Making tech a more inclusive industry

Enabling more women in tech 

Tech is a fairly new industry, which means that as a technology company, we have an opportunity to learn from the mistakes that other, more established sectors have made. When it comes to women in tech, a DEI-focused approach has proven to offer us many different advantages. 

DEI – or Diversity, Equity and Inclusion – is all about building a diverse workplace culture and team, where everyone is welcomed and valued, and has equal opportunities. When we hire people, we’re looking for specific attributes – not a specific type of person. If you’re a game-changer who gets out of bed each day to make a positive impact, you could be a Bob Cat, regardless of whether you’re one of the men or women in tech. 

Bob Cats, not Bob Boys and Girls 

That’s right – at Bob Group, we think of each other as Bob Cats. That is, people who have specific, outstanding attributes. In case you haven’t guessed, gender is not one of the things we look for! In the early days of our industry, there were relatively few women in tech. Technology is a form of engineering, after all, and engineering was historically seen as a ‘male’ role.

Who can be a Bob Cat? 

Anybody can be a Bob Cat – we intentionally chose a cool, fun, funky and gender-neutral term for everyone who works here. Spend five minutes at our Bob Group offices, and you’ll realise that Bob Cats have a few things in common. These include passion for what they do, curiosity, commitment to customer service, and flexibility and adaptability. 

That, of course, is where the similarities end. Bob Cats come in many different varieties, and we have very similar numbers of men and women working here. After all, when you’re looking for people who are always willing to go the extra mile, gender simply doesn’t come into it. We hire based on potential, and we promote on results. It’s that simple. 

Becoming one of our women in tech 

During Women’s Month, there’s often a focus on opportunities for women. At Bob Group, those opportunities exist year-round. If you’re entering the jobs market for the first time, looking to change careers, or you’re already one of the growing numbers of women in tech, you could be just who we’re looking for. Of course, the same thing applies to men in tech – and anyone who can see themselves as a Bob Cat. 

If you do want to work in tech, Bob Group would be a great place to start – and to stay. We still have an authentic start-up culture, but we’re also in this for the long run. This August, we’re celebrating our 25th birthday – Bob Group can trace its roots back to 1999, which is before a lot of our current Bob Cats were even born. 

The fact that we’ve reached this milestone tells you a lot about Bob Group. We’re proud to say that it’s our people  – our Bob Cats – who have made the difference. We wouldn’t be who we are without each and every single one of them, and that includes all the women in tech who have played such an important role in our growth. 

If you want to become a Bob Cat and help shape our next 25 years (and beyond), click on the link to see the opportunities we currently have for women in tech – and for men in tech, too. Visit our careers page here: https://www.bob.co.za/careers/