Women’s History Month: Building a Workplace Where Women Can Thrive
For Women’s History Month and every month, we’re building a workplace where women can thrive. We’re committed to advancing women’s achievement and highlighting the important role each associate at UScellular plays in challenging gender stereotypes and supporting inclusion.
To celebrate International Women’s Day, our Women in Action (WIA) associate resource group hosted a panel conversation with executive leaders, including myself, our president & CEO, Laurent Therivel (LT), and Kim Kerr, our senior vice president of enterprise sales and operations. The in-person and online event included discussion about empowering women and inviting greater inclusion. It is one of many events the group has hosted to nurture our culture of support, development, allyship and education.
While there was so much incredible conversation, two statements really stood out to me from the event:
“Be fearless and be yourself. Lead, act and work in a way that is comfortable to you. Women should no longer feel they need to act like someone they are not to be successful.” LT shared this advice for young women starting out in their careers. This resonated with me because I’ve had to learn this throughout my career journey and it’s such a gift to give yourself the freedom to be happy with who you are.
Kim also shared “It’s OK to take a break and reach out for help when you need it. Nothing ever truly falls off the rails when you are taking care of yourself.” Self-care and taking time to support yourself makes you a better associate, friend, partner and everything in between. This advice should be a priority for everyone since there’s power in asking for help when it’s needed.
I was also proud to acknowledge the impact of women before us who helped break professional barriers. I shared that, “many other women have come before you and helped pave the path for equality in the workplace. Continue to stand on the shoulders of these women and pull others up with you.” I feel blessed to have a strong network of fellow women who I call friends and colleagues who support each other in the workplace.
UScellular has a workplace culture that’s supportive of women, but that does not happen by accident. We’re intentional about cultivating a culture that is diverse, equitable and inclusive. We offer all associates a variety of benefits and resources that support personal and professional development. From paid time off, to generous parental leave, to flexible work schedules, and access to associate resource groups – we want our associates to feel a sense of community at work.
We’re proud of the associate initiatives and policies that drive our inclusive culture. And we've been recognized by Forbes as a best employer for diversity and by Seramount for DEI best practices.
We are also committed to cultivating the next generation of women in technology through our partnerships with organizations like Girls Who Code, an organization helping to close the STEM gender gap, and TechGYRLS, a YWCA program that supports economic empowerment for underserved girls through a combination of technology and community involvement.
Thank you to our Women in Action Associate Resource Group for creating a space to have dialogue and conversation. Learn more about our ARGs here.