Annual State of Women in Revenue Report Uncovers the Most Important Workplace Issues Impacting Women in Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success
SAN FRANCISCO, Apr. 6, 2022 – Women in Revenue (WIR), a non-profit created to empower and elevate women in sales, marketing, and customer success careers, today announced the results of its annual survey to uncover the top issues facing women in business. The report: “The Great Renegotiation: The Definitive 2022 State of Women in Revenue,” surveyed nearly 2,400 women in revenue-generating roles. The survey found that more than 38 percent of all women and 49 percent of executive women considered quitting their job in 2021. Eight percent of women in revenue overall, and more than 15 percent in the technology industry actually did quit in 2021. The report dives into what’s driving this re-evaluation of work for women, what they’re looking for, and how companies can keep or hire these essential executives and future leaders.
Unsurprisingly, compensation was listed as the number one challenge among respondents, and it’s no wonder, since pay equity is a critical issue. According to the report, 17 percent of women said they were positive they were not being paid the same as their male counterparts, and 41 percent said they had no idea.
“These statistics should be alarming to any company,” said Deanna Ransom, Executive Director of Women in Revenue. “When 50 percent of your female leadership isn’t happy you need to take a close look internally. Marketing, sales, and customer success are the lifeblood of companies. We’re bringing customers in the door and closing the deals. Women aren’t being paid what they’re worth. They need equal pay, pay transparency and mentorship to trust that they’re valued, heard and have a clear career path. Otherwise, in this market they’re going to walk, take another offer or possibly strike out on their own.”
Among respondents, pay transparency rose dramatically in importance. This year, 52 percent said transparent compensation information is the most important consideration when evaluating a job offer. This number more than doubled from 2021, when it was just 21 percent. The report states that compensation transparency goes beyond just pure salary dollars and into knowing one’s worth and being equipped to effectively negotiate an equitable compensation package.
One respondent said, “I discovered I wasn’t being paid anything close to market rate. Went to another company and got 65 percent more!”
Compensation isn’t everything. The report offered some data for companies looking to hire and retain women in revenue roles. According to the report, the benefits most important to women in revenue when considering a job offer were:
Transparent compensation
Work from home option (once offices safely reopen)
Flexible work hours
Top health care
Ongoing training/education
Retirement program
Beyond benefits and pay, women need to feel safe to be successful. The report also examined how sexual harassment affects women in revenue, and found that it affects some women more than others, rising to a top 3 issue when filtered by demographics and job roles. One quarter of women in professional services and revenue operations roles listed sexual harassment as one of their top three challenges. In addition, women of color listed sexual harassment as a top challenge in higher percentages. Based on recent data, this means that the same women who are most impacted by harassment are also the ones facing the most inequitable pay.
The report provides companies with actionable suggestions to move beyond conversation and start making change for women in the workplace. For more information, download the report.
About Women in Revenue
Women in Revenue (WIR) is a non-profit organization created to empower and elevate women working in marketing, sales and customer success with the ultimate goal of workplace equity, WIR provides mentorship, speaker development and opportunities, community, education, and events to connect women and provide the safe space, support, and inspiration they need to grow in their careers. WIR has grown to more than 5,000 members since its founding in 2018. WIR is supported by esteemed sponsors including Adobe, Demandbase, Sendoso, 6sense, and others. For more information or to become a WIR member, go to: womeninrevenue.org
Generation after generation, women have been barrier-breakers, innovators, and advocates for justice — as well as amazing business leaders we can look up to. Mary Katherine Goddard ran the print shop that printed the first copy of the Declaration of Independence and likely was the first woman postmaster in the Thirteen Colonies. In the 1800s, Bridget “Biddy” Mason was brought to California, a free state, by her slave owner. She challenged the owner in court and won her and 13 family members’ freedom. Later employed as a midwife and nurse, she bought property and amassed a fortune of $3 million, became a well-known philanthropist, and founded the oldest Black church in Los Angeles. There’s also Madam C.J. Walker, who developed a thriving hair care business focused on Black women and subsequently became America’s first self-made black female millionaire.
Even though women have come so far, there’s still more work to do to achieve gender equity in business, government, and essentially every corner of society. That’s why it isn’t entirely surprising that the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) is #BreakTheBias. As IWD puts it: “Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women’s equality.”
