Allyship in Action ft. Mala Benn
As part of our ‘Allyship In Action’ series, we caught up with Mala Benn, Engineering Manager at Glean.
The purpose of our 'MotherBoard’ content series is to highlight incredible working mums within tech & data, as well as individuals and businesses that are supportive and progressive within their approach to creating more inclusive tech & data teams for women.
Amber: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your current role?
Mala: I’m an Engineering Manager at Glean, working in the technology team on their core product - a fully accessible learning solution for Education. I ensure development teams are equipped with all the tools, skills and support to be able to provide our end users with the best experience.
Amber: What does being an ally for mums in tech mean to you?
Mala: Being an ally for mums in tech involves actively supporting and advocating for the inclusion, advancement, and well-being of mothers in the technology industry. Doing things like pushing for flexible work arrangements to accommodate caring responsibilities, advocating for equal opportunities in recruitment, promotions and pay. And for me, the most important and maybe the most difficult, addressing unconscious bias by being aware of and working on our own biases.
Amber: What are the most important traits it takes to be a good ally?
Mala: For me, it all starts with empathy, having an appreciation of the challenges faced by others allows allies to build genuine connections, but also open mindedness, seeking opportunities to educate themselves on issues faced by other groups and be able to challenge their own assumptions and biases.
“It all starts with empathy, having an appreciation of the challenges faced by others allows allies to build genuine connections, but also open mindedness, seeking opportunities to educate themselves on issues faced by other groups and be able to challenge their own assumptions and biases. ”
Amber: Why do you think it’s important to make the tech industry more inclusive of mothers and working parents?
Mala: First and foremost, I’m a mum of 2 lovely children. I understand the challenges working mums face and how life can be even tougher for solo mums. As a mum, you have to be resourceful, efficient, a problem solver, organised and much more, all really important values which employers are looking for. As an Engineering Manager, diversity is a key factor when i’m building teams, to bring in different ways of working and thinking will drive innovation. I believe mothers bring increased productivity and a positive culture to teams which result in better outcomes and outputs.
Amber: What do you think is the main hurdle stopping employers from being more inclusive?
Mala: I believe a lack of diversity in leadership is the main hurdle stopping employers from being more inclusive, humans are inherently biassed and the way to overcome this is through education, awareness and exposure to diverse people and thoughts. Working hard to build a team with underrepresented groups to foster diversity and inclusivity will help organisations become more diverse.
“ I’d encourage all organisations to take the step to become open minded about welcoming mothers in, you will see a step change in increasing your productivity output, work culture and talent retention.”
Amber: What do you think the priority should be for creating tangible change for working mums in tech?
Mala: Flexible Work Arrangements to accommodate the challenges of childcare.
Providing Parental Leave to allow mothers to deal with life problems without facing undue pressure.
Mentorship and Networking to help mothers connect with others in the industry, share experiences, and build a community of like minded individuals.
Amber: Who do you think is responsible for making the change?
Mala: We all are, In recent years, the employment rate for mothers is increasing, and so there’s a huge pool of opportunity for businesses to tap into, and that will result in massive economic benefits but also by providing opportunities for mothers to thrive professionally, their economic independence and overall well-being improves resulting in happier families and children too. Overall benefits felt.
Amber: Any final words of advice for other people looking to better support mothers in the Tech Industry?
Mala: I have worked with some amazing mothers, high performing individuals who go over and above to deliver great solutions, to make the work environment a pleasant place, and are keen to make a difference. They add so much value and I’d encourage all organisations to take the step to become open minded about welcoming mothers in, you will see a step change in increasing your productivity output, work culture and talent retention.
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