It’s official! Not only is Samsara a Great Place to Work®, we’ve just been named as a 2023 UK’s Best Workplace for Women™.

The award by Great Place to Work®—the global authority on workplace culture—recognises Samsara’s commitment to creating a work environment where women feel valued and empowered. 

The award was driven by employee feedback with more than nine in ten (94%) women saying that Samsara is a great place to work, while almost all (97%) agreed that employees are treated fairly, regardless of gender.

For me, this is recognition of something I spotted five years ago when I joined the business—that Samsara is a workplace built on meritocracy where you are encouraged to ‘bring your whole self’ to work. 

As a result, people tend to be authentic with no need to ‘wear a mask’ or assume a workplace identity different from their own. As a woman, that’s empowering. It means we don’t have to fit in to what many perceive to be a male-dominated environment. We don’t have to lose our identity. 

Being a great place to work for women is in our DNA.

Right from day one, there was an innate understanding that women make a positive contribution to the workplace. Whether it's in software development or sales negotiations, women tend to bring a different approach and perspective which generates different insights and outcomes. 

This approach—that many organisations have yet to fully embrace—is supported by an inclusive benefits package designed to support people both personally and professionally.  The availability of flexible working, fully paid maternity leave for six months, paid sabbaticals, family planning and fertility benefit, as well as mental health and professional development coaching, all point to an organisation that cares about the wellbeing of its female employees. 

Plus, these benefits are backed by an employee-led UK Women of Samsara Employee Resource Group which provides a community for mentorship and support, and a voice for women to engage with the UK executive team. 

On their own, these approaches would make a significant contribution to correcting imbalances in the workplace. Together, they are tangible examples that underline Samsara’s commitment to true equality. But these only tell part of the story. 

Accountability at the highest level is key to our success.

For women to truly feel empowered at work, there needs to be accountability at the very top of the organisation. And here at Samsara, that accountability goes to the summit. At all executive levels, there are targets regarding the recruitment and promotion of women. And if we don't hit those goals, it's out in the open for all to see. 

Accountability is important because it’s all too easy to say you care about diversity — to pay lip service to such issues — but do nothing about it. In my experience, companies talk a lot about diversity and inclusion. But they don’t always back it up with action. Samsara does both. 

And that is why Samsara has been recognised as a great place to work for women. 

While it is always nice to receive such accolades, I must also say that this doesn’t mean we can just tick a box and say, “Great, we've done our job.” Because we haven't. We still have a lot more work to do. Samsara’s on the right path. But I'd like us to not view this as the end of our journey - but as part of our ongoing efforts towards creating a workplace built on meritocracy.

That’s not only great news for everyone working at Samsara today. It’s also a quality that is sure to appeal to women starting their careers or who are looking for a new challenge. Either way, it’s something to celebrate and embrace. 

To find out more about the exciting and empowering opportunities at Samara please visit our careers page.