Embracing Women’s Contributions and Advancing Gender Equity
Achieving a gender equal world will take collective work. Research shows there’s still a lot of progress necessary to make the world more inclusive and equitable for women.
Women in the Workplace 2021, a joint study conducted by LeanIn.Org and the consulting firm McKinsey, found that women remain underrepresented as you head up the corporate ladder. Today, women make up about 25% of C-suite leaders, compared to nearly 50% of entry-level employees. This disparity is even more pronounced for women of color, representing 4% of C-Suite leaders. Women in the Workplace 2021 — the largest study of its kind — also found that for every 100 men promoted to manager, only 86 women are promoted.
Women also say they are more burned out than their male counterparts. However, they still find a way to excel in their careers — especially when they have a female manager or mentor supporting them in the workplace, the study also found.
The research highlights where there are challenges, but also where there are opportunities. True allyship and inclusive leadership are vital for all women to reach their full potential. Allyship comes in many forms, but at a foundational level, it’s about advocating for and celebrating difference. Both men and women can become allies by mentoring women in the workplace, either through formal mentorship programs or informally when they collaborate with high-potential female colleagues on internal projects. They can speak up for a promising female employee in meetings, tout her work, and create space for her to share ideas in team meetings or when executive leadership is present. They can suggest a talented woman for an opportunity that can grow her skills or position her for future career growth.
Male and female leaders and managers also can lead with inclusivity in mind. Inclusive leaders acknowledge and address their own explicit and implicit biases, take proactive steps to seek diverse perspectives, and meaningfully collaborate with those who have different experiences. A large body of research has shown that diverse teams are often more innovative and perform better than more homogeneous teams, so there’s a compelling argument that elevating women also increases companies’ competitive advantage.
As we celebrate Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, it’s a good time to reflect on everything women have accomplished. But in doing so, we also can’t forget it will take a collective ongoing commitment to create a more inclusive, gender equal world.
Every generation, we continue to advance women and make progress — and hopefully one day, we’ll finally arrive at a point where equality is no longer a hope, but an everyday reality for women across the globe.
Most companies understand the importance of retaining and nurturing talent, but they often don’t fully know how to achieve that. At Qumu, leaders have spent years building a mission-driven culture that values their people and recognizes their importance in the company’s success.
The company’s fast growth and success owes in large part to that. In only a short time, Qumu achieved recognition as a leading provider of best-in-class video engagement to worldwide enterprise clients.
But leaders have ensured that the core values remain top of mind over everything else.
Innovation, transparency, creativity, accountability, collaboration and mindfulness. Commitment to these values shapes the company’s identity.
“The culture we’re creating and our passion for what we do make us unique in that we want our people to be excited and motivated by their work,” CMO Jen Dimas said.
Qumu also encourages a sense of internal community by encouraging open communication and connection. One of the most active employee resource groups is Women@Qumu. Women in Revenue board member Deanna Ransom hosted a session on Value vs. Worth for the group in 2021, one of the many ways Qumu benefits from the partnership with our community.
Jen said, “We’re committed to our ‘work from wherever, whenever’ style and are leveraging video to help us be productive and connected.”
Diversity, equity and inclusion serve as another area of focus. Beyond the close partnership with Women in Revenue, Qumu looks to welcome people into the organization who offer diverse backgrounds and skill sets. A cross-functional committee leads the conversation around DE&I, providing regular feedback and suggestions.
And supporting each member of the team to set goals for their development is another pillar of the culture. Educational sessions and leadership development programs are only a few examples of this.
If you want to do exciting work in a supportive, flexible environment, learn more about opportunities at Qumu below.
No doubt you’ve heard that a shocking number of women left the workforce in the past year (2.4 million according to Women in Revenue’s 2021 Survey). How do we create work environments that bring some of those women back? Perhaps the best place to start is to tackle key issues that disproportionately affect women.
The pandemic has blurred the lines between work and life. Veteran sales leader and Demandbase Chief Revenue Officer Allison Metcalfe says understanding and making room for all of our priorities is critical. The leaders must lead so that their teams can follow.
“My calendar has always been public. I do not make my doctor appointments, kid priorities, or vacation time private. I want people to see me taking time off and having a life. I’ve used my out-of-office message to say, ‘I am on vacation. I am staying off email. And you should too!’”
Finding meaningful connections with colleagues are important too. Being a part of an organization whose charter is to “elevate and encourage future female leaders” — we’re looking at you Women in Revenue — gives like-minded women a space to bounce ideas off one another and to spur personal growth.
