Bad Step Uber and Google
Leap Backwards for Womankind
In an era of transparency, I find it appalling that Google’s parent company killed a plan to disclose gender pay data. If a company isn’t willing to share its payroll, it means there’s something to hide. I’m not saying they need to say what each person earns, but norms for job titles by gender would be a good place to start, and too bad they believe this isn’t a benchmark they want to measure themselves against. In this same week, Uber’s CEO took a leave (and ultimately resigned), a damning report came out and a board member had to resign for a sexist comment but only after firing 20 employees for harassment. This is pure Silicon Valley theatre. Unfortunately, it’s true. How sad.
For all the talk about disruption, changing the world, improving the human condition, and making sure technology’s progress is democratized, here we are wondering why half of the population is treated poorly and paid less … and in my own backyard.
If we lament the loss of great talent to these companies, we have a real way to hire them back. Be a better place to work.
This week we put our money where our mouth is and have begun a project looking at gender diversity in the top 500 companies in the information industry. I mentioned at Outsell’s Leadership Council dinner in New York that it was time to measure how we are doing because I’m personally tired of having men ask me where all the women at our events are. I don’t make up the corner office, and so gentlemen, if you truly want to improve the situation, then we have to have 50% of our executive teams mirror 50% of our population. It’s really that simple.
There was a time at Outsell where we were more women than men, for a long time. It’s not that way right now, and I will do what I can to balance the scales. Many of our VPS are female, our Chief Analyst is, I am, but even so, we can do better. So, you’ll see our metrics soon. In fact, we’ll be discussing them in our annual Outlook and at Outsell’s Signature Event. You’ll want to register today because we’ll also be discussing talent. Specifically, we’ll discuss how companies are solving the talent conundrum, which I hear about every day. We’ll have members of the community share their experiences as well as discuss how they are solving the talent problem, but to solve the problem, one big action item is to look at 50% of the population in the hiring pool, especially when you’re filling the c-suite. The tone is set at the top, just look at Google and Uber. If we lament the loss of great talent to these companies, we have a real way to hire them back. Be a better place to work. Our industry has a lot going for it and lots of people will come through our front doors if we say, “Hey, it’s open, welcome.”
Register for Outsell’ Signature Event to learn more about how to solve the dearth of talent. Also, if you are facing a difficult hiring decision, harassment, or are concerned about how to handle a thorny issues — well then, Ask Anthea. Lots to share here and believe me, we’ve just about seen it all.
See you in October.
Anthea C. Stratigos is Co-founder & CEO of Outsell, Inc., the leading research and advisory firm focused exclusively on data, media, information, and technology. Get professional and personal lessons from a career spent mentoring successful leaders. Tell your story or ask a question — confidentially. Ask Anthea!
