LinkedIn's 23rd WomenConnect anchors on Adapting to A Fast-Changing World: The Pivot to Hybrid and Beyond

Another LinkedIn WomenConnect in the books!?

LinkedIn’s 23rd WomenConnect event on October 14th, 2021 unfolded a memorable evening where women technologists and allies came together, inspired one another with their personal narratives, exchanged ideas and best practices, kickstarting meaningful relationships.

With the onset of the Great Reshuffle , many employees across industries are rethinking how and why we work and choosing career opportunities that better align with their personal priorities and passion. Leaders are learning how to navigate this massive transition and related challenges around hiring, employee engagement, retention, etc. Given this, it was only apt for this year’s WomenConnect to be focused on ‘Adapting to A Fast-Changing World:? The Pivot to Hybrid and Beyond’. The inspiring personal stories, funny anecdotes, insightful facts and figures, and work from home hacks that were shared during the event created a strong sense of community and togetherness amongst the attendees.

Preeti Dharwadkar who has been doing a stellar job in leading the WomenConnect program opened the evening with a high infectious energy that set a great tone for the rest of the event. Following this Erica Locheimer and Ya Xu , two phenomenal leaders who have had transformational growth at LinkedIn had an authentic exchange of how they’ve been navigating personal and professional priorities during the pandemic. They reflected on how they continue to experiment with ways to make time for self-care and other personal priorities, no matter how demanding their career is. Interestingly, experimenting with product ideas and pushing the boundaries on possibilities is what they excel at on the work front too! :)? Erica, who is the Head of Engineering for LinkedIn Learning, LinkedIn Talent Solutions, and Glint, alluded to the changes happening within the LinkedIn Talent Solutions product offerings to adapt to the increasing number of hybrid/remote jobs surfacing on the LinkedIn platform. Ya, who recently took over as the Head of Data at LinkedIn pointed out how we’ve seen a record pace of people transitioning careers globally — up +50% from June through August on LinkedIn, and how women are struggling more during the pandemic to balance work and domestic responsibilities like child care. She made an astute remark that pre-pandemic, we were trying to organize home around our work schedule, and now we are thinking more along the lines of organizing work around our preferences and needs on the home front.?

Following the authentic fireside chat between Erica and Ya that led to some good laughs, I kicked off a panel discussion with an amazing crew - Priya Vijayarajendran , VP of Data & AI at Microsoft; Imani Dunbar , Head of Equity Strategy at LinkedIn; and Shannon Hardy , VP of Flex Work at LinkedIn. Before getting into the conversation about adapting to hybrid work, we got to know the panelists through some rapid-fire questions. Guess what our favorite WFH snacks are? Cherry tomatoes, white wine, hot sauce, and flamin' hot Cheetos!?The hobbies and interests developed during the pandemic spanned across early morning walks, basketball, writing music, Nintendo adventures, and Peloton workouts.

Once we warmed up, we reflected on our personal journey adapting to working from home during the pandemic. A few observations:

• Most of us had taken a new job or new role during the pandemic, and there was a shared acknowledgment of the challenges in doing so in a remote setting; especially if you are leading large organizations or broad initiatives where you need you to build a lot of new relationships. At the same time, the remote environment has helped break geo and time zone boundaries bringing everyone closer in a virtual grid and on the same playing field. The benefits of this normalization are worth preserving when operating in the hybrid/remote model.
• Being intentional about prioritizing self-care was a strong recommendation from all panelists, and that resonated well with the audience. As leaders, it is immensely important that we lead by example on this front. All days are not created equal. Some days will turn out to be highly productive where we feel like superhumans, and some days might feel like a win if we can just avoid burning dinner. That is perfectly ok!?
• We also reflected on how over time we’ve become more comfortable letting our coworkers get a peek into our homes, cutting through the virtual backgrounds and seeing the real us - our family, pets, and all the mess in the mix! That’s a breakthrough that we felt proud of :)

The latter half of the panel discussion focused on what organizations and leaders need to have top-of-mind as we prepare for the long haul of hybrid+remote work mode:

• Imani called out that as employees are thinking about how to pick companies and roles that fit their personal priorities, lifestyle choices, location preferences, etc. - it is important for organizations to diversify their hiring strategy by being more open for remote employees as well as tapping into talent across multiple locations/geographies. As a data point, as of May 20, 2021, the percentage of paid job postings on LinkedIn offering “remote work” has skyrocketed 357% beyond the year-earlier share, according to LinkedIn’s Economic Graph team .
• Imani also underscored that the events of this past year have brought to the forefront that it’s no longer enough to ensure that everyone has a fair shot. It is more important than ever to be intentional about driving equity and creating pathways that lead to economic opportunities for all. She highlighted the work happening at LinkedIn around Equity , including new product features like Self-ID , Gender Pronouns, Name Pronunciation, etc.?These changes are important milestones in the journey LinkedIn is on to help drive equitable outcomes and understand how different people experience our platform.?
• Priya reflected on how important it is for leaders to take a data-driven approach to recognize burnout in their teams, and role model best practices in managing time spent in virtual meetings - especially when working with global teams across time zones. Overall she was enthusiastic about approaching this new normal of hybrid/remote work as a great opportunity to diversify her hiring and talent development strategy, as well as instill healthy boundaries between work and home.?Cheers to that!
• Shannon made an astute observation - given the uncharted territory we are in and no playbooks to guide us, leaders should approach the pivot to hybrid/remote with an absolute growth mindset and seek to understand what employees need for them to be productive, healthy, and happy. Based on our global data from Glint, 87% of workers would prefer to stay remote at least half of the time and 73% are in search of deeper purpose, gratification, and home-work balance. The more leaders can lead with trust in their employees and lean in to understand how to help them find that purpose, balance, and fulfillment in this evolving landscape - the easier it will be to navigate this new normal.

Overall, it was a rewarding experience to be a part of this fantastic event, engaging with the WIT community and facilitating this timely conversation. I hope all the attendees walked out feeling inspired, energized, and supported! I know I did.

Huge appreciation for everyone who came together to bring this event to life - Preeti , Erica , Ya ,?Imani ,?Shannon ,?Priya , LinkedIn WIT Leaders and amazing volunteers (Hiring Managers, Leaders, and Recruiters) and our planning team -?Elizabeth ,?Victoria ,?Hibah ,?Camille ,?Morgan ,?Nyla ,?Serry ?and LMP Productions Team ???? ????. ??

Until the next LinkedIn WomenConnect, stay well and stay connected!