Originally launched in 2018 as Synchrony People and Payroll, the updated solution offers many enhancements to help organizations revive, rethink, and revolutionize their talent development strategies.

Rizing’s Updated People and Payroll:

• Is faster to implement and provide value
• Has an updated “right-sized” support
• Uses the SAP® Business Technology Platform for integration and extensibility
• Provides a better understanding of your team’s skills and preferences

New Challenges

The tide turned on the job market. Organizations have had to turn from one crisis to the next. Climate change, the pandemic, macroeconomic forces, and the skills gap have implications not only for our businesses but for our planet, global supply chains, and the energy and financial markets.

This can keep leaders and team members up at night.

Mean New Solutions

Rizing’s People and Payroll rise to meet the new job market realities with features allowing organizations to better understand their people’s skills and preferences.

“Rizing People and Payroll cloud solutions provide organizations with the tools they need to realize the full potential of their people and to create a resilient and sustainable workforce.”
-Jodi Hayes-Roth, CEO, Rizing HCM

Rizing People

Rizing People helps organizations with their ever-challenging talent management environment by providing a prepackaged and scalable cloud-based solution powered by SAP SuccessFactors.

Rizing People enables you to attract the right talent, align that talent to your corporate goals, and reward top performers.

Rizing People includes leading practice configurations and standardized out-of-the-box processes, supporting a shorter time to go live and faster return on investment.

Rizing Payroll

Rizing Payroll includes pre-built accelerators, processes, and localization with the industry-leading SAP SuccessFactors HXM suite, allowing you to go live faster. You can quickly realize the benefits of a powerful and compliant payroll.

Rizing Payroll is compliant in 49 countries, with enhanced localization for 11 countries (Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States).

An enhanced compliance package includes:

• Packaged payment and deduction catalogs
• Local absence management
• Best-practice reports and interfaces
• Pre-built calculations for new hires, leavers, and overtime rates

“By leveraging Rizing’s leading SAP SuccessFactors implementation and support expertise, Rizing People and Rizing Payroll offer a validated approach that ensures results and minimizes much of the cost, time, and complexity of traditional HR transformations. Rizing People and Rizing Payroll aims to make industry-leading SAP SuccessFactors HXM capabilities accessible to many more mid-sized organizations globally.”
– Christine Miller, Global Head of Operations, Rizing HCM

SAP Qualified

SAP said “Hello” to Rizing People and Payroll. The company approved Rizing People and Payroll as a Partner-Packaged Solution that “combines SAP software with industry or line-of-business expertise, services, customizations, or applications.”

Let’s Talk

Saying hello is a good start. Contact us for introductions and to dig deeper into how Rizing’s updated People and Payroll solution can help your leaders and employees sleep better at night.

The post Revive, Rethink, and Revolutionize with Rizing People and Payroll appeared first on Rizing.

Rizing is an experienced provider of SAP digital transformation solutions with real-life expertise in consumer industries, enterprise asset management, and human capital management. Rizing Geospatial adds GIS services and products to Rizing’s SAP offerings and specializes in geospatial business and data processes; data integration and reporting; linear referencing system (LRS) design and implementation; and spatial data design and visualization.

Building on over a decade of experience with Esri’s products and services, the Silver partnership allows Rizing to increase its industry reach and support more customers with access to the world’s leading geospatial intelligence platform.

“We’re excited to announce our Esri Silver Partnership,” says Connie Gurchiek, President, Rizing Geospatial. “The increased collaboration available through the higher tier of partnership demonstrates our continued dedication to building on Esri’s geospatial platform as we expand our customer base to new industries.”

Rizing Geospatial’s products include:

• Road Analyzer, the leading straight-line diagramming (SLD) solution in the transportation market
• Mercury, a bi-directional interface that simplifies and accelerates integrations between SAP Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
• Omnispatial, a browser-based field and office data collection and integration product

Rizing also offers LiDAR and custom geospatial application development services.

About Rizing, a Wipro company
It’s the experience that matters. Rizing professionals help your business succeed at any point in your SAP journey. Rizing’s objective is to empower your business to unlock the intelligent enterprise with SAP cloud technologies, our geospatial solutions, and our proprietary, cutting-edge products to optimize and extend SAP such as Lifecycle Pricing, attune Fashion Suite, Lyra, Carbon, Mercury, Hydrogen and OmniSpatial. With real-life experience in business areas like consumer industries, enterprise asset management, and human capital management, we know how to simplify your digital transformation so your business can be everything you want it to be. From targeted small business needs to full-scale large enterprise resource planning solutions, our SAP-certified consultants focus on your growth. For more information, please visit www.rizing.com or contact: Rizing Intermediate Holdings, Inc. at +1 (203) 517-0400, info@rizing.com

About Wipro Limited
Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO) is a leading technology services and consulting company focused on building innovative solutions that address clients’ most complex digital transformation needs. Leveraging our holistic portfolio of capabilities in consulting, design, engineering, and operations, we help clients realize their boldest ambitions and build future-ready sustainable businesses. With over 250,000 employees and business partners across 66 countries, we deliver on the promise of helping our customers, colleagues, and communities thrive in an ever-changing world.

Press Contact:
Sherryanne Meyer
Sherry.meyer@rizing.com

# # #

Any statements in this release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties described in SAP’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC), including its most recent annual report on Form 20-F, that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. SAP cautions readers not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements which SAP has no obligation to update and which speak only as of their dates.

SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. Please see https://www.sap.com/copyright for additional trademark information and notices. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies.

The post Rizing Becomes Esri Silver Partner appeared first on Rizing.