Metcalfe has watched WiR grow and flourish with involvement from a number of women she admires. She appreciates the way WiR takes action, instead of simply discussing a problem. And she’s enthusiastic about the impact Women in Revenue can have in advancing opportunities for women in sales and marketing.
Like Women in Revenue, the team at Demandbase encourages employees to grow, become thoughtful leaders, and make an impact. Chief People Officer, Landon Pearson, notes that the company fosters a culture of belonging. “We’re focused on creating an equitable environment where everyone can bring their authentic selves, contribute, and be valued.”
Employees want to grow too. Doing the same thing day in, day out, year after year leads to burnout and low engagement. Having highly energized and engaged employees who see the impact of their work is key to Demandbase’s culture. At Demandbase, leaders foster a company that invests in learning and development. In fact, development is such a critical component of company culture that quarterly development conversations are part of every employee’s journey. “If our people aren’t developing, if we’re not helping them reach their potential, we’re not doing a good job,” said Pearson.
Enabling people to map out their vertical growth is important, but so is giving them opportunities to stretch horizontally. That includes identifying their transferable skills that allow them to explore a breadth of career opportunities whether it’s in their discipline, or in a new field where they can be even more successful.
If you’re looking to join a rising star that’s defining the future of B2B go-to-market technology, please check out Demandbase. They’re growing quickly. There’s a place for you. Just click the link below!
Women in Revenue turns 3 years old! And guess what? We are just getting started.
It has been incredible for us to watch this amazing community grow so organically in such a short amount of time. Since the pandemic hit, we saw a big shift in our reach to all of you with more digital events and mentorship opportunities and we couldn’t even really have dreamed about the widespread impact we have made so far at the beginning.
As we enter this next year, we are so excited to keep pushing better programs, content, events, and education to help us achieve our goal of 100% equity.
If you love this community, join us and get into the celebratory spirit by watching and reading all of our birthday wishes on our board!
THE EPIC is a 6-day mountain bike race held in and around the backcountry surrounding Breckenridge, CO. Each stage begins and ends in town, allowing racers to stay in one place for the entire six day event. As a general rule of thumb you want to arrive a few days prior to the start of the race. Breckenridge is at an elevation of 10,000 feet, to say it takes your breath away is an understatement.
The race is 220-240 miles long and ‘features’ roughly 40,000 feet of vertical gain (and loss!). What goes up must come down. The course is tweaked from year to year as new trails are built, decommissioned or authorized/unauthorized.
The 2021 course can be found on FATMAP, Breck Epic’s Official Mapping Partner.
Arriving, acclimating, resting, and preparing the mind and body
We arrived in Breckenridge a week early and spent the week working, resting, and spinning the legs on short 1-1.5 hour rides, no more than 12 miles and 2,000 feet in elevation gain. These rides were taken at a snail’s pace, keeping our legs fresh and contemplating my downhill riding and uphill climbing, envisioning various scenarios in my mind.
Margaux and I had a strategy in place and we were determined to stick to it. We wanted to make sure we were each aligned, ready and energized. This ride wasn’t just about the beautiful views, it was about hard work, commitment, communication, relationship building, camaraderie, and quick problem solving. We tuned into reading each other’s emotional and physical state, asking the right questions at the right time, knowing when to stop and when to eat and hydrate. We stayed in the moment.
You could only plan as far as the next hour, what would the course bring us, were we climbing seven miles, at what pitch, when do we need to eat, and how do our legs feel? The cycle continued throughout the week. It was all about making it through the next hour. We had to be present. There was no thinking about when we get home, what we need to do, what’s for dinner, or even what tomorrow will bring… We stayed in the moment. We embraced it and took inthe views. We marveled at what our bodies and minds were accomplishing and enjoyed the shit out of those snickers.
Aug 15: Stage 1 – Pennsylvania Creek – 36 miles, 4900 ft in elevation gain, 5 hours riding time
My stomach is in knots. I did not sleep well. My heart rate is elevated. What the hell did I sign up for? Marty, Margaux and I arrive at the start and the energy is incredible. Looking around I think, who are these nutty people, why did they sign up for this race, literally why? I am one of these nutty people and I signed up for the race because it was the challenge of my life, plus I LOVE to ride my bike. The more I get to ride the happier I am. This was the race we’ve been talking about, training for and preparing for since early 2020. Spending the last year and half focusing all my workouts in preparation for the race. This was what was going to make me stronger and more confident, letting go of my inner chicken.
