/spiritual pursuits and more is quite an undertaking and often a constant battle for anyone with an appetite for a rewarding career. The panel’s focus of #balanceforbetter reviewed tips and tactics for achieving work-life balance and how we can all work better together to achieve this sought-after state.
As Anna Grodecka-Grad, Client Services Officer, pointed out that balance is key to keeping yourself sane and maintaining a larger perspective. Anna encourages her colleagues to think about the choices they make every day and carefully observe how these choices affect how they feel. As Anna suggested, this includes being mindful of balancing both proactive and reactive work in your role.
To support our growth and success as a growing global company, we are also prioritizing a more balanced workforce. As Anna clarified, “We hire with a focus on diverse talent. We’re always looking to hire more women. We always look at the balance and diversity of teams across regions.” Balance, when it comes to gender inclusivity or any kind of diversity initiative, requires having a representation of multiple perspectives.
To exemplify the benefits of a more inclusive workforce, we hosted two male Mathletes on our panel—Chris Balzan, VP, Global Head of Professional Services, and John Labriola, VP, User Experience. Including diverse perspectives allows for a more holistic view. Chris provided guidance on how he motivates and inspires his team during times of instability by simultaneously examining high-level priorities and individual difficulties. John also pointed out how imperative it is for a leader to exemplify balance in his or her own life, as reports often take cues and mimic their respective manager’s behaviors.
Taking that idea a step further brings up questions of how to grow and support a global, more balanced workforce that embraces and actively encourages diversity and inclusivity by providing opportunities for us all to find the balance we need. Amanda Magnusson, IT Project Manager, suggests that you ensure one of your goals each quarter is personal. Anjali Arjungi, Senior Analyst, Engineering Support, also recommends that individuals spend about 80 hours a year dedicated to personal and professional growth.
Our panelists also discussed the importance of finding mentors in the pursuit of a more balanced lifestyle. Laura Colona, VP, Global Communications, advises to look outside your current company and tap into the brainpower of former colleagues and industry connections. She also suggested the positive benefits of having a male mentor, as a male mentor can provide a different perspective, which comes in handy when you find yourself sitting at a table of men as the only female.
Examples include policies such as unlimited paid time off as well as internal mobility (both cross-departmentally and regionally). MediaMath also promotes an inclusive and diverse workforce through our ALLiance group (supporting the LGBTQA+ community) as well as Women in Tech. We welcome you to join us in our support of a more balanced and diverse ecosystem.