In my 20s, my career was my identity in many ways – I spent more time at work than I did at home – spent more time with my work colleagues than I did with my husband. It was the heyday of Silicon Valley – start-ups were popping up overnight, stock options were thrown at you as one of many incentives to join a company; free food, chair massages, huge parties, and a constant go, go, go environment were the expectations of life in the Bay Area in the 90s and early 2000s. 

Then came the realization that my husband and I wanted kids, a home to fit a growing family, and one of us at home to care for those kiddos until school took over. When our first daughter came along, I shockingly and with great difficulty left my job – my career – to be a stay-at-home mom (SHM). 

When our second daughter was around two and the older was four, we began looking at pre-schools. By that time, our older daughter was reading voraciously. The schools we interviewed were only going to be teaching the little ones colors and letters, things my daughter was way past knowing. I had just read an article on homeschooling and the positive effects of keeping your children at home, and I tentatively approached my husband about this possibly being the solution to our dilemma. 

Even though both my husband and I were traditionally schooled, we embarked on this new path, deciding to homeschool our girls, vowing that we would take it one week at a time.  I figured that even if I screw them up terribly, I can always pop them in school, and they wouldn’t be too damaged! 

Twelve years flew by. I had taken my two girls through their formative early years; mummifying chickens, keeping nature journals, diligently practicing our cursive, and having poetry teas every week (reading our favorite poems while sipping hot chocolate and eating our fresh banana bread). Through the middle school years, we studied the Industrial Revolution, building mannequins in full gowns and wigs. We studied the aristocracy before the French Revolution of the 1790s. And we traversed through high school, where the hard sciences, advanced mathematics, and more philosophical discussions came in.  I loved so many moments of this time – forging a real bond with my girls, learning anew with them, being there for so many moments that I would have missed had they been in a traditional school setting. 

By the time my older daughter was in 10th grade, she decided she wanted to go to a more traditional school to experience school dances, clubs, theater class, and even prom. We found a school specially designed for homeschoolers – instruction for two days and homework for three days each week. This setting and schedule worked well to prepare the students for college. Two years later, my younger daughter started there as a freshman.  

And that’s when I realized, with my husband’s help, that my time as a homeschooling SHM had come to an end.  

I won’t lie and say I was excited. Being a mom and a homeschooler had become my new identity, my LIFE for over a decade – leaving it and starting a job outside the home was absolutely terrifying. And the identity I had carved out after leaving my “career” outside the home, the one that I thought would be so hard to recreate, was now what I didn’t want to lose.  

Now looking back, after four years back in the corporate world, with my older daughter at Baylor University in Waco, TX and the second one about to graduate high school and head to Texas State, I have realized that my role in a particular moment in my life does not define me, or my identity.  

I have come to maybe not wholly embrace the changes that life throws at me, but at least try to lean into them a bit more. I am grateful for the strength I gained by homeschooling my daughters for over a decade and for buffering that decade with substantial work experience on both ends.  

Who knows what’s in store for me in the coming years, but as a somewhat newly minted career woman, with a lifetime of amazing memories with my daughters, I am ready for what’s next.  

To learn more about this year’s IWD21 campaign, #ChoosetoChallenge, visit internationalwomensday.com. 

About the Author

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Rizing’s International Women’s Day 2021 Series:

• Choosing Change – Understanding our biases, challenging our beliefs, and creating new norms for women in technology – by Kimberly I Sharp
• On Hearing Each Other: Pause, Relate, Understand and be Authentic by Sherryanne Meyer
• Inspiration, Growing up in Ireland by Joanna Murphy
• A Seat at the Table by Donna Hahn
• I Choose to Challenge Corporations by Adam Greenberg
• The Challenge of Being a Challenger by Hannah Hale
• Adventures of a Homeschooling Mom by Anca Green

The post International Women’s Day: Adventures of a Homeschooling Mom and My Return to a Career appeared first on Rizing.

What does choosing to challenge mean to me? It starts with education, empathy, and action.

And sometimes, it’s uncomfortable to talk about.

I come from a long background of activism – beginning with my mother taking me to war protests as a three-year-old. The idea that we are all accountable for the actions of the organizations we subscribe to is deeply engrained in me – even if I did not quite understand the political or economic climate as a toddler. This is me – at age 3 outside of Sydney’s Town Hall marching for peace.

As an impressionable youngster, the infamous story of Australian sailor, Terry Jones, who challenged the military in support of his own values is one I often recall. He was placed on trial for being absent without leave when protesting Australia’s participation in a war. On the one side, he was a traitor, on the other an activist challenged by his beliefs. I learned early that choosing to challenge can be difficult.

How do we challenge our institutions and ongoingly assess that our values are aligned?

Now, as a reasonably well-educated person who is engaged enough in politics and social issues, I feel accountable for finding ways to participate and drive conversations that can bring awareness and change on important issues. Personally, I am a vegan environmental conservationist and humanitarian who is an active supporter of Indigenous rights, and a member of the Refugee Action Collation Sydney (RAC). Professionally, I am a strong female voice that is proud to dedicate my time to the adoption of award-winning solutions that facilitate workplace diversity and inclusion, and help organisations in asset and emission heavy industries such as Mining, Utilities, and Manufacturing operate more efficiently, reducing their environmental impact.

I have maintained my passion for rallying to drive awareness of violations of human rights, including those perpetrated against woman and children… I’ve protested wars, marched the Sydney Harbor Bridge for Reconciliation and Recognition of title and rights for Indigenous Australians, supported teachers on strike due to underfunding of government schools and overinvestment of Religious and Privet education, protested Australia’s environmental destruction for short term financial gain… amongst other causes.