Day one, the starting line… 3, 2, 1, GO TIME!!!
This stage had three big climbs, all of which required you to dig deep, get in a grind and go, peddle, push, pull, push, pull. I have more energy thanI initially thought and am amazed by how my legs continue to peddle with little effort. As we closed in on the last six miles the clouds started to form and rain and bits of hail covered our jersey’s. I didn’t want to stop, we were so close to the finish. As the temps dropped we started our descent to the finish line. I had to slow down, the roots and rocks were slick and my hands were frozen, but within minutes we had crossed the finish line. Our partners and favorite furry friends greeted us. The day had ended but all I wanted to do was ride my bike.
Aug 16: Stage 2 – Colorado Trail– 42 miles, 5,489 ft in elevation gain, 6 hours and 10 minutes riding time
Day two, I am here, I am present, it is GO TIME!
This stage was all about the downhills. Every climb brought more incredible singletrack and the reward was so sweet. We experienced big banks, drops, and with no idea what was around the next turn. I was on Margaux’s tail, following her wheels and watching her body move as she chose the best line through roots, rocks and dirt. It was a total rush. Mountain biking is all about quick, subconscious decision-making. You go for it and trust your body will follow. Halfway through I realized I have twenty MORE MILES of riding. There is more and I couldn’t be happier. It was so buttery, so smooth, so hard and so incredible every spin of the way.
Aug 17: Stage 3 – Guyot – 39 miles, 5800 feet in elevation gain, 6 hours and 10 minutes riding time
Day three, we are chipping away and each day feels more and more like summer camp. We are back together with our best friends each morning, being active and spending time outside. Today was a killer, including five times hiking a bike, one lasting a good 45 minutes which took us to the top of French Pass and the reward of skittles. It is a win, right?
Taking a deep breath in….the views are amazing! Then the descent went on for miles. It was filled with rock gardens, roots, drops, smooth turns, and views on views on views. This day was filled with some of the longest and hardest descents I have ever experienced. I tested my limits, quick reactions and overall biking ability. So much thinking goes into each turn. Seeking the best line, checking my body positioning, readjusting, remembering to breathe, watching the biker in front of me! ,Whoa a tree branch, eeekkk my leg is bleeding, those bushes came out of nowhere… enjoy the ride we have three more days.
Aug 18: Stage 4 – Aqueduct – 41 miles, 5700 feet in elevation gain, 5 hours and 58 minutes of riding time
Day four, today was hard, really, really hard. I had many moments, minutes, hours during the day where I experienced an out-of-body feeling and at times surfed the downhills. I continue to appreciate the importance of power – emotionally and physically. Coming together with four-hundred of your, soon to be closest friends is an experience like no other. It is what communities are made of. The fourth stage marked the day Margaux and I took first place for the duo womens team. It was a tough competition and we showed up day after day. It’s a routine, you get in a groove and you are present, moment by moment you take the lead.
Aug 19: Stage 5 – Wheeler –12.64 miles, 2,762 feet in elevation gain, 2 hours and 23 mins moving time, shortened by the storm that took the day
A cold front hit Colorado last night and made for an eventful, chilly day. As the day began we felt the wind pick up. Half a mile into the start of the ride it started drizzling and continued for the next thirty minutes. Arriving at aid station one, four miles in, it started to clear. The mountain tops rose showing us the spectacular views. This was the start of a long climb, lasting over an hour and included a strenuous hike a bike. As we arrived towards the top of Wheeler Pass the wind picked up again, the clouds rolled in and the temperatures dropped. It rained and hailed. It was uncomfortable and dangerously cold. We were on top of Wheeler Pass, totally exposed, above the timber line approaching the bacon stand, a reward for climbing Wheeler. This was our turning point, where we jointly had to agree that the situation was worsening, it was cold, we had ten more miles of exposed riding on the mountain top, we were soaking wet, we couldn’t feel our hands and we had to turn back and head down the mountain to find shelter and a hot shower. I was bummed, Margaux was bummed… but we had to give up. It was the right decision. We would have been the emergency rescue case on the mountain that day. Hard decisions have to be made and be made in an instant. You decide jointly how to proceed and don’t look back. Wheeler will always be there to capture one day. We will be back!
