Shining a Light on Equality for International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day has been celebrated for more than a century, and while it initially began as a focal point in the push for women’s rights—and women’s suffrage—the day has endured as an occasion to champion many of the causes that still affect women today. 

At WP Engine, we view International Women’s Day as an opportunity to look inward and identify ways our company can lead with regards to combating bias. Our Engine for Good corporate social responsibility program serves to guide us in this endeavor, particularly through its Open Doors pillar, which is focused on advancing opportunities for all. 

In fact, we’re taking the entire week to explore these issues by spearheading and promoting multiple events, all with a focus on how we each play a role in fostering equality and building an inclusive environment where a diverse set of people can come together, be their authentic, whole selves, and do the best work of their careers.

While International Women’s Day fell on a Sunday this year, WP Engine employees at our headquarters in Austin, TX kicked off the workweek by visiting Republic Square Park, where CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™, the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace, had set up its Check Your Blind Spots tour—a mobile experience designed to give people the opportunity to learn about and explore ways to mitigate unconscious bias in their everyday lives. 

On Tuesday, all of our employees across our six global offices participated in International Women’s Day events, which included a presentation from the company’s Employee Resource Group (ERG) Sheroes, which aims to inspire women in technology to own their paths to professional and personal successes.

The presentation, “Her Win is Yours,” was led by WP Engine’s Vice President of Marketing, Monica Cravotta, who focused on ways to take action that can positively impact women in their respective career trajectories while reflecting on her own journey and path into executive leadership at startups over the last few decades.

Additionally, through sales of the Sheroes and Heroes for Sheroes t-shirts seen in the photo above, employees at WP Engine’s Austin office raised nearly $1,200 for Code2College, which provides access and opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields to students from underrepresented backgrounds in tech: girls, students of color, and from low-income backgrounds. 

“The way we commemorate International Women’s Day at WP Engine is something I’m exceedingly proud of where women, as well as people across many spectrums, have historically been underrepresented,” said WP Engine CEO Heather Brunner.    

“Making sure every single one of our employees feels like they’re able to come to work every day and be their true, authentic selves is something that’s very important to me, and the events we have planned throughout this Week of Understanding elevate our dialogue on how we can continue to be a stronger workplace for all.”

While the inspiration for the entire week of programming was motivated by International Women’s Day, other WP Engine Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) will also be represented. 

On Wednesday, WP Engine’s Pride ERG, which promotes education, acceptance, and representation as it relates to the LGBTQIA+ community, will host a panel discussion on unconscious bias in the workplace from the perspective of members of the LGBTQIA+ community. This discussion will cover topics such as the use of pronouns as identifiers, what good allyship looks like, and how to navigate the modern workplace as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. Overall, the goal of Wednesday’s panel is to present diverse perspectives and create a safe space for discussion in an effort to shed a light on unconscious bias and continue to make WP Engine a safe, loving, and open-minded workplace for all people.

On Thursday, WP Engine’s Represents ERG, which increases awareness of the perspectives and experiences of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups within the tech industry, will lead a workshop designed to better understand diversity and explore some of the ways that it’s enjoyed. Represents was created in 2018, with the goal of increasing awareness of the different perspectives and experiences faced by underrepresented racial and ethnic groups within the tech industry today, all with a focus on increasing the number of opportunities for all.

While we dedicated this week as a Week of Understanding, we pride ourselves as a company that focuses on issues of diversity, inclusion, and unconscious biases in the workplace each and every day. 

Want to find out more about diversity and inclusion at WP Engine? Keep an eye on our blog for more information, and check out our Careers Site for more information about what it’s like to work at WP Engine as well as the types of positions we’re hiring for right now!