I will admit I wasn’t always completely altruistic. As a mere child, I fought to “Bring the fritters home!” (instead of frigates) – an honest error since fried banana fritters with cinnamon sugar were a rare and coveted treat in my household. As a 14-year old I set out to protest the government defunding of a popular Indigenous Youth broadcasting network. I wore my best baby pink hipster corduroy jeans – because, after all, youth were there. Teenage boys had fabricated a petition just to get the phone number of cute girls. I was not called.

That time in my life also made me very aware of the special challenges women face in being present and participative in events, education, and activities. I unexpectantly and embarrassingly got my period which leaked through those baby pink hipster corduroy jeans. I carried on. But soon I realized I was the lucky one with access to sanitary practices and products.

I experienced first-hand the impact of menstruation on young woman’s education when in my early career, (becoming more introspective) I challenged myself to try and use my business and communication skills for ‘good, not evil’, quitting my promising career as Marketing Manager to go to South America to volunteer with a UN Development Project in Chile, supporting an English literacy program for their Ministry of Education. It was while in my high school placement within the coastal mining town of Antofagasta that it became blatantly obvious that female attendance rates were invariably impacted by their menstrual cycle. The stigma around tampon use and the need to brave 45+ Celsius degree days in unairconditioned classrooms meant that it was normalised for girls to say home for a week out of every month; thus best case were receiving 25% less education than their male counterparts, and worst-case contributing to the town’s high rates of school incompletion, teen pregnancy, and transgenerational poverty.

Globally 1/3 women will experience domestic violence and the chances of victimisation are increased with lack of education.

This is not just a second or third-world issue. A recent investigation reported ‘period poverty’ in Australia where there is evidence of teachers personally donating products, and girls using rolled toilet paper or socks to control their menstruation. Additionally, a US study conducted in 2017 found that one in five American girls aged 16 – 24 have either left school early or missed school entirely because they did not have access to period products. Scotland and New Zealand have both made tampons and pads free in schools in a bid to tackle this problem.

Lack of resources, information, and communication about menstruation can have a powerful ripple effect, leading women and girls to be subjected to stigma, discrimination, violence, or even have food, water, shelter, and other shared goods be withheld from them. As if the practicalities weren’t enough, taboos, cultural norms, and the lack of education around menstruation can contribute to higher school dropout rates, and, in turn, greater likelihood of early marriage and/or early pregnancy, and a transgenerational cycle of poverty.

Suffice to say, when discussing gender inequality, menstruation matters.

While this is just one small example of the distinction in the female experience… my point is simple here.  Whether we are discussing Refugees, Indigenous and ‘Black’ rights, or gender inequality …we must be responsible for seeking to better understand the causes of inequality, with empathy and perspective before we are truly able to come together to address the symptoms.  Calling out and addressing the symptoms is important, but we are truly wanting to drive diversity and inclusion, our homes and workplaces must become safer places for people to openly communicate about uncomfortable or taboo topics.

Only with education and empathy we can truly action change.

About the Author

Hannah Hale is the Marketing Director for Rizing’s Asia Pacific region. A graduate of Charles Sturt University, Hannah has worked in Marketing for several major corporations and volunteered her services to the United Nations for six months before joining Rizing. She is joined in her activist events these days by her dog, Bowie.

Rizing’s International Women’s Day 2021 Series:

• Choosing Change – Understanding our biases, challenging our beliefs, and creating new norms for women in technology by Kimberly I Sharp
• On Hearing Each Other: Pause, Relate, Understand and be Authentic by Sherryanne Meyer
• Inspiration, Growing up in Ireland by Joanna Murphy
• A Seat at the Table by Donna Hahn
• I Choose to Challenge Corporations by Adam Greenberg
• The Challenge of Being a Challenger by Hannah Hale
• Adventures of a Homeschooling Mom by Anca Green

The post International Women’s Day: The Challenge of Being a Challenger appeared first on Rizing.

#ChoosetoChallenge – Do you accept? 

My Story

In 2014 Hurricane Odile, recorded as the most intense landfalling tropical cyclone, devastated much of the coast along Mexico’s southern Baja.  Massive infrastructure was destroyed including airports, resorts, and roads.

I have a winter home in this area. It was miraculously left unscathed. An orphanage to which I had donated in the past did not fare as well; it was quite devasted. Thankfully, none of the children living there were injured, but they were clearly traumatized. One adult woman who volunteered there told me through tear-filled eyes how she felt like a mama chicken protecting her brood under her wings as she huddled with the children under a strong metal table in the boy’s dormitory to ride out the storm.

This is a volunteer-run facility for children who have been abandoned by their parents due to struggles with addiction, violence, and poverty; there is no government funding, and they were in a crisis- situation.

My first thought upon reflecting on the gravity of the situation was that someone should do something.  I showed the photos to my wife and said those exact words to her. Her response literally changed the trajectory of my life. “Everyone is always ‘should-ing’ on everyone else. Why don’t you do something?  Why don’t we do something together?” This was her #choosetochallenge to me.

Taking Action

In the months that followed, we campaigned in earnest. The funds necessary to rebuild were raised and construction began. I took an active role as volunteer director of the facility and accepted responsibility for financial sustainment.

Years later, I was approached by a woman who is a semi-retired attorney from California.  She had been following my work and wanted to help create some structure to help with these efforts.  She offered to help establish a formal non-profit organization pro bono. Together we formed the non-profit organization, LEADERS2GIVE INC., a California-based 501(c)3 organization.

My first step was to recruit a Board of Directors. I was joined by, Tracey Greenberg, Deb Lawson, Beth Cartlidge, and Phyllis Newton, the attorney who had approached me. These four incredible women and I set out on a mission to:

“inspire, teach & empower others to become leaders who possess the skills required to solve the problems facing society by providing an opportunity to convert ideas into action through hands on work in developing communities…” 

In other words, we #choose2challenge individuals to step up in a bigger way.