Aug 20: Stage 6 – Gold Dust – 30 miles, 3,500 feet in elevation gain, and 3 hours and 42 minutes of riding time.
Day six, WTF we are here!!!
WE MADE IT!! WE MADE IT!! WE MADE IT!!
It was another tough day, cold temperatures but sunny with some headwind on the last seven mile climb. We got to experience more incredible singletrack, dirt road climbs, a crash, and a pinched sidewall. Margaux took a fall after aid station one on a single track downhill, where it was slick with many exposed tree roots. She was okay but immediately after I got a pinch flat so we had to stop for a bit, allowing her to recover from the fall and for me to figure out how to fix my tire.
The world works in funny ways and Jim, one of our good riding friends who we met three days earlier appeared on the trail a few minutes later and helped us out. Once we are all set and ready to ride again the three of us stuck it out until the finish line!
What an experience. It was so hard. and so fun. It was like nothing I have ever experienced. It was amazing to see what we accomplished. We were in the moment, one hour at a time.
Total days: 6
Total distance: ~ 200 miles
Total elevation gain: ~ 30,000 feet
Total riding time: ~ 30 hours
And a BIG first place medal as a women’s duo team!!!
Thank you Breck Epic for a week of hell on wheels with four-hundred other crazy, cool and unique people.
Author:
Danielle Wegenstein
Danielle has been working in high-tech for over 15 years and is an accomplished innovator and leader with an established track record in customer success, partner marketing and strategy, and go to market operations. She is currently the Senior Director of Marketing at Vineti, the essential enterprise software driving and scaling global personalized therapies, such as cell therapies, gene therapies, and cancer vaccines. PTM® connects the right patient to the right product, on time and on track. Additionally, she has been a dedicated volunteer for Women in Revenue as their Revenue Allies Program Lead, focusing on empowering women in B2B sales and marketing through education and action. Danielle holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies and a minor in Geography, and an MBA from Hult International Business School.
After nearly 3 years, We’ve officially welcomed over 5,000 members into the Women in Revenue community!
We’re thrilled to have such amazing women and allies as a part of our community to help foster our mission to provide opportunities to support future leaders in technology sales and marketing roles with education, support, and networking.
Our community was founded on the ideals of creating an equitable workplace for all women and we are so proud to have grown to support so many people. This milestone shows we are making progress and opens up opportunities for new conversations.
There are a myriad of ways to define and achieve success. Though its definition may vary between people, more often than not, success entails fulfilling personal goals, living a comfortable life, and enjoying professional triumphs. The path to success isn’t always paved with gold, and it’s on each person to do what we can to overcome the hurdles we might encounter.
In this post, we’ll discuss four possible things that might be preventing you from achieving success and what you can do to prevail over them.
Failing to Prioritize Yourself
Before anything else, your well-being should always come first. Colleen Manning, VP of Sales for life science startup Clora, notes that neglecting to prioritize your overall well-being can affect your personal and professional relationships. After all, it’s impossible to pour from an empty cup — and not taking care of yourself is a quick way to deplete your energy for career and personal developments. It’s best that you make it a point to always prioritize yourself — no matter how busy you are. Eating healthy, taking breaks, and exercising regularly are just some simple steps that go a long way in maintaining your physical and mental health.
Weak Willpower
Another reason why it might be taking you some time to reach your goals is that you might have weak willpower and often succumb to temptation. Indeed, evidence shows that in order to find success in life, you need to have strong willpower. A 2011 study by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that those who exhibited self-control during childhood tend to have higher chances of achieving superb physical health and financial stability later in life.
If you feel like you have weak willpower, you can use two strategies to build it. First, try to distract yourself whenever you get the urge to do something that compromises your progress — whether you’re on a diet or trying to maintain a workout streak. Second, try to set and conquer tiny goals that require willpower to achieve. As you train yourself with these strategies, you’ll soon find that you can exercise a great amount of self-control for larger and more significant goals.
Not Addressing Your Stress Properly
It’s normal to encounter stressful situations on the path to success. Suzanne Rohan Jones, an online instructor at Maryville University’s psychology programs, points out that failing to balance your work and life is the primary reason why people feel stress and burnout. If you cope in unhealthy ways, such as incessant self-criticism or eating your stress away, this can affect your mental and physical disposition. Consequently, it could possibly impede your professional success. Often times, the best way to avoid this is by managing your time well and accepting that you shouldn’t always bite off more than you can chew. “Setting realistic expectations for the amount of time needed to successfully accomplish work activities when also juggling personal commitments will set the stage for more acceptance and less anxiety,” Jones advises in an article on Thrive Global.
