By Tajrish Herbst, Prepayment Systems Team Leader at Remote Metering Solutions
A lot has changed to improve the environment for women in the workplace in the last three years. Gender-based placements and increased acknowledgment and respect toward women are steps in the right direction. And while the situation is not perfect yet, it is reaching the stage in business where it is your knowledge that defines you and not your gender.
More women are joining the utilities industry, not only in administrative and managerial roles, but also in the technical field. This provides an incredible platform for future growth. Equal opportunities are granted, and women are no longer treated any different than their male counterparts – this makes our successes and accomplishments as women that much greater.
Building knowledge
To truly stand out as an empowered female in the workplace you must equip yourself with knowledge, initiative, and guts. Women should focus their efforts on knowing and understanding more about their field than their peers. This has not only made me excel and become a better employee, but the self-improvement and self-worth you get from knowing that you are there because you truly deserve it, and you are the best at what you do, is unbelievable.
Of course, no person, regardless of gender, is entitled to anything in the workplace. Becoming empowered and being a leader should be considered part of every woman’s success story, but it must be earned.
Empowering herself is one of the best things any woman could do. Starting within and facing the first step of self-empowerment is what should drive every women. This never goes unnoticed. Remember, this encourages everyone around you to trust in your drive and willingness to achieve something great. You will go from becoming empowered to empowering others in an instant.
Being supportive
A valuable part of my career path and the single most important thing I have learned from experience is to always respect my colleagues, regardless of gender. To equally respect male and female counterparts is the most valuable asset that you can have. This not only empowers you to learn from everyone around you but in this way, women will empower each other. There is value in people respecting one another. As an empowered woman, I take great pride in respecting not only men and women of power, but every employee I work with.
By supporting one another and freely sharing the lessons learnt and trusting each other to encourage drive, women can create a more enabling environment. Isolated we will not achieve anything. Women in positions of power and women who are empowered should not become isolated on an island of their accomplishments, but realise that sharing their success and achievement is what it truly means to be empowered.
Grassroots development
Girls should know from an early age that they can pursue any career path. A career is not something that a child truly grasps until they start one as an adult. Empowering the education system is where we should start. We know what it means to pursue a career and what it takes to find our way.
We as adults and empowered women have a responsibility to become involved in educating children, regardless of their gender, on career opportunities. We have learnt from experience, and it led us to the paths we are on. We can share our experiences and in so doing help the adults of tomorrow achieve far greater things than what we could ever dream of.
