Mums in Tech - feat. Rebecca Taylor
As part of our ‘Mums in Tech’ series, we caught up with Rebecca Taylor, Threat Intelligence Knowledge Manager at Secureworks.
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.
Firstly, can you please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your current role?
My name is Rebecca Taylor and I am a wife, and a mother of two children aged 3 and 6. I work as a Threat Intelligence (TI) Knowledge Manager in the Secureworks Counter Threat Unit™.
I have worked for Secureworks for 10 years across a variety of roles including business operations, change management and within the Incident Command team supporting customers affected by cyberattacks.
Within my current role I focus on the ingestion, standardisation, verification and publication of critical indicators and intelligence, ensuring TI is searchable and accessible to varying teams, tools and community members.
I am also incredibly passionate about building careers for underrepresented groups and those with alternative skills, and so work alongside STEMAmbassadors and various allyship groups to try and support the progression, development and retention of underrepresented individuals looking to succeed in technology.
If you could sum up what it’s like being a working mum in tech in one sentence, what would it be?
A successful career in tech + having kids = One big juggle!
“A successful career in tech + having kids = One big juggle!”
How do you find the balance between your career and motherhood?
I think finding the balance starts by identifying what you will or won’t compromise on – For example is it super important to you that you do pick-ups after school or are you ok with an after-school club, do you want to put your child in childcare or do you want to be present and do reduced hours. Once you know what your non-negotiables are, it can shape your leadership conversations.
I have found over time, that the main thing I have needed is role flexibility. I am fortunate to work for an organisation that has genuinely considered female-led policies such as maternity leave, parental leave and sick leave, provides training to leaders on how to best support female colleagues and also has a variety of employee resource groups that mean I can get what I need as a female through the different challenges and evolutions of my life as a ‘woman’ and Mother.
But actually, what matters to me is the ability to be flexible and be as present as I want to be. Being able to adjust my hours, to be at pick up, to never miss a parent’s evening, to not have to stress about commuting, all matter to me. Work flexibility gives me the balance I need to be successful both as a woman in technology but also as a parent.
“I think finding the balance starts by identifying what you will or won’t compromise on … Once you know what your non-negotiables are, it can shape your leadership conversations. ”
What has been your greatest challenge as a working mother in tech?
I would suggest my greatest challenge has been breaking down the biases. As a female in a male-dominated environment, regardless of my seniority, I have often been the lone woman in the team, the one who can ‘sort the team birthday card’, ‘book the meeting rooms’ or ‘arrange the lunch’.
Earlier on in my career, I was probably more accepting of this as I was trying to find my niche and make a footprint in an industry I was entirely new to. But as I have evolved, become more technical and found my voice and platform, it does frustrate me that within the industry whether consciously or subconsciously, there are individuals who still maintain a very firm prehistoric belief of what a woman should or should not be, and their gender roles in society.
What skills have you developed as a mother that have helped your work life?
Multi-skilling! I was always pretty good at juggling tasks at work, but as soon as I became a mother the skill became very real. I use my Alexa for reminders, I have Sunday catch-ups to see what my week looks like, I always plan ahead, create lists and I juggle looking after the children, making sure we have food and a clean-ish home by multi-skilling and I guess project managing my life!
This is an asset at work, being able to break down what’s happening, what we need, and understanding timeframes… for multiple different efforts! As I said before: A successful career in tech + having kids = One big juggle!
When you were returning to work, what one thing helped you / would have helped you the most?
I think having a leader aware of what I was going through and being equipped to support me. We had kept in touch during maternity and so on my return to work, he had prepared for me. He knew it would be hard for me, he knew the procedures and policies in place to direct me and get me support as and when I needed it. As a result of this, I felt he saw me, he knew I had changed and he wanted to be there for me and still empower me to be successful. This really matters as it can be so daunting returning back to work, and even more so when everyone expects you to just crack on and be the same person you left as.
“ Leaders, policymakers and HR team members need to truly understand what it is to be a modern-day mother and career woman in technology. Having the right policies and procedures in place, and having informed team members who understand unconscious bias and are trained to develop, hire and retain females, all help.”
What do you feel should be the top priority for employers who want to support working mothers better?
Education. Leaders, policymakers and HR team members need to truly understand what it is to be a modern-day mother and career woman in technology. Having the right policies and procedures in place, and having informed team members who understand unconscious bias and are trained to develop, hire and retain females, all help.
Employers should be open to having conversations with under-represented groups and adjusting their workplaces and objectives to empower all – this should be a priority if we as industry members truly want to have a diverse and representative group of employees.
Any final words of advice for other mothers in the Tech Industry?
Get yourself a mentor! There are so many free ways to get mentors, but having someone to help you navigate your career and be a mother, whether that be to be a sounding board for you or someone to help you network, it all helps.
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