We love you Sallie Krawcheck! Read her Linkedin story about how “bro” culture on Wall Street is harmful to women climbing the ladder of success. This is an issue that is not particular to Wall Street; Being inhospitable to women is not only about “bro talk,” it is about unnecessary 6pm meetings, weekend deadlines and pervasive desk check culture. When companies don’t make work work for women, they lose women, and then they complain about diversity. The real issue here is, if companies don’t change women flee, then fewer women rise to the top, and without women at the top nobody is taking our needs and thoughts into account; and the world remains a place that has no cup holders in cars, life rafts or caller I.D. (all invented by and for women.)
So why is it so hard for businesses to get it? They talk about it a lot… they hold a lot of meetings at 6pm to discuss it, they have conferences about it, and speak on panels about it… here is what Sallie has to say.
“To the CEOs: Wall Street simply needs to bring more women and diverse individuals into the business. Just friggin’ do it. I promise you, the solution isn’t more training sessions on unconscious bias or a new diversity group, though they are nice. It’s not another speech at the annual townhall on how important diversity is. It’s to just hire more women.”
The Second Shift was founded to provide flexible opportunities for women who leave the traditional workforce so they can continue along their professional career paths. Our vetted network of members are women who recently left the workforce at the top of their game; by hiring them companies increase gender diversity in their workplace and create a nimble and progressive work force. It’s a win/win for everyone. It is not a mystery why women leave and it is not a mystery how to retain them… so stop talking about it and just do it!
Think nobody is paying attention in the summer? Think again! Jobs are posted, interviews are happening and hiring managers are paying attention. Instead of focusing on pictures of fabulous vacations and kids in sprinklers, social media can be a great way to push yourself and your job search forward; it can also be a hazardous time for your personal brand message… so beware and keep reading:
The Second Shift Social Media Dos and Don’ts for the Summer
Do use the quiet time in Summer as a time to reach out to your network and set up lunch or coffee to line up work for the Fall.
Don’t post too many pictures of your Summer fun. It looks pretty but might send the wrong message about your serious intentions to people looking to hire you.
Do use the down time for Summer clean-up and get fresh references and testimonials for your Linkedin page.
Don’t post anything without first proofreading. Humor can be taken out of context and grammar mistakes make you look sloppy and lazy.
Do be mindful of when and how you use social media; if you are posting pictures of your kids on a beach on a Tuesday morning, you are giving the impression that is where you are at that moment, even if it was something that happened over the weekend.
Do stay on brand. All social media is an exercise in branding yourself and your life. Make sure the message you are creating about yourself is consistent across your social media, both professionally and personally.
Nishea Clark is a Second Shift member who truly understands what it means to take a leap and bet on yourself. She holds an MBA from Kellogg and has worked as a marketing consultant for companies such as Pfizer, XM Satellite Radio and Johnson & Johnson, as well as advertising agencies and the US Army. Nishea is our featured member because she exemplifies many of the attributes that make up our incredible network of women– she is smart, ambitious, a go-getter who knows her worth, and isn’t afraid to capitalize on her strength and determination.
–What inspired you to choose to go freelance?
It was actually an accident of sorts. I was at a job I detested and was miserable. A friend called and asked for help, he said, “don’t quit your day job, just take a couple of days off, make some good money consulting.“ I quit anyway, I thought to myself, this will give me enough money, plus my savings, to have a fun summer while looking for a new job. I sent an email to some old colleagues and friends saying I was taking the summer off but if anyone needed any help or knew of interesting projects, let me know. I was completely booked 24 hours later, never took my big summer vacation and that was 14 years ago this May.
–You recently completed a job through the Second Shift– how did you find the process?
The process was incredibly simple– I responded to the request while in line at the super market from my iPhone, I heard back the next day, took the interview while on vacation at Disney World with my kids and started a few days later when I got back to NY. My client was nice, smart, flexible and gave me the autonomy and trust that I love, so I had the freedom to deliver a great end product.
–What is your schedule– are you "on” certain hours or days or months and then “off” at other times? What is your personal balance?
Work-life balance has been a work in progress for me. I tend to always be “on”. I check my phone constantly and I am very nocturnal, which has given me an edge on international projects when I may respond to RFPs while my competitors are still asleep. I am good at working wherever I am, so it is not unusual for me to be writing emails or drafting report outlines while waiting in the car to pick up my daughter from school. I have put hard stops on deliverables when I know I will be away with the kids or they have important events like the Holiday concert and kindergarten graduation.
