Big Changes Coming for Microsoft BizApps Partners During FY25
Big changes are coming for Microsoft BizApps partners in FY25, with extended access to engagements, aligned solution plays, and caps on workshop...
We’re proud to support the women in tech movement
Sian Herrington
Feb 4, 2025
I’m proud to be building a business that not only supports partners but also puts women first. The tech community is under no illusion that women are incredibly under-represented, and whilst we’re only a small part of that community, I’m delighted that we can lead the way when it comes to advocating for under-represented and disadvantaged groups, with women and LGBTQ+ being two of our core communities at Noteworthy.
Flexibility at our core
At Noteworthy, we firmly believe that people work to live, not live to work. As standard, all of our team are offered flexible working arrangements that work for them from day one. Whether that’s condensed or reduced hours, or simply starting and finishing at a time that suits them, we’re happy to accommodate.
In addition to flexibility around hours and days, we offer all our team the option to work a four-day week, which means that they can have a better work/life balance, spending more time doing what they enjoy most or spending time with family, friends and care-dependent.
Flexible working has allowed me to align my schedule with my natural working style. Starting an hour earlier allows me to focus on actions in my most energetic hours, ensuring that urgent tasks are addressed quickly. Finishing an hour earlier also contributes to a healthier work-life balance, providing valuable time in the evening to recharge.
Service Delivery Manager
Jamie Lloyd
Supporting female tech returners
Returning to work after maternity leave can be daunting for any new mum. You spend so long supporting and nurturing a young person, only to be confronted by the reality that you will now spend the least proportion of your time with them.
We wanted to offer something different: a compassionate workplace that understands that sometimes life throws you a curveball and you might need to divert your attention from work to look after a poorly child.
It is a common experience for working mothers to have to return to work before they are ready and this can have a severe impact on mental health. We wanted to provide a very different, safe, environment for mothers.
Balancing working and parenting can be challenging. Yet I feel it is critical to support mothers in returning to the workforce, if they want to, and the part time/flexible working that Noteworthy offer is a huge part of this. There are countless mothers, and their highly valuable experiences, lost to the workforce due to their parenting needs being unmet and I feel incredibly lucky to have found Sian and Noteworthy. Being a mother makes me a better employee and being in work makes me a better parent. When I am at work, I can focus on delivering high quality work supporting our Partners and, frankly, I believe my output is better than if I worked full time. When I am with my family, I focus and immerse myself with them. Naturally, those two worlds collide but I have no anxiety over being told off, for causing trouble, for failing to deliver on deadlines. Sian allows me to put my family first when I need to and, as a result, I will support her and the Noteworthy team with loyalty that I doubt could be gained in any other way.
Commercial Marketplace Manager
Dasha Jilkova
Female-owner managed
I created Noteworthy off the back of my own maternity leave experiences. I wanted to come back to work on my terms and the thought of a full-time “9-5" onsite in an office with a commute conflicted with what I was after at the time: flexibility to work the hours I wanted, so that I could spend valuable time with my young child.
Seeing that it could work for me, I realised that I wanted to build a sustainable business that worked for other people like me too. I’m proud that 7 years later, the majority of our team are female, with several parents among us.
A voice for the unheard
In tech, women are more likely not to be invited to be on a panel or to speak at an event than to be invited. As such, whenever there’s an opportunity to do so, we rise to the occasion.
In the past twelve months alone, we’ve spoken at the London Stock Exchange, presented alongside Microsoft at several partner events, and have spoken on countless webinars in our mission to democratise the skills gap in the Microsoft Alliances community.
We’re more than just a statistic, we’re a living, breathing female-first business that is driving change in the channel. We’ve built a sustainable business that does great things for our customers while also caring about the people in our business. We put people before profit and our employee retention speaks volumes.