{"id":3481,"date":"2018-03-08T10:52:46","date_gmt":"2018-03-07T23:52:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.airtasker.com\/?p=3434"},"modified":"2021-09-23T11:18:18","modified_gmt":"2021-09-23T00:18:18","slug":"international-womens-day-2018-airtasker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.airtasker.com\/blog\/international-womens-day-2018-airtasker\/","title":{"rendered":"International Women’s Day 2018 – Airtasker"},"content":{"rendered":"

This year we wanted to make an extra special effort to celebrate women who have (and continue to) help to build the Airtasker platform – both those behind the scenes and out there in the real world. You are the heart of the Airtasker Community. Thank you!<\/p>\n

Women who work at Airtasker<\/h1>\n

We love to see more and more women finding meaningful roles in the startup community. In Australia alone, there are Facebook groups, meetups\u00a0and events dedicated to women both starting businesses and working in startups – this is awesome.<\/p>\n

We’ve worked really hard to improve diversity both within the workplace and the Airtasker marketplace. Here at Airtasker HQ, we’re proud to have women in every team and department – from developers and product management, to marketing and customer support.<\/p>\n

We’ve also grown a lot. This was us 12 months ago…<\/p>\n

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Airtasker Ladies in 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

… And here we are now.<\/p>\n

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Airtasker Ladies in 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So we decided to ask Jennifer and Katherine about their experience both at Airtasker and in the startup community.<\/h3>\n

Jennifer Flynn – VP Product<\/h2>\n

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How have you found working as a woman in the startup community?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Airtasker is my first experience of a startup.\u00a0 One of the great things about Airtasker is the breadth of experience and cultural backgrounds.\u00a0 I have colleagues with corporate backgrounds like me and others who are steeped in startup history.\u00a0 We have representatives from every continent except Africa (it’s on the recruiters to do list!) and I think that diversity helps to ingrain openness into our culture and way of working.<\/p>\n

The product management team is almost 50\/50 male\/ female split.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t by design, I\u2019d always assess on merit. When you\u2019re building a team, you\u2019re looking for more than just technical skills for each role, and I suppose that a natural conclusion is that diversity brings a bias-busting positive to the mix.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always been very lucky in my career that I haven\u2019t experienced discrimination or harassment.\u00a0 Working at Airtasker has been no different, but I\u2019ve been very aware that as our company grows domestically and internationally, it’s my responsibility as a leader in the business to monitor that regularly.<\/p>\n

What helps you jump out of bed and rush to the office every day?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I like the people I work with, they\u2019re upbeat and want to succeed. Coming from companies who\u2019ve been held back by legacy and regulation, it’s so freeing to be part of something where visible improvements on a daily basis is a possibility.<\/p>\n

What is your mantra?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stay on your feet and keep moving forward.<\/p>\n

Katherine Kirby – Support Team Member (Safety, Verifications and Partnerships)<\/h2>\n
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<\/div>\n
How have you found working as a woman in the startup community?<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I\u2019ve been at Airtasker for just over 1 year, it\u2019s my first experience of working in the startup community and it has been a highly positive one so far. We have a very open, collaborative and respectful culture which empowers all staff to speak up on any ideas or concerns we may have. I\u2019ve also met many other amazing women in this community so far, who I look up to as great business leaders. It feels like we\u2019re creating a community of game changers.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
What helps you jump out of bed and rush to the office every day?\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
My team motivates me every single day.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Working in a startup means everything moves at a rapid pace, sometimes it feels like you could definitely get swept under the tidal wave of work to be done. Having positive, empathetic and hard-working teammates who support each other through the hard times make the good times that much better. We work hard so we can play hard!<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
What is your mantra?<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Never stop learning!<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Women in the Airtasker Community<\/h1>\n

Designing for inclusiveness<\/h2>\n

Diversity (or as we prefer – inclusiveness) is something we’ve really focused on in the last 6 months for the marketplace and also the community.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Did you know?<\/strong><\/div>\n