I also run another non-profit business, LEADERS2INSPIRE which I founded with two women. We #choosetochallenge corporations. Recently, we wrote a white paper entitled Corporate Social Transformation — A Better Way of Operating. The premise is that corporations have an opportunity to lead a transformation in our global society to assist their workers, communities, and consumers, to reach their full potential.

I’d like to highlight how the guidance contained within can be used to specifically support all women as we consider why we celebrate International Woman’s Day and how we want to contribute.

Set Your ‘North Star’

Corporations need to be very clear on the goals, mission, and vision of their organization. Everyone needs to be aligned so they will be able to help realise that vision. Consider adding a clause about gender equality as part of your organization’s mission.

Improve Lives

Pause before considering any transformation in your company and ask yourself and your team whether that change will ultimately be improving lives. Let us be certain, for example, that our changes are supporting gender equality for our employees, customers, and all stakeholders. If corporations adopt the tenant that transformation is only worthwhile if you are improving lives then they will employ and attract the next generation of leaders while having the strongest, most loyal workforce and customer base.

Understand the Transformation Process

When a leader in any organization wants to make a change, it’s important to understand and support the process their colleagues and teams need to experience to decide if the proposed change really is an improvement. This adopted process will then not only be accepted but will help to drive the change.

Consider Employee and Customer Experience

When looking to better your business outcomes, calculate your employee and customer experience levels through surveys. When combing through responses, look for red flags that could have gender inequality at their core. Include specific questions that could potentially highlight any gender inequality. Ensure that experience data is used to improve operations.

Create New Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s)

Traditionally, businesses have been primarily focused on financial KPIs. In other words, a business is deemed healthy based upon financial metrics. In most corporations today, there is far less value placed on other metrics such as employee satisfaction, wellbeing, consumer net promoter scores, customer loyalty, and contributions to the community. We recommend picking new KPIs that make the above topics a priority. A KPI that supports gender equality could be, “What percentage of leadership positions are held by women in our organization?”

Stand up for Gender Equality

On this International Women’s Day, I #choosetochallenge you just as my wife challenged me after the orphanage had been devastated –

“Everyone is always ‘should-ing’ on everyone else. Why don’t you do something?  Why don’t we do something together” to stand up for gender equality?

I believe organizations that could follow the guidance offered above will be leading the transformation in our global society to assist their people, teams, and communities to reach their full potential.

They will then be able to attract/retain the best talent, creating the most innovative products and services resulting in a desirable brand that yields better business outcomes. These businesses will also attract the consumers who are increasingly demanding social responsibility from the retailers they choose to shop at and refer products and services from.

Do you accept?

About the Author

Adam Greenberg is Vice President, Business Development Program in Rizing’s Sales organization. His expertise includes helping companies improve execution, increase engagement and drive performance to achieve superior business results through a collaborative approach. In his work, he is focused on unifying corporate social responsibility, talent development, and branding for improved financial performance. He is the Founder and CEO of Leaders2Give and Co-Founder and President of Leaders2Inspire.

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Rizing’s International Women’s Day 2021 Series:

• Choosing Change – Understanding our biases, challenging our beliefs, and creating new norms for women in technology – by Kimberly I Sharp
• On Hearing Each Other: Pause, Relate, Understand and be Authentic by Sherryanne Meyer
• Inspiration, Growing up in Ireland by Joanna Murphy
• A Seat at the Table by Donna Hahn
• I Choose to Challenge Corporations by Adam Greenberg
• The Challenge of Being a Challenger by Hannah Hale
• Adventures of a Homeschooling Mom by Anca Green

The post International Women’s Day: I Choose to Challenge Corporations appeared first on Rizing.

On International Women’s Day, I reflect upon how proud I am of the women of Ireland, and the journey that they have taken during my lifetime, to greater equality. When I was born, whilst we were considered to live in a Republic, Ireland was still one of the most conservative countries in the world. The Catholic Church controlled most aspects of daily life, government, and education while fostering massive inequality. The Marriage Bar, which prohibited married women from working in the public sector, had only just been dissolved, and divorce, contraception, and abortion were illegal. Daily life was often ruled by shame which had profound and horrific effects on women and children.

How far we have come

Thankfully, growing up, change was afoot. A particularly inspiring event for me was the election of Ireland’s first female President in 1990, Mary Robinson.

As a young girl, the election of Mary Robinson was monumental – an indication that times were changing, and that Ireland had finally voted in a female head of state. Mary Robinson became a symbol for change in Ireland, a president to be proud of,completely revolutionising the country’s top position and paving the way for another female president. When President Robinson did step down from the presidency, she continued to pursue public work on the international stage by becoming UN Commissioner for Human Rights.

Although now retired, Mary hosts a clever and informative podcast called Podcast “Mothers of Invention” about women around the world who are driving solutions to climate change.

Since the 90’s, with a few steps forward and more than one or two back, Ireland has made consistent progress to become a more inclusive and tolerant society. Divorce was finally legalised in 1996 and more recently, we have had two pivotal referenda; in 2015 by a landslide vote, Marriage Equality, or Gay Marriage Rights was enacted and in 2018, full reproductive rights were established for the first time.

“I Stand in Awe of all Mná (women)”.

Growing up in Ireland, I would never have believed that the extent of these changes would be possible. Whilst there is still much work to be done – parliamentary representation is woeful, for example –  the country is a much more tolerant, inclusive, and equal place to live. I am proud of these profound changes in our society and would have not believed such improvements would be achieved in my lifetime. Ireland stills needs to face up to the past and the horrific abuses perpetrated by Church and State, but I am incredibly optimistic about the future for Irish Women – as a recent slogan states “I Stand in Awe of all Mná (women)”.

