Challenges
Gender equality is not just about quantitative measurement values as a proportion of women/men within the company or management. It is also about qualitative activities that promote culture and inclusion, which is much more difficult to put a figure on but is clear in terms of experience. You can certainly recall when you have been in a context where you feel that the culture is great. Our corporate culture at Consid is one of our greatest assets, and a strong contributing factor to our growth. We thrive with each other, we have fun together and we encourage and challenge each other.
Like many other companies, we have a larger proportion of women in positions such as HR, finance and communication than in development-oriented roles. It is of course due to larger factors than the culture as an individual company, but maybe we can find the key to why so few women choose to work with IT if we look at why so many women choose to work with HR and finance. Are there different notions of what awaits in terms of culture and inclusion between the different professional roles? Think about it and see what you can do to ensure that the IT industry is characterized by an inclusive climate. We will.
Q by Consid
Q by Consid is Consid’s community for gender equality – a platform through which we work for increased gender equality in the tech industry. This through the initiatives Q Community, Q Meet, Q Mentoria & eQualizer, and to drive opinion on the subject in the industry and in society.
Q Community is a digital community where we meet, be inspired, network and share experiences on issues related to gender equality in the tech industry, Q Meet is our event within the framework of Q by Consid, through Q Mentoria we want to inspire young girls and women when it comes to tech by offering mentorship and sharing with us our knowledge and expertise in the areas that a potential study and career path in tech can entail.
Q by Consid is a community where our goal is to create so much more than events and meetings – we want to create real change and influence both the qualitative and quantitative parts of the gender equality area. For our events, we invite industry colleagues, students and employees to network, build bridges, create role models, collaborate and inspire each other.
This year’s eQualizer
At our annual gala in the Blue Hall in Stockholm, we have for the second year in a row awarded the eQualizer of the Year award. The prize is awarded to an individual who in an exemplary manner has pushed the issue of gender equality in the IT industry forward over the past year and thuse plays a significant role when it comes to a development in the right direction in the industry in the future. In 2020, it was Gunilla Von Platen, Vice President of UN Women Sweden, who was awarded the prize and 2021 Lovette Jallow, Action For Humanity.
Leadership development
In 2020, Consid has made an effort to further train our leaders in areas such as abusive discrimination, sexual harassment, ruling techniques and work-related stress. As many as 80 of Consid’s 90 leaders have been trained and discussed the topics in order to gain the right theoretical basis and practical tools to be able to counteract any jargon or behavior that is not accepted in our workplace. Our hope is that we and our employees bring knowledge to our customers and thereby have a positive impact on our common work environment.
Guest lectures
During the ongoing Covid pandemic, Consid had the opportunity to gain additional perspectives on the topics of inclusion, talent development and work-related stress, as three guest lecturers had digital draws. Kajsa Asplund, Researcher in talent development, Johanna Lundin, One of Sweden’s most booked gender equality lecturers, and Carita Håkansson, research group leader in work environment and health at Lund University contributed with their knowledge which has formed the basis for Consid’s future work with inclusion, diversity and equality.
