Author: Rapid7

Each March, we reflect on the historical accomplishments and ongoing need to support women. This, of course, should be embraced all 12 months of the year, but Women’s History Month gives us a special opportunity to learn from, celebrate, and amplify the voices of women.

At Rapid7, we’re shining a light on women's voices all month long with special events and panel discussions, while recommitting to the ongoing efforts that last all year long. Below you'll find some highlights from our International Women's Day panel, which focused equity, inclusion, and advocacy in the workplace.

Rapid7 International Women’s Day Panel

This year's panel focused on the difference between equity and equality. While historically the focus has been on creating equal opportunities, it’s argued that focusing instead on equitable policies is more effective, as it takes into account the advantages and disadvantages of each individual’s circumstance.

“If we want to drive equitable processes to create an EQUAL playing field, we need to recognize the advantages and disadvantages that are out there today, and address them,” said Laura Ellis, Rapid7 Vice President of Data Engineering and Platform Analytics.

Creating equitable processes requires a dedicated effort and requires us to lean into hard conversations to address common stigmas. If organizations are committed to creating equitable policies and practices, having a culture that supports safe spaces is essential in getting to the most impactful solutions.

“Safety comes easy for a lot of our dominant groups or leaders with a certain title—but we should be aware that it’s not always there for our non-dominant groups,” said Nancy Li, Rapid7 Director of Engineering. “Be open to trying different forums where people can speak. Your loudest voices aren’t always representative of the whole population.”

So, what are some practices that we can take into the workplace to help create more equitable workplaces? Here are a few additional takeaways from the discussion.

1. Grow your teams with intention. If you are a hiring manager, or in a role where you influence hiring, slow down and partner with your Talent Acquisition team to ensure you’re seeking out a diverse candidate pool right from the start. Ask questions about where they are sourcing talent, what schools and universities they are historically partnering with, and see if there are opportunities to incorporate more diversity into the talent pipeline. It doesn’t stop once someone gets hired either—mentoring and providing support can help them gain the skills necessary to continue to advance their careers. Build out a multi dimensional team, and be open to the ways that each member’s different experiences can help fuel the innovation and creativity of the team.
   
2. Be an Upstander for One Another. Many women on the panel shared experiences of when another woman or a male ally stood up for them in the moment. What was shared was that once you feel the support of someone standing up for you by pointing out something that wasn’t right, it makes that person feel even more comfortable passing that support on and standing up for someone else. As stated by one group member, “After an upstander demonstrates how you should be treated—what a difference it makes in your confidence, and in your ability to be an upstander for someone else and pay that forward. Embrace it and then pass it on and use it to support someone else.”
   
3. Recognize that progress is fragile—we cannot lose focus. While women have made significant advancements in the workplace, the COVID-19 pandemic illustrated just how fragile this progress can be, especially when many women still bear the brunt of caregiving. While panelists observed progress being made and the gender diversity of the teams around them, they also pointed out that post pandemic, many women who left the workforce still have yet to return. In fact, the US Department of Labor reported that more than two years post-pandemic, women’s labor participation is still a full percentage point lower than what it was pre-pandemic. This means that roughly 1 million women are missing from the labor force. Flexible working policies provide a way to ensure that employees are able to balance their personal commitments and caregiving responsibilities with their work responsibilities. Offering this flexibility to both men and women in the workplace takes this one step further, as it was noted that even policies that are not exclusively for women, have the ability to impact women elsewhere as families are able to share responsibilities more equally.
   
4. We all have imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome isn’t something that is limited to a specific pay band or job level. We are consistently our own toughest critic, and can sometimes feel like there is “someone else” who should be taking advantage of an opportunity or stepping up to take on a leadership role. To combat imposter syndrome,  the panel recommended  looking around the room to determine where your skills can add value, and not being afraid to share that. It was also mentioned that many women are quick to brush off compliments when they are recognized for their work. However, it takes a lot for someone to go out of their way and pay you a compliment, so when that happens, lean into it and really listen to that positive feedback. Those moments can really make an impact on what you believe you are capable of, and make it easier to overcome that feeling of imposter syndrome. Finally, the group stressed the importance of leveraging the resources available to you through your employer, whether it’s access to therapy services or an employee assistance program. Sometimes the key to overcoming imposter syndrome is having someone help us reframe the situation, and shift our perspective. There's no shame in speaking with someone who is trained to help us navigate all stages of life and career.
   
5. Use your voice. Even if it shakes. When paving the path to a more equitable world, things aren’t going to be easy or comfortable the whole time. Continue to speak up and speak out - both for yourself, and for others.

This panel discussion took place on March 8th, and through the month our Women Impact Group will continue to partner with the business to host open and honest conversations and opportunities for reflection and education. This includes an allyship training session hosted by both our Women’s Impact Group and our PRIDE Impact Group, with guests from PFLAG.

In our internal communication channels, we’re spotlighting women in our organization who are making a considerable impact on our business and customers, shining an extra spotlight on the work and accomplishments of our own women at Rapid7. In a fireside chat, “Celebrating Women’s Voices”, leaders shared their own experiences in the workplace and the importance of sharing our journeys and building each other up. From parenting challenges to advocating for yourself and others, to moments of self doubt, these personal stories are shared to emphasize the importance of hard conversations and navigating challenges.

