With International Women’s Day just around the corner on 8th March, we’re taking some time to celebrate the men and women of Zenyum who #BreakTheBias everyday!
#BreakTheBias is the United Nations’ 2022 global theme for International Women’s Day, focusing on breaking down the harmful biases and stereotypes that still surround women. So, what better time to put the spotlight on our very own Smores (that’s what we call our Zenyum peeps – short for “Smile More”, for those of you wondering!) who are breaking the bias in their own way, everyday?
You’ll meet both male and female Smores who will be sharing how they #BreakTheBias in their own lives, and what it means to them.
“But wait,” you say. “Why feature men for International Women’s Day?”
Breaking the bias is a team effort. It’s not a responsibility that falls solely on men or women, but something we have to do together. After all, many hands make light work.
1. Nhu Pham, Content Writer, Zenyum Vietnam.
This is Nhu Pham, our content writer from Vietnam!
While she’s written content for other brands before, her job at Zenyum involves writing content while also driving SEO (search engine optimisation). Sounds tough? Probably because it is!
This involves more data analysis than she has ever done before. You may think of a content person as a purely creative person. However, Nhu has stepped out of her comfort zone and overcame the challenges within her role. She now knows the ins and outs of blog writing and SEO, and is a creative and analytical powerhouse who’s bringing Zenyum to users looking (or Googling!) for a better smile in Vietnam.
2. Janet Tie, Customer Success Executive, Zenyum Taiwan
Janet is a Malaysian who immigrated to Taiwan a couple of years ago. In the early days, some people had reservations, thinking she may not be up for the job in Taiwan as a female foreigner, and underestimated what she could achieve. But now, she’s the top performing customer success executive in Taiwan, helping the most Taiwanese users to transform their smiles with Zenyum.
Whoops, we misspoke – in the past two months, she was the top performer out of ALL regions in Zenyum (which would be a total of eight regions, mind you!). Not only does Janet stand for women in general, but also for women out there who are choosing a different path and chasing their dreams in a foreign land.
3. Ally Tong, Customer Success Executive, Zenyum Hong Kong
As a woman, Ally is no stranger to being underestimated or distrusted purely based on her gender.
She shares her experience providing support to a customer via a phone call. Because the customer heard that her voice was female, they had a distrustful attitude towards her, and assumed she wasn’t professional enough. While an unpleasant experience, it didn’t get her down – Ally used her amazing customer service skills and reversed his prejudice, proving herself just as professional as anybody else. After all, what does gender have to do with being good at your job?
Ally also had a message to share for International Women’s Day: “Although women’s rights have improved a lot compared to before, there is still room for improvement. I hope everyone can pay attention to this issue and treat it with a fairer and more open mind!”
5. Bassam, Senior VP of Marketing, Zenyum HQ
As a Black Sudanese-Italian Muslim, Bass is no stranger to fighting bias. Here’s what he had to say about breaking down the biases surrounding women:
“When you ask me point blank what I do to help #breakthebias, I freeze because my honest answer is I’m not sure I do enough! But I am proud of the fact we’ve managed to build a team environment where all feel safe enough to bring their true selves to work, without fear of judgment or discrimination. We still have a long way to go, and there is a lot of unlearning we male colleagues have to do, but the least we can do to help #breakthebias is to listen more, take up less space and learn about how we can all be more supportive!”
5. Annisa, Copywriter, Zenyum HQ
Finally, this is Annisa, a copywriter in our Regional Marketing Team. As a mom of two – a girl and a boy – women empowerment and equality are high up on her list of causes to support.
“If you asked me how I #breakthebias, I really couldn’t give you a specific answer. It’s a whole, deep-rooted personal culture – how I speak, what companies I choose to support with my buying power, what books I choose to read to educate myself and my kids. It’s in the subtle changes to words being used, in the conscious reactions to current affairs in the media. Small changes make a huge impact! I think, as a woman, being honest and unafraid to own our space is crucial. This means not being afraid to speak up, but also not being afraid of being wrong and owning mistakes. We’ve got a long journey ahead but I’m optimistic!”
Now that you’ve been inspired by some of our Smores, we hope you’ll all take steps to #BreakTheBias this International Women’s Day. Because we believe that gender has nothing to do with capability or professionalism. Every smile is equal, and perhaps slowly but surely, we can all have something to Smile More about – if we work together.
No smiles left behind
All smiles are equal – so show some love to
those teeth!
