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International Women's Day took place earlier this month, and there were numerous articles published celebrating what women are achieving in the world of work. With that in mind, this edition of Business Bookmarks features a curation of recently-published articles exploring the topic of women and business. Expect to learn about the 100 top women in fintech, the UK business women who inspire us, and how to promote equality in your company.
To Consider
How to build an organically-diverse team
In this article for Fast Company, Melissa Smith of WEX explains the importance of having ‘unlike-minded’ employees working together to produce better results, and how this can lead to well-rounded teams that are organically diverse. Melissa also explains how she naturally built diversity into her company's recruitment process, resulting in a roughly 50/50 male to female split across the business. In addition, she talks about how she advanced into roles that were historically male-dominated along with sharing her thoughts on how to recognize glass ceilings and break through them. (Via Fast Company)
How to make a 32-hour week work
Wildbit’s Natalie Nagele speaks to Women2.0 about how she came to the decision to implement a four-day working week in her business and the impact it has had. To prepare for the change, she re-evaluated individual roles, focused on improving time management and eliminated any unnecessary meetings. The result was that the business launched more products during a year of working four-day weeks compared to the previous year of working five-day weeks. Natalie shares her experience, and states that the change has led to a more committed and happier team, and a lasting positive impact on work. Find out how else the business benefited by reading the full story. (Via Women 2.0)
To Inform
The 100 top women in fintech
Lattice 80 presents 2019's top 100 women in fintech from around the world. Of the 100 women featured, 44 hold key management positions in fintech and blockchain startups, and many others hail from well-known institutions such as KPMG, Bank of England and Mastercard. In addition, the highest majority of women on the list (17%) are London-based, followed by Hong Kong with 12% and New York with 10%. By highlighting the top female leaders in fintech from around the world, Lattice 80 hopes to inspire more women to join the still male-dominated industry. (Via Lattice 80)
The threat of automation to UK jobs
Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed that roles occupied by women are most at risk of being replaced by automation, with data suggesting that 70.2% of the jobs at risk of automation in 2017 were filled by women. It's estimated that a further 1.5 million UK jobs could be impacted by automation in the near future. Whilst the article makes it clear that entry-level jobs are the ones most at risk, it also looks at yet-untouched industries which are beginning to be impacted by the rise of automation. If you think your business may be affected by advances in automation, you can read the full article below. (Via The Guardian)
Automation is now impacting a wide range of industries, but it transpires that UK women are more at risk of losing their jobs to automation than men.
To Inspire
The women who inspire us
To celebrate International Women’s Day 2019, this article highlights some of the UK female-run businesses that are making a name for themselves, including family-run linen business White & Green and food sharing app OLIO. It’s an insight into how female business leaders are excelling in a range of industries, and an important reminder of the resources and initiatives available for business guidance, diversity promotion and female empowerment. In addition, the article features a couple of inspiring female-led podcasts, books and blogs that all business owners can learn something from. (Via The Knowledge Hub)
A different route to success
Brought to you by Shopify, this article introduces a series of case studies in which creative entrepreneurs explain how they established successful businesses by making their own rules. From the vegan butchers to the entrepreneur running a luxury brand from a village in Tibet, each case study offers insight into the stories behind founders who are changing the way we think about business. You can read the individual stories here, which include the likes of an LGBTQ+ Lifestyle Brand inspired by a dog and the woman who is reshaping our perception of plus-size fashion. (Via Shopify)
To Action
How to ‘Marie Kondo’ your LinkedIn network
If you find that your LinkedIn connections aren't adding value to your online experience, or you're suffering from a feed that’s oversaturated with irrelevant content, this one's for you. Fast Company explores the phenomenon of the KonMari method: a process of ridding yourself of the superfluous. The result is a guide outlining how to spring clean your LinkedIn network in the style of Marie Kondo so that you can enjoy a more defined and relevant LinkedIn network. Cutting out the noise and distractions will lead to better quality connections that add value. (Via Fast Company)
How to tackle gender inequality in your business
In the last five years, Google, Facebook and Apple have released reports in an attempt to bring transparency to their equality and diversity practices. However, as this article reveals, the number of women they hired within this time is minimal, meaning the balance of male/female employees is still heavily skewed. Google admitted to a 0.3% increase in female global staff between 2014-2018, while Facebook admitted to a slightly better but still far from ideal 5% increase in the same period. In this article, Wired sheds more light on the story, along with clearly outlining eight practical ways to increase diversity in all areas of your business. (Via Wired)
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