Women’s History Month Recap: Hear from Women In NCR (WIN)

For the month of March, we honored women’s history month by learning from our colleagues at NCR who serve as Women in NCR (WIN) Leads from all over the world. Hear more from a few of our WIN Leads, below.

How do you describe the culture of NCR?

I have been with NCR for over 9 years and I must say that it has developed over the last 2-3 years into a culture of inclusion and diversity. NCR fosters and rewards top talent, which can be seen in the career growth of many of the teams across the business and new roles in place today. This was highlighted during the challenging times of Covid-19 where we were invited into each other’s homes which helped us to see the real person before we saw the NCR title.

Did you confront any bias in your career? How can our colleagues better support women in the workplace and why is this important?

Yes, I have confronted bias in my career due to my age, drive, or being the only woman on a call and there is a crying kid in the background, so it is assumed the kid is mine. Personally, I think Covid-19 has helped in this aspect, with remote working it has become normal to see a child walking in the background of a meeting 4 to 5 times, going to the fridge, adjusting meeting times to allow for remote school efforts and turning on the camera to show “Hi” colleagues, this is me engaged and ready to collaborate even though we have not been able to share a coffee for some time. 

What I can say for all colleagues is that sometimes a meeting has to be moved because there is a sick kid, customer escalation or people are not well, it is in that moment that we adjust, help and support the person that we are truly seen as OneNCR.

Who comes to mind when you think of a woman at NCR that inspires you?

Christiana Yisa: Meeting her upon joining NCR as the country controller was striking for me, her level of confidence, dedication to work and the ability to relate with everyone was something to look up to.

Maria Tsapara: Fulfilment Manager, I love the tenacity with which she carries out her responsibilities.

Did you confront any bias in your career? How can our colleagues better support women in the workplace and why is this important?

At some point, I was faced with ensuring that integrity is upheld especially in the financial reporting field as there were colleagues who felt as a lady, I didn’t have to put my feet down on such issues.

Women can be supported by ensuring that the positive inputs from the women are appreciated, upheld and not looked down on.

What are you most excited about accomplishing next through your role in WIN – globally and in your country?

As the Chairperson for WIN Africa, I desire that we build a network of women in Africa, that are able to support and depend on each other to strive in their various field.

Raise women in NCR global who know and understand what they want and desire to achieve and leave a mark in the sand of time in NCR.

Did you confront any bias in your career? How can our colleagues better support women in the workplace and why is this important?

Being the first female Country Manager for NCR Nigeria in over 70years, has not been without challenges. The male colleagues feel insecure especially being a Strong, Confident and Assertive woman. 

Our colleagues can better support women in the workplace by: 

• Letting women speak.
• Listening to their thoughts, considering their opinions and making sure they are represented in decision making. 
• Give women equal opportunities. 
• Treat women as professionals – Never pry or make assumptions.
• Stop treating women differently -  Women are not some separate species of being. 
• Acknowledge women’s successes. 

It is important for the organization to achieve its goals without any hitch, and on a larger scale to improve the countries overall economic performance. It will also increase staff motivation, higher productivity and performance, better talent management and improved reputation. 

How can our colleagues better support women in the workplace and why is this important?

I think that there are several ways that colleagues can better support women in the workplace; 

• Be a Mentor – having a mentor has lots of benefits to both the Mentor and Mentee – engaging in conversations with a mentor can help women feel more comfortable expressing career goals, thus making it easier for them to advocate for promotions and speak up in meetings 
• Be approachable & build trust by being supportive 
• Give specific recommendations for improving performance and avoid using statements like “good job” 
• Look for opportunities where you can help women learn and grow 

Did you confront any bias in your career?

Of course I confronted bias, at many moments of my life. When I was a young mother and it took me a lot of effort to demonstrate I could do my best the same, as any men. Bias because of age too. But even when I felt afraid, I always went ahead. 

How can our colleagues better support women in the workplace and why is this important?

People, men and women, need to understand that diversity, equity and inclusive matters are not a gender flag, or any kind of flag, it is a governance that belongs to everybody. Building diversity takes time. It has no recipes, we build it together. 

What are you most excited about accomplishing next through your role in WIN – globally and in your country?

