Women's Equality Day 2022

Happy Women's Equality Day!

Today marks the 122nd anniversary of the adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which granted American women the right to vote.

Read on to hear from Jennifer Bowen, one of Schindler Elevator Corporation's VP's of Territory Operations, not only speak to what equality means to her, but also speak to the importance of diversity in the workplace.

Can you share your experience on how you got into this industry?

My father and two uncles were in the elevator industry.?My father spent 30 years as a mechanic before he retired.?When I graduated college, I had a terrible job that wasn’t paying me much and I was looking for another opportunity.?My dad mentioned there was a job opening at his company as a New Installation sales rep.?Knowing I didn’t want to work in sales or in the elevator industry, I initially refused to apply.?My dad suggested I go for it anyway because it “couldn’t be any worse” than what I was doing and would probably pay me more.?So after some reluctance and a very thorough interview process, I got the job.?Little did I know I’d love both the job and the industry and it would be the starting point of a very long career in elevators!??

What advice do you have for other women looking to enter the field?

I think it could be easy for women to look at this industry and see it as a blue collar, male-dominated industry and either be turned away or intimidated by that.?I would just encourage more women to take a second look at this field because it truly is a great industry that’s making a lot of strides to become more diverse and inclusive.?Schindler specifically is doing wonderful things not only to recruit diverse talent, but also to ensure that people feel welcome and at home once they’re here.?Whether it’s through the different Employee Inclusion Networks that we have here, or just the general “family” culture that Schindler has, it’s a great place to work in a challenging and exciting industry!

Why do you think diversity in the workplace is so important?

It’s so simple for companies to fall into the “it’s the way we’ve always done it” mentality.?That is especially the case for the elevator industry as it’s a very mature industry with people who typically have long tenures in it.?But the world is changing as are our customer expectations, competition, and economy.?And that means our business has to change.?Bringing in diverse thoughts, experiences and perspectives help to provide the ideas and innovation needed to help our company adapt to these changes.?The more diversity we bring into the business, the more the company becomes a safe space for people to feel free to be themselves and to feel accepted for who they are.??

Lastly, what does equality mean to you?

Equality to me means a state where everyone is treated fairly despite their differences.?In the context of our business, this should mean that people are all given the same opportunity to come to a safe, inclusive work environment, provided with the necessary tools and resources to do their work, and offered fair pay based on performance and ability.?These rights within our organization shouldn’t be swayed or impacted by prejudice, preference or bias.??