We made Forbes’ list of the World’s Top Companies for Women in 2024. It’s a big moment and the culmination of years of work. Our people have striven to put women’s careers first, champion mentoring, support working mothers, and so much more.
The findings were based on a Statista survey of approximately 100,000 women working at multinational corporations across 37 countries. Participants share their thoughts on things like working conditions, gender pay equity, opportunities for advancement, and willingness to recommend their company to others.
Those who took part rated other employers within their industries based on considerations like whether an organization actively fights gender stereotypes with products and services or promotes equality through marketing and nonprofit initiatives. The final ranking of 400 companies also factors in the percentage of women in leadership. Every employer listed, including Oracle, features gender-balanced boards and executive suites, and received an exceptional number of recommendations from participants.
Building the foundations
There’s no magic fix to nurturing a workplace where all people can succeed without barriers. Attitudes change slowly without vision, and businesses must work tirelessly to build and support fairness.
Oracle’s success in making a better working environment hasn’t happened in a vacuum—it’s the result of long-term intersectional thinking. We’ve spent decades building a workplace where everyone is valued and empowered to contribute in ways that work best for them.
Global Inclusive Recruiting Lead
At its foundation is our inclusive style of recruitment. Our people are trained to battle bias and see the potential in candidates—even those who don’t appear to check every box for the role. Along with transparent career advice, this opens the door to individuals of all backgrounds and abilities to contribute to our success.
We’ve also broken down barriers across the globe—becoming one of America’s best employers for diversity, earning a top score for LGBTQ+ workplace 16 years running, and receiving a top 100 score on the Disability Equality Index in Brazil, Germany, the UK, and the US. These efforts add up and show that there’s no such thing as a single equality issue—they’re all connected, and tackling one pays off in others.
Representation
Oracle Global Inclusive Recruiting Lead, Melissa Nicholas points to community-building as a major part of this. Partnerships with Grace Hopper Celebration, Latinas in Tech, Sistas in Sales, and others continue to boost representation for women of all backgrounds.
“Our inclusive policies ensure that our interview process is objective, consistent, and welcoming to talent from all backgrounds,” she explains. So, what makes Oracle stand out?
“We spotlight our female leaders at our events so candidates can see themselves in all levels of our organization,” Melissa shares.
For example, Senior Director, Bo English-Wiczling delivered a powerful keynote on the main stage of the Women in Tech Global Conference drawing on her rise from being the only woman in the room to the head of Oracle Developer Relations. Jenny Griffiths shared her story from entrepreneur to Oracle AI leader at the Women in Silicon Roundabout in the UK, while former interns like Amia Combs help future hires find their way at Oracle.
Pipeline to success
Chief Information Officer
The Oracle Women’s Leadership group (OWL) has fueled this by connecting women with women through mentoring, and by offering leadership development opportunities in over 100 communities globally. Chief Information Officer, Jae Evans understands the power of mentoring with intention, having leveraged it many times on her own professional journey.
“The connections I’ve made have given me guidance, fueled my motivation, and supported my goals,” she shares. “When asked about my career trajectory, I am reminded of the important mentors from whom I learned the ropes, and the mentorship I try to provide in turn.”
This style of mutual learning runs from local networking, professional learning, and personal development all the way up to leadership summits that reach thousands. In the 2024 fiscal year alone, that meant more than 300 events with over 20,000 attendees.
OWL events offer a platform for knowledge sharing, mentorship, and networking, enabling attendees to learn from one another’s experiences and forge meaningful connections. This not only benefits participants; it contributes to a more inclusive workplace culture, too.
It’s a stunning amount of outreach, and it’s clear that it’s having a hugely positive effect on women’s careers at Oracle. It’s all part of OWL’s wider mission to develop, engage and empower current and future generations of women. This is all laid out in the group’s three main aspirations:
- Enhance employees’ leadership and professional development skills.
- Strengthen employees’ professional networks and improve organizational awareness.
- Foster an inclusive workplace that empowers women leaders.
