Her acute awareness of the lack of gender diversity in the tech sector propelled Patricia DuChene, general manager EMEA at Wrike, to start doing something about it

International Women’s Day is a good reminder for all of us in the technology industry to think more about the gender pay gap and the current strategies we have in place to address it. Being a woman in tech, a woman in sales, and now a woman leading an office, I am acutely aware of my industry's lack of diversity, and therefore it was (and is) on the forefront of my mind when building the team in Dublin.

If the first step to bridging the gender pay gap, or any other diversity issue within an organisation, is awareness, then all leadership must recognise the importance of diversity and bringing unconscious biases to the forefront of conversations. Talk about the issue, and keep talking about it, so that it is top of mind for everyone involved in the decision-making process.

There are many small changes and easy to implement policies that can improve diversity and balance in the workplace for the better, starting with the interview process. After interviews, HR should focus on asking the interviewer questions that start with why and how, for example: Why do you think X about the candidate? How did you come to this conclusion?

Answering these questions helps to identify the root source of feedback and whether concerns raised are valid, or if they stem from an unconscious bias that needs to be considered.

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Meetings are another opportunity to foster an inclusive culture. Whether they are held daily, weekly, or monthly, meetings should be orchestrated in way that signals to employees that they are all valued and that their ideas matter.

An aspect that is often overlooked, but can’t be overstated, is where people sit during a meeting. Those who do not feel included are more likely to sit towards the rear of the room or stand if there are not enough seats. Make an effort to ensure everyone has a seat at the table. If there isn't enough room, move other folks around and make room.

Always be mindful of interrupting when someone is speaking. I’m guilty of this myself at times. Interrupting someone is a backhanded way of saying ‘Your opinion isn't as important or as valid as mine’. Let your employees hold the talking stick — figuratively, of course — and have their say. This builds their confidence and lets them know that meetings are an open forum. Introduce a no interruptions policy and enforce it!

Companies can also foster inclusion by hosting a wide variety of holidays and events that invite people to share and show their culture at work. Wrike has two resource groups specifically aimed at strengthening its commitment to diversity and inclusion – the Women of Wrike (WOW) and the Out Wrikers Network (OWN). Both groups are open to all Wrikers, and we’ll be building out more groups over the next few months. OWN holds events engaging the LGBT community at local and international levels, including a huge pride event every year.

WOW supports women in the workplace and holds monthly events in local Wrike offices to open and maintain dialogue around issues affecting women.

Late last year we launched a WOW-sponsored speaker series entitled Empow(h)er that is geared toward supporting women’s empowerment in the workplace and we have just added a WOW-sponsored library, which is filled with professional and personal development resources specifically geared toward women.

Our next WOW event in Dublin is a PaintClub party in celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8. I am excited for all of the women in the office to get together for a couple of hours, share stories and remind each other of the very important perspectives we bring to the company each and everyday.

There are many strong, fantastic women in leadership roles at companies in Dublin and I would like to see their profiles raised over the next year. I will be doing what I can to see that come to fruition at my own company and throughout Dublin.

That said, we still need more women in leadership and to achieve that, we need more women mentors to help pull others up to join them and eventually replace them as they continue their journey up the corporate ladder.

• Patricia DuChene (pictured) is general manager EMEA at Wrike in Dublin. Wrike is a collaborative work management platform with offices in Melbourne, Dublin and San Diego