A fascinating behind-the-scenes look at What it means to be a Woman in the workplace!

Article by Shereen Peter

The common words we hear over Women’s month are Phenomenal, Strong, Inspirational, Supportive, Beautiful, Intelligent, resilient and the list goes on…. Over the years it has become a bit cliched. Each article seems to have the same story about amazing grandmothers, mothers, sisters, aunts, friends, nieces and colleagues…a sisterhood that helps you rise above some sort of pain and adversity which is only too common for most. A sisterhood that also now includes our daughters and mentees. I am fortunate enough to report that I too have the same story😊

I am always excited to grow and in some cases reconnect with this network of sisterhood: to share, to learn from and encourage the next phenomenal woman.

Just over a year ago, I was fortunate enough to extend my sisterhood with a phenomenal group of Women at the Accounting Standards Board. A group of professionals with integrity and humility that took a chance on me at a time when I had become disillusioned in the corporate space. A space that knew no boundaries, a space where hard work was rewarded with more hard work and while I initially enjoyed the rewards of learning, over time it became the norm and eventually led to burnout and stress which also knows no boundaries. I joined the Accounting Standards Board after a year of downtime, what I thought would be enough to recover from over 20 years of non-stop, on-the-go, day to day, work-life… Deadlines, meetings and then the more important role of motherhood and wife which regrettably took the hit when times got too tough.

While I will always remain grateful for all the opportunities and learnings that I have been afforded and the people that supported me along the way, I longed for a role where I would feel more fulfilled, in an organisation that was not just about the bottom line.

The team at the Accounting Standards Board have exceeded any expectation of where I thought I would be. They have kept me engaged and challenged, navigating this new world of remote working and the public sector. The leadership at the Accounting Standards Board offer and encourage an environment of the perfect balance of learning and empathy while consistently meeting and exceeding performance measures. So to the team of phenomenal women at the Accounting Standards Board: Elizna, Amanda, Julianne, Nabeela, our CEO Jeanine, not forgetting our former CEO Erna and Tsholo too, here’s to you this Women’s Month and for being the cliche.