Diversity in Tech – Getsafe Team Stories
Zemre and Juliana, engineering managers at Getsafe, recently reflected on their career paths in software engineering and what diversity hiring really means to them
From the top: Who are you guys, what are your roles at Getsafe?
Zemre: I am a computer engineer and a veteran software developer. In my current job as engineering manager, I am helping my talented engineers grow in their roles. My main job is to provide the best environment for the team to write their code with peace of mind. We discuss and decide on technical solutions, strategies, and priorities together. I also help my teammates to define their career trajectories. That is the best part of the job.
Ju: Same for me! The mission is to engage and enable people to do their best work and achieve the goals we have as a team. We are also responsible for the team’s technical strategy. The first thing you need to know about me is that I am a proud Brazilian woman working in technology. And why is this so important? Because context is essential. I am also a software development veteran; during my 20-year career path, I have experienced many changes and challenges in the tech scene. Being an engineering manager can mean different things in different companies. With regards to Getsafe, Zemre already said it perfectly. I'm super proud of what we've achieved so far and the team we are together.
Zemre: In my personal life, I am a classical music aficionado and certified hatha yoga instructor. I like reading and discussing books with people who like to read. And I am a Potterhead!
Ju: I am also passionate about helping people, I love dogs even more than people, and I like simple things – big fan of fantasy books, games, and movies. Count me in to grow a forest in your home or cook for friends.
Disrupting tech in the insurance sector – how has your experience been so far?
Zemre: It has been one hell of a journey! Since I joined Getsafe, we have entered new markets, produced new insurance product lines, and have been backed up by many lovely new customers. Also, Getsafe has an amazing culture; our engineers have the freedom and control over every stage of software development. And the opportunities are endless in the insurance domain; there are many interesting business problems to solve with smart engineering solutions. And people at Getsafe have been amazing colleagues. I can only be grateful to work in such an environment.
Ju: Right! Being here is... something else! Tons of good and challenging things happen all the time. As Zemre mentioned, new markets, new products, and new challenges. It is awesome when you do something that can simplify a not-that-trivial topic for people and you can see the direct impact of your team's work on it. I mean, with a fantastic team like us, what else could we expect (laughs)?
What are your thoughts on diversity hiring in Engineering?
Zemre: Unfortunately, to my surprise, gender diversity in IT companies in Europe is way below my expectations. In my hometown, Istanbul, I had a chance to work at two organisations with amazing gender diversity. At my first work in Germany, it was shocking for me to be the only woman developer in the whole company. However, as people in engineering, we have the responsibility to make things better, and we have the power. At Getsafe, we are getting where we want to be. I don’t want to sound cliché, but this should not just be some box to tick. We must be honest, responsible, and truly care about diversity if we all want to work at fair workplaces.
Ju: I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, the industry is finally talking about it and doing something to change the current scene, which I like very much. It's vital to have diverse people with diverse experiences, different backgrounds and opportunities if we want to build something for everyone for real – not only talking about products, but the environment. On the other hand, not all companies are really prepared to include diverse groups and to have the conversations we need to start having so desperately. Companies need to be prepared to embrace and welcome the diversity they like to say they are so open to. We can only judge groups with the same parameters if they have the same opportunities. We should not treat people exactly the same way under the perspective that "we're being fair". That's not true. Being fair is considering context to provide the same conditions, not the same trials. We need to talk about biases and how to deal with all these different situations. The real challenge is speeding up inclusive topics and environments to embrace diversity.
Zemre: Our workplaces are small ecosystems and reflections of our society. If an organisation fails to mirror the diversity of its society, its chances of survival will be minimal. If you look at history, you will see that the homo sapiens outlived other humans because they had lived in larger mixed groups and had formed alliances beyond their immediate group; the more diversity they had, the longer they survived. A successful, happy society is only possible by embracing diversity in terms of not only gender and sex, but also diversity in terms of socio-economic, age, life experience, religious, and ethnic variety. This is also true for companies. New and different perspectives will always help to enhance processes.
Why did you choose Getsafe and join our mission?
Zemre: As an expat, I find traditional insurance processes too bureaucratic, slow, and hard to deal with. When I moved to Germany, I did not know that insurance was that big of a deal here. It’s a good thing, but think of the bureaucracy that you need to handle! Lots of documents, and all in German! At Getsafe, we make insurance appealing for everybody. Our mission is to be that friend that’s there for you when you need them – by making a complex situation simple and a bad day less bad. I wanted to be part of that mission as it resonated with me so well.
Ju: I enjoy the journey of taking digital transformation processes – specifically tedious or bureaucratic topics – and making them easier to understand. I come from a place where the insurance market works very differently, so I had the best of both experiences: learning about another business and having many challenges when digitising the process. It’s also extremely important to me to always keep learning and improving.
What's your favourite interview question to ask a potential job candidate?
Zemre: “Tell us something that excited or inspired you in your work recently.” It gives us hints of what our candidate finds interesting.
Ju: “Imagine a situation in which you have a conflict with a peer, what would you do?" It helps me to understand how people manage uncomfortable topics and check if they can connect and have empathy for other people in the group.
Check out our engineering vacancies and join Zemre and Juliana on our mission:
You might also like:
