Celebrating International Women’s Day at the Ontario Digital Service
Friday, March 8th was International Women’s Day, and a great opportunity to celebrate women’s diverse achievements in the workplace. I attended several IWD events last week and wondered if there was a unique way to bring together all the amazing women we have working at the Ontario Digital Service (ODS).
More than half of our team is made up of women working in the broader tech space, from developers to designers, product managers, policy analysts and strategists. Across our leadership chapter at the Ontario Digital Service (senior managers and executives), 11 of 15 positions are held by women — that’s over 70%. Women are leading change, setting new standards and pushing the boundaries when it comes to reforming government and delivering better services for the people of Ontario.
In addition to their dedication to technology and innovation, the women of the Ontario Digital Service love spreading joy and celebrating one another. We do this because we know that bringing our whole selves to work is an important part of building a culture where inclusion and creativity thrive. So, it seemed fitting to start the day off by hosting a breakfast get-together at the office to pay tribute to the women of influence working in digital.
We wanted to say “thank you” in an authentic, cheerful and inclusive way, so we brought in homemade goodies to share, put on a playlist, and gathered around our common area so that everyone could join in the celebration. Everyone in the office was encouraged to participate, share stories, and reflect together.
On the walls, we featured posters of women in STEM found online (these innovators and change-makers inspire us to achieve our own mission), and we wrote words of affirmation and love letters to our future selves. These exercises are intentional techniques to encourage us to pause and reflect in the workplace and to set go-forward aspirations that are both big and bold.
Small things, big impact on culture
International Women’s Day is celebrated on the world stage, but celebrations don’t need to be elaborate to make a difference. For this event, we put our agile principles into action — think big, start small. Through our work, we have discovered all that is possible when we put the right people, in the right room together, working on the right projects.
Our celebration demonstrated those principles in practice.
For anyone out there who wants to bring together their colleagues or community to celebrate any event, occasion or milestone: know that you don’t have to go all out. Whatever efforts you make (even if they are small) can have a meaningful impact on those around you.
I was worried that my ‘breakfast party’ to celebrate women of influence in digital wouldn’t take off, but it was a success. No action, big or small, is ever insignificant if it’s done with care and a desire to make a positive difference.
Happy International Women’s Day, everyone! And thank you to all the incredibly talented women I get to work with each day, and to all those women who came before us.