About the Author

Joanna Murphy is President of Rizing’s HCM EMEA business. Located in Rizing’s Dublin, Ireland, offices, Joanna has a BA with honors in Informtaion Studies from Leeds Metropolitan University and Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing from Dublin Institute of Technology.

The post International Women’s Day: Inspiration appeared first on Rizing.

Conscious choices lead to change

I’ve realized that intentionality implies action through conscious choices. By being intentional in celebrating women’s achievements, smashing stereotypes, and challenging bias, these milestones are recognized as purposeful and deliberate.

Our religious organization has never had a woman on the Board of Directors until I was asked to join three years ago. As the first woman on the Board in the history of the organization’s 40+ years, this is a landmark accomplishment. And although the remainder of the Board is male and white  – and from all walks of life, educational backgrounds, and ages – my addition to the group has made the Board more well-rounded.

Emotion as a strength

There is a bias regarding the stereotype of women being more emotional than men and thusly unable to make pragmatic decisions. As a woman, I choose to challenge this stereotype as we are all emotional beings, and that influences our decision-making and behavior regardless of gender. I choose not to be intimated by utilizing the data points of emotional intelligence. Instead, I choose to turn that knowledge into a strength.

I have been welcomed by my church’s Board Members having known many of them since I was 18-years old. Being nominated and approved to join this group of decision-makers continues to be a learning experience for me. It solidifies my belief that women should be at the table wherever decisions are being made.

#ChooseToChallenge.

About the Author

Donna Hahn is no stranger to challenge. She is a Change Management Lead in Rizing’s Consumer Industries practice. She specializes in HR technologies with over 15+ years of experience managing ERP systems implementation in the consumer industries, pharmaceutical, and utilities environments.  Her areas of expertise include Organizational Management​, Change Management, Acquisitions & Mergers​, Training Oversight, Global Implementations of SAP on-premise. Donna has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration​, a Master of Arts in Organizational Management​, and is a Doctoral Candidate in General Leadership. 

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Rizing’s International Women’s Day 2021 Series:

• Choosing Change – Understanding our biases, challenging our beliefs, and creating new norms for women in technology  by Kimberly I Sharp
• On Hearing Each Other: Pause, Relate, Understand and be Authentic by Sherryanne Meyer
• Inspiration, Growing up in Ireland by Joanna Murphy
• A Seat at the Table by Donna Hahn
• I Choose to Challenge Corporations by Adam Greenberg
• The Challenge of Being a Challenger by Hannah Hale
• Adventures of a Homeschooling Mom by Anca Green

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The post International Women’s Day: A Seat at the Table appeared first on Rizing.

One of my early communications teachers summed up the most critical aspect of communications in the phrase, “She(he) had different parents than you.” The phrase stuck in my head. All of us – each of us – brings something unique to work, to the conversation, to our interpersonal interactions. How, then, do we change what we know to understand and embrace that which is not so deeply ingrained in us by birthright, by childhood development, by experiences?

Take a pause.

In business, we value quick thinking and rapid responses. Our brains are organized to process information in a variety of ways – the simplest being a reflex. But when we allow that reflex to dominate, what happens?  We stop really listening.

Beyond environmental factors, genetic sex biologically influences our behavior. For example, auditory and visual perception develops differently for boys and girls. But this should not be used to justify gender discrimination. What we need to understand is that each of us is hearing something in a different way. It’s like misheard song lyrics. In the song, “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” The Beatles sang, “I can’t hide.” The line is famously misinterpreted as “I get high.” Not yet – not in 1963. Perspective and context are essential to understanding.

My daughters and my ex-husband, and I were in family counseling following our divorce. The counselor asked my 9-year-old to draw an animal that represented me. I was giddy with anticipation to see the cuddly koala bear I expected to see. What she showed me was a frog. “A frog?” I said, clearly disappointed. “Why?” “Because,” she said, “you jump.” Upon further exchange, it became apparent that to her, I wasn’t hearing her. In my haste to be supermom and super manager while working 60 hours a week, I was leaping to answers without hearing the whole problem.

It’s called relating.

In a communication exchange, we are often so focused on ourselves, our needs, or what we thought the outcome should be that we respond instead of relating to the other person. Relating involves allowing the other person to affect you, and that requires responsive listening. In business, we place a great deal of emphasis on speaking. We attend classes and workshops on how to deliver presentations. But how many of us are trained in listening?

In fourth grade, our teacher – Sister Mary Elizabeth – conducted a little experiment with our class to teach us to pay attention. (If you went to Catholic school with nuns, most of you know you paid attention or paid for not listening in a variety of ways – the worst was having the school call your parents.) But Sister Mary Elizabeth was wise beyond her advanced years. She taught us through practical experience. Following a class discussion, she sent one of the students out of the room. For the rest of us, our task was to describe exactly what that student had said, what they were wearing, how they exited the room, and more. That is harder than you realize. But it taught us to be observant at the moment.

I still forget to listen. I get overly eager and blurt things out on top of someone else. But the best and most profound connections I have were made when listening instead of talking.

The art of conversation is seeking to understand.

What we think we hear isn’t always what’s being said. Think about this as a simple radio diagram. A transmitter sends sound waves out, and a receiver on the other end captures those sound waves. In between the transmission and receipt of the message, there can be a whole lot of interference, broken signals, and disruption. When the message gets to the listener’s ears, it often isn’t as clear as it was in the original transmission. The same applies to human communication.

