These Five Women are the Future of Work
One of the major workforce trends already hitting the United States has to do with women. If you add up the gender pay gap, prevalent glass ceilings, dismal work/life balance, non-flexible work schedules and stubborn gender biases, you’re left with a balance of women who are voting with their feet and leaving the corporate world. Where are they going? They are starting their own businesses because they feel they have a better chance at success and balance in doing so. And as women leave the corporate world, they begin carving the path toward the future of work.
I had the opportunity to interview five women who embody the future of work. They are trailblazing entrepreneurs, all inspiring and passionate about their paths. Here is a quick roundup of my spotlights on each of these women: Sara Sutton Fell, Rhiannon Ruff, Kate Kendall, Maria Simon and Jessica DeGroot.
1. Sara Sutton Fell, Flexjobs, Remote.co, 1 Million for Workplace Flexibility
Sara Sutton Fell, is CEO and founder of FlexJobs, an online job resource listing thousands of professional-level jobs that offer various forms of flexibility; founder of Remote.co, a resource for companies who want to find expert insight best practices and support for remote workers; and founder of 1 Million for Work Flexibility, an initiative committed to spreading awareness about the importance of work flexibility. Sara’s career barriers really fired her up to make a significant impact on the progression of the future of work; here’s what I mean.
2. Rhiannon Ruff, Beutler Ink
Rhiannon Ruff, the co-founder and vice president of Beutler Ink, where her main focus is seeking ways to bridge the gap between PR and communications professionals and the Wikipedia community, to make Wikipedia a stronger resource. When Rhiannon moved to the United States from the United Kingdom, she saw the opportunity to reinvent her career. Read here to learn her perspective on pivoting in your career and more.
3. Kate Kendall, CloudPeeps
Kate Kendall, is the founder of CloudPeeps, a talent marketplace that matches businesses with the world’s top freelance marketing, content and community management professionals. Kate has been on the cutting edge of the future of work since the beginning of her career. Learn about the barriers she faced while building her career and what she considers to be the largest trends in the future of work.
4. Maria Simon, Geller Law Group
Maria Simon is senior partner at Geller Law Group, a paradigm-breaking, virtual law firm. The legal industry remains one of the more traditional industries, some firms still shuffling paper and sending faxes. That’s what’s so exciting about women-led Geller Law Group, which the New York Times says, “let’s partners be parents.” Read more about how it was Maria’s lack of mentors that led her down this renegade path, landing her in a law career that not only allows her time with her family, but also allows her to wear jeans to work.
5. Jessica DeGroot, ThirdPath Institute
Jessica brings small to mid-size organizations into the “21stCentury Workplace” where every member of the organization, entry level to C-suite, has an integrated work/life balance. She does this with her company, ThirdPath Institute, whose tagline is: “Creating time for life.” They help redesign work to create time for family, community, and other life priorities. In her own words, “We’re showing them how to do work in a way where they also have time for their lives.” Here’s how Jessica plans to give us our lives back.
Do you know any trailblazing female entrepreneurs? I’d love to hear about them. Let me know in the comment section below, send me an email, or find me on Twitter.