While we remain committed to uplifting the voices and representation of women in our industry throughout the year, we’re proud to have our Rapid Impact Groups driving these events in March that spark important conversations and provide real resources and opportunities for connection and community for our people.

Click here to learn more about our Rapid Impact Groups, and our ongoing commitment to diversity at Rapid7.

Elianna Sfez is a Detection and Response Practice Operations Manager based in Rapid7’s Tel Aviv office. As she approaches her six month anniversary with the company, we sat down to chat about her new hire journey, initial impressions and experiences in her new role, Rapid7 culture, and more.

Tell me about your role at Rapid7.

I am the Threat Intelligence Practice Operations Manager. My main goal is to help our teams work more efficiently on cross functional projects, whether that's within our specific practices or between practice teams. Most of the projects I deal with are aimed at supporting the customer experience and improving the customer journey. In my role, I look at everything from R&D to Customer Success and Product and look for ways to deliver the best experience and journey for our customers. Typically, that means identifying bottlenecks and looking for ways to make things better.

What made you excited to join Rapid7?

In my career, I’ve worked with a mix of true startups, as well as companies that were transitioning from the startup phase to a more mature corporation by way of acquisition. This specific type of growth is really interesting to me—seeing the transformation happen as they move from a small startup to a larger company. With Rapid7, I was excited about the challenge of the role. With the maturity of the company and its acquisition of IntSights, I was really excited to be part of navigating that change for the team and building out this new role in Tel Aviv.

What are the major differences you see between working in a startup environment vs. a more global corporation?

There are a lot of differences moving from a startup to a larger corporation, mostly in the way you work and the pressure of the environment. In a startup, you have to be very reactive and respond to challenges at any time—even if it means being up at 3:00 am to troubleshoot issues. There’s a ‘whatever it takes’ mentality and as you are trying to build something from the ground up. It’s important to get that momentum going and have the ability to wear a lot of different hats to solve challenges. The CTO is often right in the trenches with you, and everyone is working around the clock to keep the business moving forward.

As you get larger, you have to get better at being proactive and seeing that fire coming, and figuring out how to fix it before it becomes an issue. Cybersecurity is a field where this is really important because hackers are advancing every day. We’re challenging ourselves to anticipate what customers are going to need 6 months, a year, or two years from now, so we can continue to stay ahead. In a bigger company you have more resources and people who are able to be experts in their areas of focus. We have teams that we can rely on for their insights and expertise, and you aren’t on your own to solve problems. You have more of a support system to lean on and that also helps you grow and learn too.

How would you describe your onboarding experience?

My onboarding experience was interesting, mostly because I don’t have any team members locally in Israel. My manager is in the US and we’re truly a global team. Regardless, people were really welcoming and amazing each step of the way. It was nice to meet other new hires from around the world during the global onboarding sessions, and everyone in the local office was eager to learn more about what I do, and how they can help.

My manager created an onboarding project plan which was also really helpful. I got to see an overview of what my first week would look like, what my first month would look like, and felt confident knowing everything was set up already. There was a good mix of meetings on my calendar with people my manager wanted me to connect with, but I also had enough unscheduled time where I was encouraged to do my own outreach and determine who else I would want to connect with and learn from as well.

Having ownership in the process made it really exciting and gave me permission to ask questions and learn more about the business. My manager even asked me to think about three things I wanted to go and learn more about or become an expert in. That permission to grow and learn right from the start is really empowering in terms of creating your own career path.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

I enjoy the challenge of working with a global team to help build and improve on our customer experiences. I feel I am creating an impact, and that I have the support of the people around me. One thing I’ve found here is that even if someone doesn’t have an answer to your question, they are more than happy to help you find the right person or go find out and circle back with you. Everyone here has new ideas, and those ideas are really welcome. People are curious and ask the right questions to get to the root of a challenge, and there's an appetite to keep trying new things to find solutions.

How would you describe R7 to someone outside the company?

Everyone has a shared goal of bringing more value to our customers. That alignment helps us all feel connected and committed to helping each other get to the best outcomes possible. It’s a big job and it takes a lot of work, but it also gives you an incredible opportunity to grow in a place where you are supported and encouraged to try new things.

How do the Rapid7 values influence workplace culture?

The company is really living their core values, it’s not just something that they promote externally. Everyone is expected to be transparent and open, and everyone is really supportive in helping you grow and do the best work possible.

When it comes to workplace flexibility, there’s a culture where everyone trusts one another to do what they need to do. As a mom, this means I’m able to leave early and pick up my son and then jump on after hours to wrap things up. I’m having my second child in April, and Rapid7 hired me while I was pregnant. All of my team members were so welcoming and wonderful about this. I’ve even recommended a friend to cover for my role while I’m on maternity leave.

I honestly can’t say enough good things about the culture of the company, the values they have, and the exciting and interesting work that’s being done. There’s an opportunity to do really incredible and impactful work, but also have that space to create balance in our lives without being judged or feeling guilty.

To learn more about opportunities available at Rapid7, visit: careers.rapid7.com.