Github — Sexism and poor management go hand in hand

Female developer resigns amid details of insane work environment

When software engineer Julie Ann Horvath resigned from Github yesterday she did not go quietly into the night. A slew of tweets, and personal account of the events leading up to her decision, paint a picture of disastrous management practices. Yes, the sexist behaviour is there as well — something all too common in our industry. But, what really stands out, is the behaviour of management. When hired, she was the only female developer on staff, which should have been a red light.

Evidence suggests that once the minority population rises above 20% the environment starts changing. My advice to women entering the workplace, give more weight to organisations that have 20% or more female engineers on staff and in management. Unless you are a fighter, in which case go forth and conquer the boys club.

Assuming her version of events are accurate, Github has some major issues to work out. Managing sexual harassment in the workplace is impossible if the business can’t get basic business practices and HR policies right. Sometimes leaving is the best choice.