– Any tips for women in full-time careers looking to downshift to a more flexible Second Shift schedule?
Know your limits and expectations for yourself. Understand your motivations for working and imbed those within your freelance career. Then sell them to your client as an asset. For me personally, I work best when I can spend the majority of my time in my own environment. I found that I got little done in the typical office environment. When I was able to set up my home office to my own needs, set up my own hours (my most inspired thinking is late at night) and utilize technology to still be “everywhere” and extremely accessible, I can deliver great work. I sell that to my clients. I remind them that they don’t have to waste office space and resources on me, that because I am self-motivated, they don’t have to waste their own precious time checking-up on me. I tell them how great they will feel when they walk into their office in the morning and find that their deliverables and updates are already sitting in their email first thing because I likely sent them at 2am. No spending half the day anxious about your report coming in. And I make sure to deliver on my process to be accessible and flexible.
–You have your own consulting business– what sorts of jobs do you take on and why?
I specialize in market research, planning and strategy. New product launches are especially interesting for me. I love the thought process of investigating a marketplace, looking for new angles or untapped opportunities and a unique niche. I greatly enjoy interviewing (both business customers and consumers) to try and delve into motivations and expectations. I have worked domestically and internationally in a wide variety of category areas including pharmaceuticals, consumer packaged goods, tourism, financial services, media and entertainment. My engagements have been as short as one week and as long as four years. I pride myself on making it as easy as possible for the client to work with me and get great results.
Amazing words of wisdom on reaching your true potential at any age. It’s true Leslie Jones… sometimes it takes maturity to realize who you really are, like Oprah.
Thank you Kim Dawson of the Sassy Strategist podcast for featuring us and letting us share our personal and professional tips for starting a business. Kim’s podcast is an outgrowth of her business K. Dawson Company where she helps women take their business to the next level.
“My goal is to help women become entrepreneurs and profitable business owners, in an effort to boost their financial independence, improve communities, advance women’s rights and create a more passion-driven life.”
Working women in the US carry an unfair burden–We all know it’s true, and now it is print, so it must be. In the UpShot column of the NY Times last Sunday the headline was “More Time to Unwind, Unless You’re a Woman.” Unwind… what a nice idea. Not sure where the time for relaxing fits in between work, making sure the diorama is done, lunch is packed, Fall activities are signed up for, presents are bought, and maybe, just maybe you get in a work out. Is working out and getting waxed considered relaxing??
Basically, the article’s premise is based on a study that shows that over the past century or so older men are working less, and enjoying themselves more. Teenagers are working less, and enjoying more. And women are working more (100 years ago women barely worked, so yay!) but they are not enjoying more; that’s because they also take on a disproportionate amount of household chores and child rearing. Here is the silver lining… women live longer lives than men, so we do get significant leisure time when we are older. Hope that puts a smile on the face of those who are multi-tasking the reading of this blog while ordering camp labels and paying bills. We are strong, and we are awesome. #makeworkworkforyou
It was quite a thrill for Co-Founder Jenny Galluzzo to be interviewed today on WSJ Live by her friend, the extraordinarily talented Tanya Rivero. Check it out!
Today kicks off a collaboration our friends at W by Worth. Both companies were formed on the founding principle of creating opportunity to empower women professionally and financially. We are hosting an event tonight at their showroom at 570 5th ave @ 57th street from 6-9pm in NYC. Please stop by if you are in town.
A conversation between The Second Shift Co-Founder, Gina Hadley, and President of apparel company, W by Worth, Courtney Denby…
GH: Hi Courtney! We are so excited to be working with W by Worth and helping to spread the support for flexible at work for women!
GH: Can you describe how W by Worth supports women and the balance of work and home life?
CD: W by Worth offers a flexible business that can be conducted from home. It is flexible in two ways: first, the Stylist can choose the dates of her four traditional weeklong shows to work around her family’s schedule; second, the Stylist can add income by layering Travel Trunk events or Virtual Sales between shows, but this is, again, totally optional and can be scheduled to work around what is happening with her family at the time. W by Worth offers a flexible business that can be conducted from home. It is flexible in two ways: first, the Stylist can choose the dates of her four traditional weeklong shows to work around her family’s schedule; second, the Stylist can add income by layering Travel Trunk events or Virtual Sales between shows, but this is, again, totally optional and can be scheduled to work around what is happening with her family at the time.
GH: I love that W by Worth allows each woman to schedule the Travel Trunk events and Virtual Sales based on the time constraints and needs of her personal life and to create the balance for herself! That is exactly in-line with the goals that The Second Shift is based upon.
