Women In Technology : MassMutual India is paving the way and encouraging its women employees to break the glass ceiling
The visibility of women in technology has always been a topic for boardroom discussions and for the pioneers of diversity. The low representation of women in technology must be analyzed through various lenses. Every year universities and technical institutes churn out 100 thousand qualified engineers from various streams. However, how many of them get absorbed in the workforce, and how many of them are women? These are some of the questions that tie back to the issue of low participation of women in technology.
While we are battling the issue of participation, existing women in the workforce across industries and roles do not get promoted at the same pace as their male counterparts. According to a recent report by McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace 2021 report, co-authored with LeanIn.Org, only 86 women are promoted to manager for every 100 men at the same level.
‘Diversity’ is a critical component to bring in the balance, and richness of culture. It also provides a great support system for customers, businesses, and communities, and therefore has MassMutual’s unwavering commitment. It is a key growth metric and is led by the head of the organization and the leadership.
Many of the women in technology at MassMutual India, feel that the organization plays a major role in shaping their careers by providing them with the right opportunity to grow and by accepting their contributions towards the growth of the organization. For Rajesh Veliyaveetil, Director, Technology Delivery at MassMutual India, it’s all about a simple approach and an open mind. He says, “We are proud of the high level of women diversity we have achieved through a simple strategy that any role/opportunity in the organization is open for the competent and capable individual without any biases towards their gender.”
Right Opportunity
When we had to look inwards to get a closer view of what women employees think of the challenges at work, this is what, Madhumita Sau, Lead, Quality Assurance, had to share. “Women are now becoming more involved in every aspect of the tech world, starting from coding to heading the companies. Challenges are everywhere. Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and trying something new is the challenge that one must prepare for. Always be ready to learn new skills.”
What also matters is providing the right door for opportunities to knock at. Women are considered good multitaskers and rising to the occasion, Swathi Donti, Manager, Technology Operations, says, “At MassMutual India, I wear multiple hats, a transition manager for driving transition, a delivery manager for leading MassMutual Infrastructure and Middleware & Tools along with project deliverables. My delivery scope includes end-to-end platform support, monitoring tools, core middleware, Tivoli, Informatica, IBM sterling file gateway, Dockers & Containers, Cognos. Our goal is to ensure there are no business outages, by keeping the infrastructure and tools up and running.
Apart from work, MassMutual India provides ample platforms like Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Internal Communication Committees where I have been an active participant. Thanks to my leaders for their profound knowledge and guidance that is enabling me to deliver value for our organization.”
Work Culture
“Life satisfaction, and not just job satisfaction, MassMutual India is a workspace built with people in mind. It ensures a healthy work culture is as important as a healthy balance sheet,” says Saranya Tati, who works as a Network Security Engineer with MassMutual India. She contributes to the Enterprise Cyber Security wing of the Enterprise Technology and Experience where she secures networks with a focus area on firewalls, a network security system that monitors and controls the incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules. She shares that MassMutual India trusts its employees and their skills which helps them in unleashing their maximum potential. As an organization we undertake many activities whether it’s the vaccination drive for all employees or the health camps for the underprivileged, they instill a sense of community among the teams.
Echoing the same sentiments, Padmaja Gonugutla, Senior Manager, Technology Delivery, says “MassMutual India’s employee-first culture and great Leadership team inspire me to excel in my work and stay innovative.” Her area of work involves addressing the RFP’s, Proof of Concepts (POCs) etc. She is also responsible for Data Analytics Strategy suggestions, understanding the current technology landscape and recommending tools that align with future needs or platforms and meets the strategic objectives of the business etc.
Leading By Example
At MassMutual India, no exception is made for women from playing multiple roles across domains and technologies right from entry-level to leadership roles. We have a diversity ratio of 36:64 well aligned with the diversity ratio in the nation. Women employees contribute to varied teams, including business operations, technology, HR, legal, and finance. MassMutual India focuses on meaningful ways to foster inclusion, diversity, and equity, leading by example. The organization provides an empowering working experience that is crucial to the growth and development of women’s talent over time.
Women employees are encouraged in every stage including the much-needed push to take on the next level role by continuous mentorship and transparency. “I feel privileged to be part of MassMutual India, which encourages employees to explore their potential optimally,” shares, Divya Nair, Manager, PMO, “I also had the pleasure to be a part of a program, where I had the opportunity to train and hire a batch of Full-Time women employees and interns from Telangana Social and Tribal Welfare Residential Degree colleges, where socially backward girls are provided employment and opportunities for a career path.”
Hold The Line
“The reason I decided to go for technology was I like to create new things, analyze and debug problems, and provide solutions. I believe a woman with strong determination and dedication would absolutely sustain, overcome all the challenges, and pursue her dream in technology,” says Archana Pedada, Manager, Data.
In an interview, Apple CEO Tim Cook shared that there is “no good excuse” as to why there are not enough women in the world’s largest tech firms – including his own. This goes to show that unless women bring themselves to the table, we don’t have enough role models for the next generations to look up to. Until we get more women talking about their experiences and learning in the field of STEM and technology, we are not helping enough in inspiring others.
