Why This ‘Best Company for Women in Tech' Should Be Your Next Career Move

LinkedIn has become synonymous with “connecting professionals to opportunity” across the globe. Beyond being the digital home to the world’s top talent, it is also the employer of 16,000 employees around the world who are passionate advocates for this mission. 

LinkedIn has been named a Top 20 Best Company for Women in Technology on Fairygodboss with four out of five stars. Nearly 80% of women at LinkedIn, who make up 44% of the company’s workforce, believe their CEO supports gender equality. 

“This is the most supportive environment for women I've ever worked in,” one anonymous reviewer wrote on Fairygodboss. “There is a clear investment from the top down.”

LinkedIn’s supportive and equitable atmosphere did not happen by accident. In fact, the prioritization of diversity, inclusion and belonging is baked into the company’s culture — from their investment in structures and resources to ensure fair and equitable hiring practices, to a dedicated Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (or DIBs) team (led at the VP level by Rosanna Durruthy) that focuses on fostering career growth, internal community development through programs like Employee Resource Groups, and external community engagement.

We recently caught up with Loni Olazaba, Director of Inclusion Recruiting, who shared how LinkedIn creates a supportive environment for women and what potential job seekers should know about pursuing a career there:

What is LinkedIn’s mission? 

The mission of LinkedIn is simple: connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful, and our vision is to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce. This vision connects our more than 16,000 employees in dozens of offices across five continents. It inspires us to invest in our talent, support career growth, and nurture a workplace where every employee feels part of a culture that prioritizes diversity, inclusion, and belonging. 

What are LinkedIn’s core values?

Our culture is what brings us together. Our cultural tenets are: 

• Transformation. Every one of us is here to transform ourselves, our company, and our world for the better.

• Integrity. We don't believe the ends justify the means. Do the right thing.

• Collaboration. We’re capable of so much more when we work together.

• Humor. Changing the world is hard work. It’s important to have a few laughs along the way.

• Results. We set clear goals. We measure our success. We fix what doesn’t work. We deliver.

Our values are how we make decisions. Our core values are: 

• Members first. Without our members, there’s no LinkedIn. Everything we do, we do for them.

• Inspire excellence. No challenge is too big. We keep learning, iterating and improving.

• Relationships matter. We’re in the business of building relationships. This includes our workplace.

• Take intelligent risks. This is one of the secrets to LinkedIn’s success. Not every risk works out — but some do.

• Be open, honest and constructive. We strive to communicate clearly and share helpful feedback.

• Act like an owner of #OneLinkedIn. We make every decision, big or small, with care.

Additionally, to infuse this work more deeply in our decision-making and operations, we’ve just added a new value to our LinkedIn company values for the first time since their creation in 2008: “Embody Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging.”

What differentiates LinkedIn from other companies in this space?  

At LinkedIn, we strive to support our employees in achieving work-life balance – whatever that may mean for them personally. We offer unlimited vacation days, monthly InDays to invest in yourself, regular volunteer opportunities through Rock Your Profile and LinkedIn Coaches, and onsite (currently virtual) fitness and meditation classes.

Our female leaders are highly visible in the organization and are very active as mentors and sponsors of our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), Go Green Team and local Culture Champion teams. We also have leadership opportunities for women of all levels in these groups – these roles are highly respected and offer many opportunities for visibility.

Describe a few employee benefits that positively impact women who work here. 

Our Benefits team is always listening and evaluating new options to make sure everyone feels supported and able to thrive at work and at home. Some key benefits include:

• Health insurance and access to critical wellness programs

• Fertility benefits, including infertility treatment, egg freezing, surrogacy and adoption support

• Childcare subsidies and back up childcare support

• Dependent day care Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

• Family care leave

• Maternity & paternity Leave

• Covid-19 emergency family accommodation

• Long-term and short-term disability coverage 

• Education reimbursement and product discounts

Why should women want to grow their careers at LinkedIn? 

Women should want to grow their careers with us because we are deeply committed to our employees' career development. We’re approaching gender parity and are committed to getting there. Currently, 44% of our workforce is women and women hold 41% of senior management roles. Employees are encouraged to take advantage of a variety of resources to “Always Be Learning,” including unlimited access to LinkedIn Learning courses and an annual education credit. There are also several mentorship programs across the company, including women's Inspiration Rings and the Engineering Mentorship program to grow your network and find support to achieve your goals.

Is there anything else women should know about pursuing a career here? 

LinkedIn is committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all employees can thrive. There are currently 9 employee-led Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) at LinkedIn, including Women @ LinkedIn and Parents @ LinkedIn. ERGs are open to all employees and align with the company’s business goals, objectives and core values. ERG leadership teams work directly with the Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging Team to focus on our three organizational pillars that support their communities: Hire & Grow, Invest and Culture. Additionally, the team hosts Allyship Academies — four-month cohort programs that activate everyday allyship actions across LinkedIn.

As I mentioned before, LinkedIn also offers employees free access to LinkedIn Learning, which includes curated learning paths for unconscious bias training and fostering diversity, inclusion and belonging for all. 

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