In 2012, Salesforce CEO Mark Benioff realized something was off. It wasn’t faulty software, a lack of leadership or a toxic culture. Instead, it was something more obvious and pervasive: the company faced gender disparity and a significant pay gap. In a recent article for Wired.com, Benioff states, “I’d begun to notice, with horror, that when I called a meeting, the number of women in the room was often close to zero. I soon discovered that less than 29 percent of Salesforce’s total employees were women, and they made up only 14 percent at the leadership level.”
With all of the negative news these days regarding big business, and big tech, in particular, you might think Salesforce’s leadership team did everything they could to keep this information from getting out. Instead, Benioff decided to take a long, hard look at himself and immediately went to work making changes. First, Benioff established a new set of guidelines: any meeting conducted at any level of the company had to include at least 30% women. While this was undoubtedly a step in the right direction, the deeper Benioff dug, the more he realized how inherent gender bias was built into the company.
In his new book, TRAILBLAZER, Benioff discusses other steps the company is taking to make pay and benefits equal for all employees, but he notes that there’s still work to do. He also emphasizes the fact that business leaders should never be too proud or defensive to reevaluate their practices and make changes.
Here at 17 Grapes, we’re proud to represent a company that’s always striving to change, evolve, and provide a better work environment for all. If you’re ready to transition to a CRM that’s truly a cut above the rest, Salesforce is the way to go and we can help. Visit our website here or call us today at (801) 245-0500 to learn more.