In the case of humans, we don’t hear the message clearly for a variety of reasons: we bring our own perception or preconception of what the message will be, or we aren’t fully listening because we have other things on our minds or are multi-tasking. Add to that language differences, slight variations in accents, missing knowledge, and background on the subject, and our personal experiences throughout life. There’s so much potential interference that it’s a miracle we get anything accomplished some days.

Seek to understand.  A two-way dialog is the only way to solve this.

As a manager of Global IT at a male-dominated chemicals company, my performance reviews frequently rated my communications as poor. After three years of hearing this disappointing complaint (that came via 360 reviews from colleagues in cross-functional departments), I confronted my boss. “The next time I communicate inappropriately or poorly – tell me. Even if we’re in a meeting,” I said, “kick me under the table or something. Because I don’t think I say anything different from what you would say.” He looked taken aback. We agreed he would give me immediate feedback. That was the last time my review criticized my communication style. Footnote: he never found a reason to coach me either. It seemed that the same message a male manager would deliver was not received the same when delivered by a female.

But there’s something else I learned from that exchange: what works for your manager doesn’t always work for you – especially if there’s a gender difference. That is why bringing your authentic self to the table is so important.

Authenticity + Logic + Empathy = Trust.

For people to hear you and respect you, you have to, first, show up – that is, bring your whole self in a way that inspires confidence, goodwill, and action. For the record, I think women work harder at this than men – simply because we feel the need to prove ourselves and the need to excel in all realms of our world.  But we are often derailed by multiple conflicting priorities.

My youngest daughter still reminds me (18 years later) that I was the last parent to pick up their child at Girl Scouts, leaving her anxious and sad.  I struggled to show up for my daughters and simultaneously show up at work with the same engagement level.  I was late trying to be everything to everyone at work. Juggling these multiple priorities became my Achilles heel. Emotion overtook me as I attempted to balance my life – and with emotion so highly at play, it became difficult for me to influence with logic at work.

I had the good fortune to hear Harvard Business School Professor Frances Frei speak at the 2017 SuccesConnect conference, where she described a “trust triangle.” The foundation of this trust triangle is authenticity. Authenticity must be joined by empathy and logic on the other two sides of the triangle. Many of us have a problem with one side of the triangle – that’s our wobble, as Frei describes it, and she encourages us to work on our wobble.

Empathy and logic can be learned. But authenticity is a process. And when we are with people who aren’t like us, it’s hard to be authentic. As the lone single mom at work, I struggled to compete with other managers. I could never admit I couldn’t do it all. The foundation of my trust triangle was threatened continuously.

When we hold back who we really are, others can sense it, and trust evaporates on both sides. But if we can share the special challenges that being a working woman poses, we bring our triangle a little more into balance.

And when we wholeheartedly embrace the differences others bring to the table – in appearance, behavior, thought, race, culture – we allow others to bring their whole authentic selves to the conversation.

Celebrate the difference. 

Frei says one other thing that I love. She encourages us to beware of the “common information effect.” Some of my very best friends are so unique that my other friends shake their heads in dismay at them. But I love the roller coaster of unexpected dialog and activities. I embrace the challenges of my own way of thinking.

In her TED Talk, Frei reminds us:

“It is still much easier to coach people to fit in. It is still much easier to reward people when they say something that you were going to say, as opposed to rewarding people when they say something entirely different than what you were going to say.”

A final rule of communication – at least as far as this blog goes: be careful of editing out too much – out of what you need to say and out of what others are saying to you.

Be open to the world. Challenge yourself to speak your truth – but be empathetic about it to build a trustful dialog. Ask questions to better understand. Because most things aren’t really what they seem on the surface.  After all, you don’t know my parents, and I don’t know yours. That realization is where inclusion begins.

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Resources

For more information read The Psychology of Sex Differences by Dr. Eleanor Macoby

For a more entertaining look at how we communicate and the importance of relating, read Alan Alda’s If I understood you would I have this look on my face?

For research-based content on how genetic sex influences our behavior, check out  The Genetics of Sex Differences in Brain and Behavior by Tuck C Ngun, Negar Ghahramani,^* Francisco J. Sánchez, Sven Bocklandt, and Eric Vilain

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About the Author

Sherryanne Meyer describes herself as a work in progress. She has been an administrative assistant, HR specialist, Global IT manager, lifelong learner, speaker, writer, and, most importantly, a mom of two grown daughters. Today, as the Director of Corporate Communications, Sherry is joyfully combining all of those skillsets to develop internal and external communications for Rizing.

Sherry served on the Board of Directors for Americas’ SAP Users Group and led the development of the Human Capital Management community there. She contributed to the writing and publication of the Book of Knowledge for the Association for Workforce Asset Management (AWAM) and the certification program for the International Human Resources Information Management (IHRIM). Sherry is an SHRM Senior Certified Professional, as well as being WAM-Pro® certified, and HRIP certified. As an active member of the technology community, she also contributes to the HR Technology Review Council led by Nov Omana and to the SAP SuccessFactors Confidants council.

Rizing’s International Women’s Day 2021 Series:

• Choosing Change – Understanding our biases, challenging our beliefs, and creating new norms for women in technology – by Kimberly I Sharp
• On Hearing Each Other: Pause, Relate, Understand and be Authentic by Sherryanne Meyer
• Inspiration, Growing up in Ireland by Joanna Murphy
• A Seat at the Table by Donna Hahn.
• I Choose to Challenge Corporations by Adam Greenberg
• The Challenge of Being a Challenger by Hannah Hale
• Adventures of a Homeschooling Mom by Anca Green

The post International Women’s Day: On Hearing Each Other appeared first on Rizing.