Being Motivated by Extrinsic Rewards
In order to cultivate contentment in your life, you have to take stock of what motivates you the most. While extrinsic rewards such as praise, awards, and money can push you to strive to be a better person, employee, or boss, nothing beats being motivated by finding meaning in what you do. In a nutshell, intrinsic motivation is doing activities that can advance your career and personal growth without any obvious external and physical rewards. In order to cultivate intrinsic motivation in yourself, you can challenge yourself by trying your hand at more difficult tasks that excite you and keep you engaged. Additionally, taking a more active role in your community and workplace can reward you with a great learning experience to help you overcome hurdles and achieve success.
It was two years ago that I reached out to 10 amazing women sales and marketing leaders in my network and shared my crazy idea of launching a non-profit that supported like-minded women with networking, education and resources. It was with their abundance of support and shared passion, that WomeninRevenu.org was born! I often get asked what inspired you to start this organization? I can think back to three critical stories that stand out for me and built the desire to take the plunge:
All White Male Exec Team Pages: I was mentoring a previous employee of mine on finding a new role and she asked me for advice on a few companies, but with concern scrolled through several that she ruled out because they had no women on their exec team. Countless pages of all white male executives and boards. What this says to candidates is “I don’t feel like I would feel welcome” “I don’t think this is for me”. Things had to change.
Mansplaining: It was a meeting that sticks out to this day, I was about to leave work to go Christmas shopping on December 22nd and my all-male exec team asked me to meet about the design team and their org structure. I was the head of marketing and they wanted to have the marketing design team to move into the product. After calmly stating the obvious factors that the team contributed 90% of their work to my team, I was mansplained how this did not work and basically that my feedback was not welcome by the head of product. The exchange was rude and condescending. No one even flinched that it was out of line. This is so common for women that this is how women are treated at the executive level as if their strategic input is not welcome. Not ok.
All Male Speakers: I was attending a sales conference which had an embarrassingly male-centric line up to the point that the organizer started to notice how obvious it was but admitted “He didn’t know how to find women sales talent”. I took his feedback to be genuine but also really questioned this reality. We need ladies on the stage too…and there are plenty of amazing options.
Through these moments of inspiration to drive change, Women in Revenue emerged to help drive change, education and support for women in GTM roles. I am proud of the organization we have built together as a community of 4,000 strong.
Please join me in celebrating these milestones and thanking our sponsors who have helped make this happen. If you want to join this community as a member please join us free of charge at womeninrevenue.org/join or as a sponsor at team@womeninrevenue.org.
THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTING SPONSORS FOR YOUR DEDICATION TO EMPOWERING WOMEN LEADERS!
It’s a crazy time of year. The holidays are right around the corner, we’re gearing up for that end-of-year push, and ramping up momentum as we head into 2021.
At this point, we’ve adjusted to working remotely for the most part. But, what about those who have had doors open and joined new companies during this time?
Sure, the whole working from home situation doesn’t change, but everything else with regards to onboarding and getting acclimated to your new company does. From your day-to-day workflows, to who you interact with on a daily basis, onboarding can be a bit overwhelming, especially in this new normal of remote work.
That’s why we – Laura & Libby, committee members here at Women in Revenue – wanted to share what we learned from our remote onboarding experiences. We’re hopeful sharing these best practices and recommendations can help you gain confidence to hit the ground running in your new role.
GET READY FOR DAY 1
Set your alarm 30 minutes earlier than you normally would. Get out of bed and actually get dressed! I know firsthand that being comfortable with coworkers during remote work can lead to wearing sweatpants until 3pm (or maybe even all day), but when it comes to a new job, make the switch to get ready for the day. You’ll feel energized and ready to make a great first impression.
Hopefully you’ve received your laptop or other equipment with ample time to get it set up. Having trouble? A good plan of action is to ask a couple days before for a contact number for IT or HR to call in case you experience some troubleshooting issues. At the very least, make sure your computer is charged and you’re ready to dial into that first onboarding meeting.