Oracle focuses on empowering women from the classroom all the way to executive level, ensuring representation at every stage of their careers. We also explore alternative talent pipelines, such as partnering with coding schools like Ada Developers Academy.
Program Manager
“This allows us to help build our community of technical women, not just recruit from it!” explains Melissa. It’s a move that ensures a rich talent pool that only grows larger over time and delivers more opportunities to succeed.
Relaunching careers
We’ve also taken steps to welcome women back to the world of work after taking time out. People take career breaks for many reasons, but a disproportionate amount are women who voluntarily leave the workplace to care for children or elderly relatives.
Program Manager, Loralee Hamilton returned to work after 14 years and hit the ground running with structured onboarding and support. “More than anyone, my manager has always believed in the value I can deliver to Oracle. I was embraced into the team without anyone questioning my gap years,” she explains.
From a recruitment perspective, Melissa sees programs like this as a major differentiator for women in tech.
“We provide a soft landing to come back to the workforce with mentors, community connects, office hours and speaker sessions.”
“Resources like Oracle Learning and Oracle University also offer personalized training options to fill the gaps and help people meet their career goals.” Along with internal carer mobility opportunities from Advantage YOU, women can discuss their aspirations with their managers and be ready to succeed from the start.
Maternity matters
All parents face the challenge of juggling family and professional life, but it’s especially intense for new parents. Strong maternity benefits and flexible working helps, but caring duties don’t stop just because it’s time to work, especially in a shared family space.
In response, we’ve leveled the playing field with extra benefits that let people manage those expectations on their own terms. Flexible working hours empower women to be where they need to be, maternity and paternity leave promote shared childcare, and paid volunteer hours can be used for school volunteering.
Pamelyn Chong is a principal talent advisor on our team and appreciates this more than ever since becoming a parent.
GVP, Culture and Inclusion
“I think the most important for me has been having a very understanding manager and team—this is something I have been blessed with over the last seven years,” she shares. “The other aspect that has helped greatly for me as a working parent is the flexibility to work from home—allowing me to care for my young baby in between my work and calls.”
This kind of flexibility is extremely freeing for many parents and helps them to bring their very best selves to work. When you add it all up, it’s easy to see why Oracle works for families all over the world.
Making work work
Our benefits take a 360-degree approach that supports women across fertility, adoption, and surrogacy through to paid parental leave, caregiver leave, discounted childcare, and support for children and families with special requirements (including behavioral and developmental), while employee resource groups (ERGs) foster further connections and support.
For example, the Oracle Diverse Abilities Network (ODAN) provided Rachel Blake with a valuable support network during her son’s autism diagnosis, which she’s paying forward as the co-lead of a new group for Oracle parents and caregivers of people with disabilities.
Military spouses and Veterans meanwhile, are well represented as part of Oracle’s Military Affiliated Veteran Employee Network (MAVEN). Amy Carrio, one of our business development managers and a military spouse herself, was able to find extensive support from the get-go among a community that understood exactly the type of demands she faced.
Global Vice President of Culture and Inclusion, Traci Wade emphasizes it’s not just about covering all the bases, it’s about evolution.
EVP, Government, Defense & Intelligence
“We believe you need a 360-degree approach to really break down structured barriers. From breaking gender bias and investing in programs that accelerate women’s careers to nurturing trust and inclusion within teams, this is how we evolve.”
Visible results
We’ve worked hard to build a pipeline to success for women at Oracle. One that lets people forge their own path on their own terms. We’re proud to say that the results speak for themselves with so many women leading the way in innovation across the company.
Kim Lynch, executive vice president (EVP) of government defense and intelligence, describes the Oracle effect best:
“I’ve grown more in the last year than I had in the decade before.”
It’s clear that, as the world evolves, Oracle will continue to lead the way in empowering women in the workplace and make our industry a fairer, more positive place to work.
Do you want to join a company that makes sure women are heard, empowered and ready to take the lead? Check out our latest roles now and discover why we’re a Forbes top employer for women.