ModuleWorks employees talk about diversity, inclusion, FemWorks, work-life balance and their experiences in the workplace.
Working at the intersection of mechanical engineering and computer science, the overall share of female employees at ModuleWorks makes up 21 %. This average is not far from most engineering (10%) and computer science (22%) subjects in German university degrees. To increase the number of women in tech, it is important to listen more to female voices and come forward with solutions that meet their needs. At ModuleWorks, women are being increasingly supported and empowered to have a good work-life balance and thrive in their careers which corresponds to the aim of the company to be a good employer and the constant strive to become a better one.
When looking to improve, a good starting point is studies on workplace satisfaction and effective measures. For example, a recent study in Germany found that equality action measures in companies (such as women’s empowerment, childcare and special offers for parental leave) significantly decrease the pay gap. Looking specifically at women working in the tech industry, an empirical international study determined that women generally look for more work-life balance and fair recognition at their workplace. Feelings of imposter syndrome, invisible and overlooked barriers and the so-called maternal wall are significant disadvantages for women working in tech due to having to balance work and family duties alongside each other. These aspects can be addressed by training the management to become aware of the struggles women face and ensuring that women receive equal payment and opportunities. Lastly, women also reported that they miss peer parity, which can be simply resolved by hiring more women. In this sense, ModuleWorks is actively working towards employee’s work-life-balance by providing flexibility of working hours by location and time, discouragement of extra hours, sabbatical policies, and parenthood support.
ModuleWorks is part of a regional and a national network of family-friendly employers. In a more general commitment to diversity, including gender, but not limited to it, ModuleWorks signed the Charta of Diversity. This Charta is an initiative of employers to appreciate and foster diversity in their companies. is an initiative of employers to appreciate and foster diversity in their companies.
Flexibility, parental support, inclusion
Apart from considering the well-being of women in technology, and more specifically in ModuleWorks, in the big picture, it is important to listen to what women in this company have to say. This is why women from different departments were invited to share their perspectives and their personal experiences at the company. Starting on the topic of childcare, Eva, a member of the research team, stated she appreciated most the “flexibility, like working remotely and having flexibility regarding working hours. Having children, it is great to have this flexibility.” Employees will soon also benefit from a childcare room, which is currently under construction. This room will allow parents to bring in their children to work when necessary.
However, ModuleWorks is aware that flexibility is not only important to caregivers. Another recent multinational study found that the free choice of workspace, either remote or office work, is important not only to caregivers but also for lesbian, gay, trans, queer, intersexual, or asexual (LGBTQIA+) people, who need to be considered in conjunction with feminist concerns. Employing more women and diverse people is one of the aims that the company has been striving for already for years.
Currently, the company is also supporting women through FemWorks, a working group created by employees to increase female visibility in the company and the recruitment of women outside of the company.
Speaking about her first days at ModuleWorks, Kristin, an algorithmic developer in the 5-axis SWARF and geodesic team, said, “Christine was really happy about the fact that we are now three women in our team and added me quickly to the FemWorks group”.
With the task force, Miriam, a software developer in the industry team, feels that “FemWorks shows that the company supports women.”
At the same time, FemWorks is actively trying to attract more women into the company. Roxana, QA department head in Bucharest, stated, “As a Team Leader, I never was stopped to bring more women in my team (actually, I can say that in my team, about 40% are women).”
Personal experiences — story time
Cristina, a product manager in Bucharest, has wanted a technical career ever since she was little. She described it this way: “Studying engineering was always a passion of mine since I was a small child. I would have picked changing a tire or fixing up a computer with my dad anytime. I did my studies in Robotics and CAM and always pursued the mechanical side of life. ModuleWorks gave me the chance to have a career and to gather a lot of experience with the industry.”
El-Marie, senior team leader in the Bucharest office, shared her experience after joining the company: “Everything was correct and fair all the time. I never felt any difference between me and the boys. I was always part of the team, and the responsibilities, opportunities or the expectations were the same as for everybody else.”
Similarly, from the research team, Eva mentioned, “It happens quite often, that I am the only woman in a meeting, but the male colleagues and project partners are very polite and do not make a difference here.”
Christine, senior team leader of the 5-axis SWARF and geodesic team, said, “I have a voice, and people are listening to me (even our CEO is interested in everyone’s opinion). When encountering a problem, people are always willing to find a good solution. There is no competitive thinking. People are trying to help.”
Being a woman in STEM
The support for women in a field dominated by males is not restricted to ModuleWorks as 5-axis and additive developer Eva said: “I was often the only or one of few women during my studies (especially computer science), but I never had the feeling that it mattered.”
This is also true after university when working in a tech company such as ModuleWorks, as Christine stated, “I was able to become a team leader. The team counts now 13 people. The team spirit and the products we are providing are strong.”
Yet, having this passion or interest does not mean freedom from doubts, as Kristin showed: “The focus of my master’s and my Ph.D. was very theoretic, and thus I doubted that I had skills that are helpful for a ‘real’ job. Before working at ModuleWorks, I only programmed in my free time and a little bit at university, but this was far away from doing this professionally.”
Also, Kaya, a student worker of the integration team, explained: “Overcoming those doubts is not easy, but I try to imagine that everybody has once gained their first professional experience and gender shouldn’t be important at all.”
What helped Kristin in the process was the encouragement from fellow ModuleWorkers, specifically her team. “I think the thing I enjoy the most at ModuleWorks is the team spirit. From the beginning, I feel as part of the team and not like the new one. When I was new at ModuleWorks, I knew that I could always ask my colleagues for help without feeling uncomfortable.”
Liliana, product manager in Bucharest, shared a similar experience: “The icing on the cake for me is the little things: the words of appreciation when a job is well done, an inside joke that reminds me that I’ve been here for a long time, a sigh of frustration when an application crashes and a colleague finds the right words to create a sense of belonging, taking a sick day when I can’t focus and can’t get any work done, finding activities to do outside of work with others, and the list can go on.”
Hence, women are welcomed by the same warm family-like environment, as Roxana added: “I appreciate the fact that ModuleWorks is open to good ideas and encourages people to be involved and work to implement their ideas (no matter if we are women or men).”
All in all, having been in ModuleWorks almost since its foundation, El-Marie rounded up: “In general, I had a great experience as a woman in STEM. Especially in the old days, women were only a handful in this domain, so we were treated as ‘very special’ … That was 20 years ago. Now the industry is slightly different, women are more present, which I appreciate, as it is refreshing to have also girls around in the office and to be able to chat some ‘girl talk’ from time to time.”
Cristina from Bucharest added: “A lot of women have been more interested in engineering and science lately, which is very important. We are slowly breaking the ideology that women can’t have a career in science and engineering which is absolutely amazing.”
Conclusion: A better future
ModuleWorks has been at the forefront of providing employees with good work-life balance and career opportunities — not just females, as the Great Place to Work Awards of the past 10 years show. An important aspect of working to be a great employer is considering the individual needs, for example, for migrants, which is an aspect in which the company has been active and received an award. So, considering women, it is an equally logical and necessary step toward becoming an even better place to work; and ModuleWorks is excited to continue this journey of improvement and shaping a better future for everyone.