GH: How do you personally balance work/life/family as a working mom and the President of W by Worth?
CD: It can be tough! I have worked from home for this company for 14 years. What I love about it is that I can easily pop into or out of work mode based on what is happening with my family. If they need me then I can be available. I can also work early in the morning and late at night. I do have full-time help at home that allows me to either work or be with family. The fact that we pay someone to clean, cook and run errands is very helpful. I also use Green Chef for the nights that I’m responsible for meals. This is a company that ships me ingredients and recipes for three complete meals each week. I love to be in the kitchen with the kids and to prepare the meals but I don’t love to pre-plan and think ahead of time about recipes and ingredients. So Green Chef is perfect for us.
CD: How about you? How do you stay balanced?
GH: Right now, it is not easy. But I feel like we are in a sprint which will ebb and flow as our work progresses. Work out, time with family, DATE NIGHT!!!…That is how I reset.
CD: Can you tell us how you started The Second Shift?
GH: Jenny and I knew each other for several years prior to starting The Second Shift and similarly, kept having the same conversation with amazing women who had built successful careers but had so much trouble figuring about a way to balance all the responsibilities in their lives. Jenny had the epiphany that we should solve this problem, and now we are! Pushing the envelope and encouraging companies to hire women in non-traditional ways while still getting the work done by top career women.
GH: How would inspire and encourage other companies to create more flexibility for women in the workplace?
CD: I really like the idea of women staying involved in work at some level through their childrearing years. Instead of off-ramping completely and then needed to on-ramp later, it makes all the sense in the world to me to work in some capacity. It is a benefit to the company if it can figure out a way to delegate projects to an Independent Contractor. It is very cost efficient for the company and gives the company more flexibility.
GH: We agree! The Second Shift is working hard to change the way women think about going back to work once they have children and changing the way the companies think about staffing.
GH: What tips do you have for women who feel they have to choose only one path?
CD: The important thing is that each woman is happy with her choice and that she knows that she is free the make a different choice or tweak her choice in the future. I think we have to learn as we go and be prepared to make adjustments to keep our family and ourselves happy. There are flexible work options for those who want them.
CD: What does flexibility mean for you?
GH: Being able to make choices that enable us to have a more balanced life.
CD: Do you think women can “have it all?”
GH: No one gets to have it ‘all’ – But, it’s important for women to recognize what their ‘all’ is right now in a particular moment? That, I believe, is a better way to think about it and way for goals to be met.
GH: What types of questions should women ask when interviewing for a job to ensure it will be the right fit for their lifestyle needs?
CD: I wouldn’t advise that anyone interviewing for a job ask a lot of questions about vacation or paid leave. That is always a red flag for me if I’m interviewing someone. Instead, I would tell women to create value for the company first and then to work to create some flexibility once you are considered a valuable member of the team.
CD: I agree! Why do you think it¹s important for women to work?
GH: Just the fact that we ask that question when no one would ask that of a man, is the reason we need to keep working!
GH: So now on the subject of apparel, what’s the most ideal outfit for women running from the boardroom to the soccer field?
CD: That is challenging, but I would probably recommend a jacket that can be removed after work and a skirt or Capri pants because you can change your heel height without affecting the length. This is my strategy when I am in meetings in New York and then flying back to Dallas.
CD: What is your go-to outfit?
Ballet flats, black trousers, a boxy top and a leather jacket are a staple for me.
Gina and Jenny spent the day yesterday meeting with Bay Area members and friends at two fabulous events. We started the day in Mill Valley at an all women co-working space called The Hivery. It is the most dreamy, chic, thoughtfully created space. Words don’t do it justice– check out the pictures. We met with some current members, future members and women in businesses who support of mission. Thank you Grace from the Hivery, Jennifer from Equator Coffee & Tea for the catering and most especially to Vanessa Wauchope from Sensible Sitters/ Main Street Mamas for organizing everything and being the best tour guide, chauffeur, networking master and all around awesome gal.
Then we traveled across San Francisco– Hello Golden Gate Bridge!
And went to an evening event hosted at The Podoll’s boutique in Noe Valley. Their clothing line is eco-chic and it is a must stop if you are in the area. Once again Jennifer at Equator and Vanessa at Sensible Sitters/ Main Street Mamas outdid themselves. It was a terrific way to spread our message to women from many different backgrounds and professions. Thank you for a wonderful welcome San Francisco!