Understanding our biases, challenging our beliefs, and creating new norms for women in technology 

For most of my career, I’ve been the “only” – the only woman among men and often the only representation of a divergent point of view – in more meetings than I care to count. Sure, we’ve come to learn that diversity and inclusion aren’t only what you see. And, yes, there is often diversity in life and career experience among my male counterparts but each business opportunity and each challenge are all too often still viewed through a single lens devoid of differences in race, gender, religion, and ethnicity.

Understanding Social Bias

When I read Crucial Conversations: Tools For Talking When Stakes Are High  a few years ago, I learned about the “shared pool of meaning.”  The basic premise that when a safe and supportive space is created for sharing ideas, the collective knowledge of the group improves and drives better decision making. This is because each person has freely contributed different knowledge, experiences, and opinions without pre-judgment.  Arriving at the best possible outcomes means not limiting contributions into a shared pool but instead increasing diversity to grow it.

For this and many other reasons, I am a champion of promoting women in IT.  I feel called to make an impact on women in all aspects of their careers the way others have done for me.  I chose to take action by joining organizations like ASUG Women Connect, creating Rizing’s first employee resource group, Women in Technology, and by becoming a mentor to young, professional women just beginning their careers.

I recently completed Harvard University’s Gender-Career IAT (Implicit Association Test), a test designed to measure the unconscious attitudes and beliefs commonly unrecognized in day-to-day life.  Today Project Implicit offers the IAT online for people, “…wanting to gain greater awareness about their own unconscious preferences and beliefs.” So after years of working with women and on issues impacting women in the workplace imagine my surprise when I received this result, “Your responses suggest a moderate automatic association for male with science and female with liberal arts.”  How could I, a champion of women in my profession, have a moderate unconscious bias?

Unfortunately, I am not alone – 80% of the nearly 630,000 respondents from 2003 to 2015 of the Gender-Career IAT had a slight to strong automatic association for males with science. The results demonstrate just how ingrained these antiquated gender norms are in our society.  Progress cannot be taken for granted, especially in light of the UN report released last year sighting 90% of people – both men and women – display prejudiced statements toward women.  This is especially concerning since the numbers today are worse than the results of the same report released in 2004.  These implicit preferences, more than anything else, are what drives discrimination in hiring and promotions in our workplaces.

While we may not be able to change our unconscious biases overnight, we can take very deliberate action to improve gender equality. One way to do this is by supporting the 2021 International Women’s Day campaign, #ChooseToChallenge – a campaign that is so critical to our future.  The notion that gender equality, inclusion and diversity play an important role in achieving successful business outcomes is the foundation of why we must continue to strive for progress. Data of these outcomes is our proof and therefore cannot be ignored. For example, according to The Petersen Institute for International Economics, when women make up just 30% of a company’s leadership team, those companies experience a 15% boost in profitability.

Women make up 47% of today’s workforce, however, that is not the story of women in technology.  Going back to the 1970s and 1980s, the fastest-growing college major for women was computer science.  We witnessed women peaking in 1984 when they made up 37% of the graduates in the field and 38% of the workforce.  Today, our technology workforce looks very different – based on information from theNational Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT), only 14% of software engineers and 25% of computer science-related jobs are held by women.  Looking deeper into the numbers shows even more alarming statistics regarding women of color in technology.  The computer science field consists of 5% Asian women, 3% black women, and 1% Hispanic women. Understanding the facts is only the first step; discovering the root cause and taking corrective action is an entirely different conversation and one we must have.

The Decline of Women in Technology and How We Can Impact the Trend

I believe there are 3 key contributors to the decline of women in technology – culture, perfectionism, and investment.

1. Culture – It is difficult to believe you have what it takes to enter a field when so few of your potential colleagues look like you.  Many companies do not focus on creating a culture of belonging; therefore, we must elevate female role models, especially women of color. by celebrating their successes and supporting them in reaching out to young women in our communities. Actively assisting girls in exploring STEM careers as an option is so much more powerful when a female role model provides the encouragement.
2. Perfectionism – At an early stage we see girls showing an aptitude for the talents and skills required to successfully pursue a career in technology.  However, during their most formative years, girls are taught to be perfect over courageous.  Societal norms based on our well-engrained unconscious biases significantly contribute to the praise of girls who demonstrate traits of perfectionism, while boys are often praised for taking risks, problem-solving, and building resilience by overcoming failure: just the skills most important in the fast-paced, agile and innovation-driven technology industry.
3. Investment – Making a conscious effort and committing resources today is the only option if we hope to see today’s girls grow into tomorrow’s technologists.  We must invest our time and financial resources by partnering with schools and non-profits to support STEM afterschool programs, sponsor programs such as Girls Who Code and provide ongoing mentorship of girls in our communities. We must also invest in our own employees by offering developmental programs that lead to career sponsorship while educating ourselves on the unconscious bias that exists, and the benefits of making a concerted effort to reach gender equality at work.

Choosing to Challenge

I am proud that Rizing accepted the challenge by supporting the employees who founded our Women in Technology (WIT) employee resource group;  a group whose mission is to cultivate an inclusive environment that supports and encourages women to develop and achieve their personal and professional purpose. In an effort to address the root causes discussed above, WIT has 3 defined areas of focus – professional development, mentoring, and community outreach.

When asked why we launched WIT at Rizing, the answer was simple.  I was a child of the “think globally, act locally” environmental movement. The idea that small, seemingly insignificant acts carried out each day by many individuals can have a great impact on moving us forward – that is a powerful and inspiring thought.  That same concept rings true to me today when thinking about how I can personally make a difference in tackling gender inequality.

