MotherBoard – feat. Onoco
We caught up with Margaret Zablocka, Founder at Onoco who believe that everything should be at hand in one app – and one that’s simple, safe and easy to share.
MotherBoard is a community, meetup series & charter that has been created to drive positive change throughout the UK Technology and Data sectors, all about creating environments that support the inclusion of working mothers.
Why did you become a signatory of the MotherBoard Charter?
I am a mother working in the technology industry, so I have a first hand understanding of how difficult it can be to thrive in the industry while balancing professional and personal commitments. The MotherBoard Charter is an essential step in breaking down the barriers and stigma which can be associated with being a ‘mum in tech’, and reflects many of our values at Onoco, including celebrating all families and that listening and learning is the key to our success.
As a business, what challenges have you faced when hiring women into your tech team?
As a company supporting women and families, we probably get more applications from women than some other tech businesses - but we’d still love to get more!
We see a good balance of male and female applications to quality assurance and project management roles, but definitely notice that men dominate backend and mobile development.
We find that often women shy away from applying for our roles, fulfilling the adage that women will only apply for a role they 100% meet the requirements for. The thing with Onoco is, our roles are not set in stone! We work very organically as a team and, although everyone obviously has their day to day responsibilities and tasks, we are all involved in the product we are producing. This means that, even if an applicant doesn’t have the full range of skills we have initially asked for, their contribution as a parent can be invaluable - and training is always available!
I also think the tech industry is seen as something fast paced, which is demanding and can keep you glued to your laptop way beyond the bedtime routine. Although there are naturally some days like this, as a company working for and with parents, we inherently understand the importance of flexible working and ensuring everyone feels empowered to structure their day in the way that works best for them.
What would you like to see change in the tech industry for mums in the next few years?
Looking directly at the tech industry, I’d love for it to be more open and welcoming to the flexible working needs of working mums, and to wave goodbye officially to performative working and the idea that the longer you’re at your desk the better your work will be.
A core focus for us at Onoco is to help organisations retain and celebrate the talent they have in their working mums, and parents as a whole, by going ‘beyond the bump’ and looking instead at ongoing policies which can tangibly make a difference to the lives of their team members.