As the new WIN Atlanta Chapter President, I am excited to provide opportunities for our local members to learn, collaborate, and make an impact! This year is the year of growth! After doubling our team size, we now have the woman-power needed to drive consistency with quarterly programming, increase our reach with more frequent marketing and communications, expand our network with a focus on new member recruitment, and increase our impact with dedicated community outreach leads. It is through building up this community that we can support NCR in becoming an inclusive and equitable place for women to thrive worldwide.

How do you describe the culture of NCR?

NCR is an ever-evolving workplace. The company I interned at in 2017 is much different than the NCR we see today. And, that’s the best part! A company that evolves with the times and implements new strategies to stay current is exactly the type of company I want to work for. Gone are the days of complacency; at NCR we are always pushing the bar and emphasizing continuous improvement in everything we do.

Who comes to mind when you think of a woman at NCR that inspires you?

In my career so far, I have had pleasure to work with so many inspirational women that were both my mentors and my peers. To highlight just one won't be fair. What I love about NCR is that in every organization you can see women supporting and uplifting each other, providing mentorship and guidance, that is something truly remarkable. 

What are you most excited about accomplishing next through your role in WIN – globally and in your country?

Both globally and in Serbia I believe we should keep focusing on normalizing female decision makers, keep providing mentorship and guidance on how to increase their confidence in the workplace and the tools to help their career progression. Additionally, as we live in such an unpredictable world, I think the Cultural and Community engagement our WIN Chapters are driving are very critical and need to be supported. 

Did you confront any bias in your career?

Yes, absolutely there have been numerous instances and it is difficult for women to avoid, because gender-based, unconscious bias is so prevalent.  

How can our colleagues better support women in the workplace and why is this important?

Being cognizant of and overcoming the biases (both conscious and unconscious) we each bring to situations is critical, every individual’s experiences and circumstances are different.  Projecting our biases onto others can lead to inequitable treatment such as disproportionate workloads, which can impact assignment of opportunities, which can be career-impacting.  

How do you describe the culture of NCR?

I describe the culture of NCR as “evolving”. We know the type of culture we want to achieve and every part of the organization is in a different stage of adopting and adapting to achieve that culture. It’s exciting to be part of that kind of transformation. 

How do you describe the culture of NCR?

NCR has an open and transparent culture. The Shared Values we all have, brings us together. 

Who comes to mind when you think of a woman at NCR that inspires you?

There are quite a few Women leaders that I follow at NCR. NCR has always been inclusive in its leadership team as well as being an equal opportunity employer. Few leaders to name are: Carolyn Muise, Linda Fisher, Mithu Bhargava and Linda Sherman. These women leaders have their own share of inspiring me to be a professional with integrity and dignity. 

What are you most excited about accomplishing next through your role in WIN – globally and in your country?

As the founder and president of the WIN Virtual chapter, I want to guide us to continued growth. I have an amazing board supporting me and we are excited for the year to come! Our membership is just over 100 great women, but we only have about 15-20% active participation. Our leadership team is focusing on how to improve participation in 2022. 

This year’s focus is coincidentally, gender and other bias’ and how to recognize, combat, navigate and overcome. Last year our focus what “what do I do for NCR” and we periodically revisit that because it has been a great way for us to get to know each other. Our chapter was founded because there was no WIN opportunity for remote employees (before COVID). We felt there needed to be a group that supported the employee that doesn’t have the benefit of ‘water cooler chat’. Now with everyone virtual, the concept isn’t as foreign! It certainly poses some challenges since we can’t get together to do things in person, like build a habitat house. 

So what we’ve done instead is partner with a national organization that has locations across the US. Dress for Success is our partner charity, which allows us to participate for the common good, but each from our own location. We are looking for other such opportunities – things that continue to bring us together, even virtually. 

How do you describe the culture of NCR?

I feel that NCR has changed from a Mid-Western, US-centric company to a more global corporation in the past few years. I definitely feel that people are more conscious of accepting cultural differences and accommodating to various time zones around the world. 

Who comes to mind when you think of a woman at NCR that inspires you?

Patrice Graves embodies the new NCR woman.  I see a powerful professional representing diversity that embodies the new NCR.