The official employee newspaper
of Workpay Africa
of Workpay Africa
The Workpay Women's Group is an essential initiative to support and empower women at Workpay. To better understand the origins and potential of the group, The Bell recently had a chat with Florence Wanjiku, a long-time proponent and recent reviver of the initiative.
For background, the Women’s Group originally was originally kicked off thanks to Nelly, Workpay’s first and former Product Manager. She envisioned the group as a space for women to discuss various interests and topics that mattered to them.
The group’s activities and meetings have dwindled since Nelly’s departure, and communication has been a challenge, but Florence is now leading efforts to breathe life back into the group, introducing sports activities like tennis to bring everyone together and strengthen connections. But that's just the beginning.
The Workpay Women's Group aims to bring women together to boost morale, add a splash of fun to their workday, and improve vitality and wellness. It offers a space for women to relax, connect, and support each other, contributing to a healthier workplace. According to Florence, the group envisions exciting growth and fresh opportunities for collaboration and aims to have a long-term impact on the careers and lives of women at Workpay.
In the past, the Women’s Group attended a women's conference in Naivasha, sponsored by Workpay. This offered valuable insights and tips for women's development in the workplace, and the group is keen to revive such opportunities and create new ones.
The group is planning various activities such as tennis, badminton, and a book club focused on women's literature, though Florence emphasizes that they are “very open to ideas—this was just us spitballing!”. Efforts are also being put towards working on a communication platform where women can share their experiences and challenges, and discussions are underway to have dedicated days in the Workpay calendar for women to connect.
The group also aims to promote cross-team collaboration by having female representatives attend workshops and share insights with other team members. This enhances understanding of products and departments, leading to better outcomes for Workpay. The group also hopes to focus on promoting professional development and career advancement opportunities for women. This could be through planning women-based mentorship programs, seminars, and workshops. Initiatives like job rotation and rewards programs could help us explore different roles and receive recognition for their work.
Florence and the group call on their colleagues to “be a part of the change”! Share insights, participate in group events, and champion the Women's Group's initiatives. By doing so, employees can help strengthen the group's presence and impact.
One way to do this is to take the anonymous Employee Survey, which is designed to identify gender disparities and other challenges at Work Pay.
Another, for female employees only, is to join the Womens WhatsApp Group. Florecne welcomes any and all new participants. “We're thrilled to watch our group's growth and celebrate its successes in the years ahead”, she says.
