EMPLOYER STEM TESTIMONIAL | BENCHMARK DIGITAL PARTNERS
When you work at Benchmark Digital Partners, it’s not about you fitting into a square peg that defines your role. Let’s say you’re a little more “oblong” or you’re a “diamond,” they’ll create a role that’s ideal for you and the company, explains Natasha Porter, the chief customer officer. It’s an approach that reflects the company’s flexibility and its commitment to innovation at all levels. It’s the solutions-driven style behind the success of the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) solutions that they provide to more than 1.5 million users around the globe. It’s also one of the reasons they landed on the 2020 Best Places to Work in Ohio and the 2020 Women in Business and the Professions World Awards. As of September 2021, 45 percent of all Benchmark employees are female. As part of their strategy to attract and retain their top women in STEM+, they enrolled in Gotara’s In-depth Nano-learning STAR training programs.
Q & A | Gotara + Benchmark Digital Partners
What’s your company’s strategy for attracting top STEM+ women?
“We want to have a diverse group of leaders and team members, so one thing we’ve started is a social campaign where we interview team members from around the world and have them share what they do and what they like about being part of the company. When people are applying for jobs with us, they can see these posts and get insights into who we are and what we stand for. We also encourage members to post on Glassdoor and to share their experiences. The third thing we do, which I think is important, is our approach to interviewing candidates. For example, I interview everybody and then, depending on the role, I will pull in other team members, including folks who would be at the same level. I do this so they can hear from a potential peer about what they do and hear from the manager about how they can grow in their career with the company. We take this approach with all candidates, so it’s not specific to women. To layer in one more detail, we’re flexible with how we define a role. If someone comes in and we see they have a mix of skills that we hadn’t imagined, we may create a new or hybrid role and then have regular touchpoints in the first 90 days to make sure it’s a good fit for them and us.”
How did Gotara help Benchmark Digital Partners with its talent strategy with STEM+ women?
“We want to offer women something beyond coaching from senior mentors or leaders. Something that speaks to the unique challenges that women face as they balance their careers with their lives. I’ve been mentored by senior leaders who were mostly men in my career, and I wasn’t going to talk to them about what it’s like to juggle being married or raising kids. Gotara provides a safe and engaging platform to hear from women that share similar challenges and daily life struggles that aren’t necessarily present or in a man’s perspective. I think that’s the biggest game changer… It’s a safe place to learn and engage and grow and do it in a way that makes sense for women based on what the common challenges are that women face today.”
What do you think the Gotara STAR in-depth nano-learning programs offer that’s unique to the STEM women at Benchmark Digital Partners?
“[With nano-learning,] you’re meeting the person where they are with the current challenge they have. If you can’t get past that, well, trying to learn other things when you can’t tackle the hurdle in front of you is difficult. That was a really important piece of the puzzle for Gotara and the value that those individuals saw.”
Was the Gotara Employer Insights Report helpful?
“I wasn’t surprised by anything, but it quantified and reinforced what I was thinking. Now, I think the value that these reports provide for a leadership manager who is younger in his or her career and trying to help direct these individuals, this kind of information is super valuable. [These reports] give a third-party objective opinion on where that team member is. And frankly where the manager needs to adjust with that individual to keep coaching them. The manager also needs to be effective at recognizing that each person is different. That’s just as important in ensuring that that team member stays and can continue to grow. If the manager isn’t doing that, the whole situation stalls out.”
What’s unique about your culture that makes it attractive for STEM+ women?
“We’re focused on our employees’ careers and making sure they grow with us. As I mentioned, we’re also flexible—in terms of how we work—but in how we define roles. Our company also has such a great mission—we’re helping the environment and helping other companies do the right thing with responsible sourcing. Finally, we’re a fast-moving organization—and that either attracts or deters some people. If they want to work for a company that’s always innovating and moving forward and pushing the envelope, that’s Benchmark.”
Interested in learning more about Gotara’s STAR Programs? Let’s connect.
