Women breaking the glass ceiling for fellow women

This Women’s Month, the world is celebrating and honoring the successes and struggles of women across industries, and in a variety of roles. As the times evolve, companies are reminded of the inherent value of varieties of perspectives in organizations, especially in leadership positions.  

TaskUs, the outsourcing leader for digital transformation, has established strong female leaders that place them at the forefront of major change. Currently, 54% of TaskUs's employees in the Philippines are women. And more than half of the leadership roles are held by women. These, along with other employee programs, are proof of a more gender-balanced workplace. But it goes beyond benefits and initiatives. 

Chin Monsale, Vice President for Operations at TaskUs Bohol, is a firm example of how norms are no longer relevant, especially in progressive organizations like TaskUs. 

Monsale describes herself as “everything society told you an executive should not be.” To start, the 45-year-old leader is heavily tattooed, with 27 ear piercings and a unique fashion style.

She strongly believes that executives—leaders in general—come in different forms, and shouldn’t have to prescribe to a specific look or style. She admits, “Obviously, I’m a little bit different but I’m proud to represent people who are a little bit different.”

And she wants to give the same experience to her colleagues. She wants to create a kind of environment where people can be themselves, compete healthily, and honor the growth of others—true to TaskUs’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. 

Creating a diverse and inclusive workplace

Monsale is not one to be pinned down by stereotypes identifying herself as a bisexual woman. Climbing up the career ladder, Monsale had her fair share of struggles as a woman and member of the LGBTQ+ community.

She acknowledges that, if not for her mentors who saw the potential in her and for the people who believed in what she could do and achieve, she would not have advanced to where she is now. Looking back at her journey, she ponders, “What if no one went out of their way to see me through?” 

This is why she is fully dedicated to paying it forward. For Monsale, it is about creating career opportunities and goals for everyone regardless of their age, gender, interests, beliefs, or background.

“Acceptance is just the first step. Creating an environment for everyone to thrive in is the greater ask,” she says. It is thus her goal to give ample opportunities to her team starting in Bohol. 

As one of TaskUs’s newest sites globally and with Monsale at the helm, TaskUs Bohol targets to open up jobs and create roles in Tagbilaran where people can feel welcome. She is laying down the groundwork for company-led diversity and inclusion campaigns in Bohol, and creating more efforts specifically for the city.

She explains, “From a business standpoint, being able to build that level of diversity, ethnicity, and a wider range of backgrounds also helps the company be more customer-relevant, especially being in the service industry.”

Nurturing future leaders

Apart from creating equal opportunities, her goal has always been to hone more leaders. She looks forward to the many talents she will discover as she builds the talent pool and oversees operations in Bohol. “I want to go forward and beyond for others to sustain their goals, and give them access to do so,” she shares.

Just as she was mentored throughout her career, Monsale practices the same with her team at TaskUs Bohol grooming them to be the best leaders in the industry. Research shows that honing female leaders help employees grow and the wider organization flourish. 

“I want to create and build leaders who have the standards that can nurture others,” she shares. “Some leaders grow for themselves and there’s nothing wrong with that. But there’s a much bigger ask and requirement for people who need to move forward and grow others. That is the kind of leaders that we want here.”

Empowering fellow women

Monsale finds it her responsibility to empower women, the younger generation in particular, to widen their horizons. She’s motivated by her nieces, and wants them to know that they are not tied to expectations such as “getting married by 25.” Now, her nieces are very vocal about wanting to be just like their “Tita Chin,” who, in their own words, “has traveled and seen the world and has become the woman leader that she is today.” 

She explains that women should not be tied to outdated societal standards. “By giving women the right resources, they are more empowered to have a choice in life.” 

By allowing women to decide for themselves, Monsale says they can go beyond society’s expectations and pursue things they were born for--things that necessarily benefit their families and communities around them. It is universally accepted that empowering women is a “necessary foundation” for the world to achieve its global sustainable goals. 

And this is the very same reason why TaskUs takes an active stance in providing a safe space for women to grow professionally. The company provides exclusive benefits for mothers like expanded maternity leaves, automatically approved leaves, and lactation breaks, and rooms on-site. TaskUs also has daycare centers in selected sites and scholarship programs for children of eligible employees. 

Apart from these, there are a number of leadership and upskilling training programs for female employees to hone their potential. Monsale herself is taking the lead to ensure that the team in Bohol has access to the company-wide Employee Resource Group for women.

A better tomorrow that looks beyond gender stereotypes has finally arrived as organizations provide opportunities for women to advance in their careers. And at TaskUs, teammates can proudly say that the glass ceiling has been shattered.