At the end of the day, successful women working in technology, the ones making it into C-suites and board rooms, must champion and sponsor future female leaders. But it’s important to remember that they aren’t the only ones that need to act. We each play a role and can lead from the middle, by joining and supporting employee resource groups and professional associations that strive to challenge the status quo and give us a collective voice.

The 2020 Global Gender Gap Report reveals gender parity will not be attained for 99 years, which is 98 years too long and frankly the reason why we celebrate Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day each March.  Our efforts cannot begin and end on the eighth of March this year but rather must become part of how we live our lives each day.

To learn more about this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD21) campaign #ChoosetoChallenge visit internationalwomensday.com.

About the Author

As a Senior Consulting Manager with Rizing Consumer Industries, Kimberly is the data practice lead working with companies as they embark on their own data journeys.  Kimberly provides executive education and mentoring to new data leaders by imparting the lessons she learned along the way and she does it with the singular purpose of unlocking data’s value as a strategic asset. In addition to her advisory work with Rizing, Kimberly is actively engaged with the data community.  She is highly regarded as a thought leader – publishing articles and speaking at various industry events. Kimberly is a member of the Society of Information Management and ASUG’s Enterprise Information Management Think Tank.

Passionate about increasing the opportunities for women in IT and Retail, Kimberly founded Rizing’s first employee resource group, WIT (Women in Technology) whose vision is to, “accelerate the leadership path for Rizing women so that they can reach their full potential in an inclusive workplace.” She is also an active member of the Network of Executive Women.

Rizing’s International Women’s Day 2021 Series:

• Choosing Change – Understanding our biases, challenging our beliefs, and creating new norms for women in technology – by Kimberly I Sharp
• On Hearing Each Other: Pause, Relate, Understand and be Authentic by Sherryanne Meyer
• Inspiration, Growing up in Ireland by Joanna Murphy
• A Seat at the Table by Donna Hahn
• I Choose to Challenge Corporations by Adam Greenberg
• The Challenge of Being a Challenger by Hannah Hale
• Adventures of a Homeschooling Mom by Anca Green

The post International Women’s Day: Choosing Change appeared first on Rizing.

Stamford, CT, USA — February 11, 2021 — Rizing today announced it is the recipient of an SAP^® North America Award for Partner Excellence 2021 for Cloud Delivery. Awards were presented by SAP (NYSE: SAP) to the top-performing SAP partners in the North America region that have made outstanding contributions to driving digital transformation for businesses that use SAP solutions. Recipients of this year’s awards have been – in partnership with SAP – helping customers adopt innovation easily, gain results rapidly, grow sustainably and run more simply with SAP solutions.

“We share this honor with our customers who trusted us with their business transformations to the cloud,” said Mike Maiolo, CEO of Rizing. “An SAP implementation is a collaboration of business savvy, technical skills and really effective communication and change management. Trust is an essential part of that equation. I am enormously proud that we earned that trust.”

Selected from SAP’s wide-ranging partner base, nominations for the SAP Partner Excellence Awards were based on internal SAP sales data. A steering committee composed of regional and global SAP representatives determined winning partners in each category according to numerous criteria such as sales achievement and performance. Awards were presented in a variety of categories, including overall sales, innovation, technology, services and solution-specific areas.

“Every year we proudly recognize our top partners with our SAP Partner Excellence Awards,” said Nanette Lazina, vice president midmarket channels, SAP America. “These partners have demonstrated the innovation and execution needed to deliver the highest level of value to our joint customers. I applaud Rizing as the recipient of this SAP Partner Excellence Award 2021 Cloud Delivery. Our partners are integral to our customers’ success and I can’t wait to see what we’ll accomplish together in 2021 and beyond.”

Rizing, an SAP gold partner and authorized reseller of SAP solutions, has been a leader in the SAP ecosystem for over 16 years. In 2020 alone, Rizing delivered 90 SAP cloud implementations across various industries, including healthcare, utilities, public sector, consumer industries, retail, technology, manufacturing, and finance. With a customer loyalty score (NPS) above industry and SAP ecosystem standards, Rizing, ranks 4.7 on a five-point scale with the peer review organization, Raven Intel. Organizations from small and medium businesses to Fortune 500 large enterprises have worked with Rizing to transform their businesses through SAP cloud software.

Rizing received its award during the Customer Success Summit 2021, a gathering of SAP executives, SAP field employees, and partners. Formally called SAP Field Kick-Off Meeting, this is SAP’s largest yearly sales meeting, intended to gain and exchange information on SAP’s strategy, sales methodology, business growth opportunities, and product innovations as well as drive success during the upcoming year.

About Rizing:

It’s the experience that matters. Rizing professionals help your business succeed at any point in your SAP journey. Rizing’s objective is to empower your business to unlock the intelligent enterprise with SAP cloud technologies, our geospatial solutions, and our proprietary, cutting-edge products to optimize and extend SAP such as Blueline, Lyra, Mercury, and Hydrogen. With real-life experience in business areas like enterprise asset management, human capital management, and consumer industries, we know how to simplify your digital transformation so that your business can be everything you want it to be. From targeted small business needs to full-scale large enterprise resource planning solutions, our SAP-certified consultants are focused on your growth. For more information, please visit www.rizing.com or contact: Rizing, LLC at +1 (203) 517-0400, info@rizing.com.

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SAP Forward-looking Statement

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “predict,” “should” and “will” and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations The factors that could affect SAP’s future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including SAP’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.

SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE (or an SAP affiliate company) in Germany and other countries. See http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/legal/copyright/index.epx for additional trademark information and notices. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies. 

For more information, Press Only:

sherryannemeyer@rizing.com

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