For International Women’s Day 2023, the theme aligned with the upcoming 67th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW-67) is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.” The CSW first met at Lake Success, New York, in February 1947. It happened soon after the founding of the United Nations women’s rights. And all 15 government representatives were women. Since then, the commission has been shaping global standards on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The goal for this year is to recognize and celebrate the women championing the advancement of transformative technology. The United Nations Observance of International Women’s Day 2023 aims to address the challenges of an equitable digital future. Furthermore, IWD 2023 also recognizes that the digital age has generated unprecedented opportunities for the empowerment of women.

And panagenda does not fall behind. For us, a positive work culture goes through allowing everyone to be who they are, and to stay comfortable in their skin. As an international and multicultural company, everyone is welcome to be themselves. Cultural differences are acknowledged as one of our many strengths. And every panagendian has equal growth opportunities.

Besides offering flexible hours and a long consolidated hybrid work culture, panagenda allows all employees worldwide to work from home. There is no such thing as “one size fits all” and we understand that the pursuit of a better work-life balance means something different for each panagendian. So on International Women’s Day 2023, we decided to ask some of the women in our team what all of that means for us. And what each one of us likes the most about the flexibility this digital era provides.

Now with the word, (and if I’m allowed to go ahead and be the first)… the women of panagenda…

What’s your favorite thing about being able to work from home and in a hybrid work environment?

Bruna Novo – Vienna, Austria.

What I love the most about the hybrid work environment at panagenda are the flexible hours. I can start working very early in the morning and once I’m done, I can play a videogame, meet a friend or go shopping. I can make the best use of the day since I’m not chained to a 9-5.

Femke Goedhart – Dordrecht, The Netherlands.

Being part of an international team of great minds from across nations and time zones that without hybrid work would never have come together!

Terri Warren – Hampton, New Hampshire, USA.

I have the ability to deal with a New England snowstorm at 8 AM, meet with a colleague in the Netherlands at 10 AM, and host a technical session with a customer by noon!

Sandra Bointner – Göllersdorf, Austria.

The best part of working from home is that the time I invested in going to work is now used to spending more time with family. I can bring and pick up my children to kindergarten or to school and drink a cup of coffee with my husband in the morning

Karin Rasl – Matzen, Austria.

As I’m a commuter and my commute takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes, I enjoy working from home because I can go out into nature right after work to do my walking round. On the other hand, I enjoy the days at the office more because I’m not there as often.

Ulrike Krumboeck – Vienna, Austria.

What I like the most is that I can organize my day to fit my concentration. I can start right away in the morning and as soon as my focus begins to fade, I can go for a walk in nature or do a little exercise, and then continue with renewed energy.

Sandra Fritzer-Posch – Mödling, Austria.

What I love most about working for panagenda on a hybrid basis beside meeting my colleagues at the office or in online meetings is to work also at my favorite coffee shop, if I like to and have no calls to do. I appreciate working autonomously and flexibly.

Gabriela Bobrowski, Pretzfeld – Bavaria, Germany.

Be in contact with a wide variety of people, yet enjoy the comforts of  home office. Organize my time as needed and be close to each other across borders. 

From Marie Curie and Katherine Johnson to Segenet Kelemu and Maryam Mirzakhani. Women have made countless and invaluable contributions to the fields of science, and technology. Although enormous progress has been made in gender equality in those fields, women and girls worldwide still face gender biases and systemic discrimination. In addition, gender gaps in digital access threaten to leave women and girls even further behind.

Digital technologies are transforming all spheres of our lives. Whereas, it is also creating unparalleled threats to our well-being. In contrast with providing new entrance points and platforms for historically marginalized groups, the discrimination in the tech sector and bias in automated systems sustain gender inequalities. Innovations in technology are crucial drivers of gender equality. They offer new opportunities for social and economic transformation.

Above all, it is essential to bring women closer to the world of technology. If you got all the way down here and you think that panagenda could be the place for you, make sure to check out our open positions. Last but not least, if you don’t see positions for you, don’t be afraid to send out a speculative application. We look forward to working with people who want to support digital transformation for enterprise organizations around the world.