Manager Pro Tips →
Ask your new hire beforehand if there’s anything they need to make their WFH set-up successful. Be sure if they request items that shipping is scheduled to arrive before their start date.
*a little goes a long way… a handwritten welcome note, or swag box, or anything sent during their first week can really make a new hire feel welcome. Sugarwish has a fun gift that you can send to your new hire and they can choose what goodies they want!
HOW TO REPLACE THE “WATER COOLER” CHATS
One of the biggest pitfalls of remote work is the lack of ‘I’ll just pop by your desk’ moments. Instead, actually schedule coffee dates with your new colleagues. Get a list of key people you should get to know from your manager or executive and start throwing time on calendars. Don’t be shy!
Introduce yourself over Slack (or whatever company communication platform you’re using). Let people know you’re there and ready to jump in and get started. Everyone loves an energetic team player, so show off your personality by responding to company threads and emails. It’s a great way to send a virtual high-five, and make yourself present in the virtual world.
We all know ice-breakers are going to happen. Whether it’s a team meeting, or company all-hands, it’s always good to have a couple in your back pocket. Here are some classics: what’s your favorite food or vacation spot, what’s a fun fact, two truths & a lie…etc?
Manager Pro Tips →
Coordinate a team lunch with a $25 gift card for folks to order in and eat together.
Designate 10 minutes during team meetings and 1:1s for small talk for your team to chat about things outside of work to get to know each other better. Or schedule specific time for non-work related conversations. It might feel odd, but 30 minutes of team chit chat goes a long way to build camaraderie. Kick things off with some fun questions like:
What is your favorite ice cream?
What was your dream job as a child?
Where is the most beautiful place you’ve traveled to?
COMMUNICATION BEST PRACTICES
Getting used to new communication platforms and company norms can be a bit uncomfortable for the first couple days. It’s helpful to ask up front what are some key Slack channels (or other resources) to join to stay connected.
Also, have an open conversation with your manager around how you typically communicate and what should be expected since you’re not face-to-face in an office for impromptu syncs.
Manager Pro Tips →
It’s important to consider the communication style of each of your direct reports as well as how you want to communicate as a team in the virtual office. Be sure to be explicit and ask your team members how they prefer to communicate and how they best work instead of assuming or making the decision for them.
If your organization is open to it, having team members put together a ‘user manual’ could be a really great way to open up that conversation about working styles. Here are a few resources to help you get started:
Do NOT multitask while spending virtual time with your new hire. It’s so easy to see a Slack notification and quickly check it while you’re in the middle of a conversation, but the truth is that the person on the other end can definitely tell. Give them your undivided attention – it’ll pay off in the long run.
GETTING UP TO SPEED WITH PRODUCT AND MARKET INSIGHTS
When you join a new company it’s important in the early days to dedicate time to learn your product differentiators & market insights. Most of these resources will be found internally via Google Drive, SharePoint, Guru or other LMS solutions (ask your manager where to look). A great tip is to schedule time with the ‘internal experts’ to have them share their expertise. If you have conversation intelligence implemented in your organization, like Chorus.ai, you can listen to recorded calls that will help you get up to speed quickly with the market, competitive intel, and product deep-dives. For market intelligence in the tech landscape, websites like G2 have great reports to help you gain a better understanding of your market.
Manager Pro Tips →
Depending on the size of your team and organization, you may or may not have a formal onboarding training that takes new hires through things like the product roadmap, key messaging docs, competitive analysis, and things of that nature. In either case, as the manager you are responsible to make sure your new employee has access to the resources needed. Be sure they know:
Who to go to for which types of questions
Maybe even pre-schedule 1:1 meetings with these folks for the first couple weeks
Where key documentation is located, and what is current vs old (we know, things become “out of date” quickly in growing organizations
But, remember that not everyone wants to just read documents to get up to speed – we all learn and absorb information in different ways. Be sure to carve out your own time to offer live sessions (or pre-record some using Loom!) as another way for your new employee to absorb the information.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Be yourself. Put yourself out there. Don’t be shy to call, email, ping your new colleagues and ask questions. We’re all living in this new normal, so until everyone is back in the office, take these tips in stride and you’ll be making a huge impact right out of the gates! Have more tips or questions? Join our amazing network of revenue-driven women and allies. Sign up here, and join our Slack channel.
![[Guest Blog Post] Four Things Keeping You from Finding Success](https://womeninrevenue.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/BLOGPOST.png)
