STATSCORE team consists of over 100 women and men working in the Katowice office and over 1,000 scouts worldwide, who are involved in, among other things, creating and delivering sports data products.
We are actively involved in the sports and IT sectors. It might seem that these are worlds that belong mainly to men. Currently, 17% of the Katowice team are women (and this percentage is constantly growing), including:
- 100% in the HR&Payroll team,
- 100% in the Accounting&Administrations team,
- 100% in the People&Culture team,
- 100% in the Scrum Master role,
- 67% in the DevOps team,
- 37% in the QA Engineer role,
- 8% in the Live Scouting team,
- 5% in the Sports Data team,
- 4 female team leaders (Head of / VP).
We asked Iwona, Patrycja, and Justyna about working in the male-dominated world of technology and sports.
Iwona – VP of Product
Iwona, how do you feel managing a 100% male product team?
“I feel very good managing a 100% male product team. Over the years of working in the iGaming and IT industries, where men usually dominate, I am lucky enough not to feel any difference or discomfort due to the gender of my team. Everyone is super professional and friendly, which fosters effective cooperation and the achievement of goals.
Although the team is dominated by a male approach to problems, I try to use the diversity of perspectives and experiences to make the best decisions and develop products in line with customer needs. I am pleased to say that our team is one of the most close-knit teams I have worked in, which further contributes to our success. Ultimately, what matters to me is effective teamwork and achieving success, regardless of the gender of my colleagues.”
Patrycja – Jr Scouts Quality Controller
Patrycja, is working in a male team that deals with sports at work and after work a challenge?
Working in a male team is not something new for me, as I have been involved in sports for 13 years. In this industry, men are the vast majority. Our work concerns sports issues, and each of us is interested in them to a greater or lesser extent. I think that talking about sports is something natural, both for the male part of the team and for me.
Sport is such a broad concept that anyone can talk about it, regardless of gender, age, or favorite discipline. Our conversations cover a wide range of topics, both serious and funny. The team I work with is very open and tolerant, so working with them is not a difficult challenge, but an interesting experience.”
Justyna – VP of Human Resources
Justyna, what are your thoughts on the main challenges and benefits of hiring and developing women in the IT industry?
The main challenge is for both women and men to understand that IT is not an industry “reserved” for men. Women also do great in these professions – as long as they believe in their abilities.
Unfortunately, the popular concept of raising girls in such a way that they would be best suited for caring, non-technical roles and professions is still taking its toll. However, research shows that there are more and more women in the IT industry every year. I support this trend, and STATSCORE supports it. In the recruitment process for all positions, the most important factors are competence and our values, and these are the criteria we use. Gender doesn’t matter at all. In recent months, several women have joined our R&D, Sports Data and Product departments, including in managerial positions. Of course, it should be emphasized that the percentage of women applying for these departments is still relatively small compared to men.
Speaking of the benefits, I will also refer to competence and knowledge. I do not want to repeat the belief here that “a woman softens the manners”, because, in my opinion, this is again putting women into the “emotions” bag, which is seen in opposition to the “knowledge and competence” bag. Maybe I’m an idealist, but I believe that highly developed emotional intelligence, knowledge and competence can be the domain of both men and women. They depend on the person, not the gender.
How does STATSCORE engages and motivates employees to create a culture of respect and cooperation between women and men
Teamwork and respect for others are among STATSCORE’s values. Already at the recruitment stage, we select team members who share our values. We also apply and reinforce them in everyday project work, where each employee can have a real impact on the plans and the way they are implemented, but also by being available and open to improving the quality of cooperation and communication. The principles of good, high-quality communication, and showing respect for each other (which we promote through, for example, organizing training), are universal and are not reserved for any gender. At STATSCORE, it is simply a “must-have”.
Of course, there are many more examples of wonderful women at STATSCORE.
IT: Challenges, Opportunities and Development Prospects
Working in the IT industry shows that there are no gender restrictions or stereotypes about technical skills. Women can be developers, testers, analysts, DevOps engineers, etc. According to the report “Women in IT 2020”, over 40% of women employed in IT have changed their career path by entering this industry.
IT women can bring many benefits to a company. According to research by the Carrots Foundation, organizations that employ women in managerial positions or on supervisory boards achieve better financial results than those without them. The directive “Women on Boards” adopted by the European Parliament states that by 2026 they should occupy 40% of seats on the boards of large companies.
The “Challenges of Women in Digitization and Cybersecurity” report shows that in Poland the share of women working in the ICT sector is lower than the European average and according to Eurostat it’s 15.5%.
At STATSCORE, we do not have a special program to support the employment of women – because we are simply always open to good people who fit our friendly atmosphere, regardless of gender.
Therefore, if you only have the desire and the right experience, we invite you to the #STATSCOREteam: https://www.statscore.com/company/careers/
