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Image Credit: OkCupid
OkCupid

Meet The Queer Product Designer Behind OkCupid’s Inclusive Pronouns Feature

Below is an article about PowerToFly Partner OkCupid, originally written by Clare Kenny, the Director of Youth Engagement at GLAAD, and published on October 1, 2018. Go to OkCupid's page on PowerToFly to see their open positions and learn more.

Once a fringe phenomenon, dating apps have become a mainstream way for people of all backgrounds, locations, and interests to date, make friends, hook up, and—sometimes—find love. While some online users enjoy the newfound normalcy of dating apps without harassment, the same cannot be said for all users.

LGBTQ people—especially those who live outside of traditional expectations of gender identity and expression—are often subjected to high rates of ridicule and hateful language online. Dating apps are no exception.

Apps like OkCupid, though, are working to change this climate by allowing daters to express themselves more accurately on the app. OkCupid looks to make a positive impact in the lives of all LGBTQ people by focusing on representation on the app and behind the scenes. That's why when it came time to update, OkCupid enlisted their Product Designer, Rowan Rosenthal, who identifies as Agender and uses they/them/theirs pronouns, to take the lead in adding a pronouns feature to the app.

Like many of us in the LGBTQ community, Rowan is no stranger to the ways and woes of digital romance. In order to learn more about the positive impact updates like these can have on users, community members, and companies alike, we asked them to walk us through their journey being a part of revolutionizing LGBTQ inclusivity at OkCupid.

Tell us about the OkCupid platform update: What changed, what was added?

Daters are now able to enter their pronouns in the details section of their profile. We've included the most common options "she/her", "he/him", and "they/them," as well as an option to write-in your own. (The write-in section can also accommodate sets of pronouns, i.e. "she/her and they/them.") This information is displayed publicly anytime someone views your profile.

What was your role in the OkCupid update to include pronouns on the app?

I identified the need for this feature via 1:1 interviews with queer folks who use OkCupid. To further validate this need I looked at the data surrounding existing pronoun usage—tens of thousands of members had already mentioned their pronouns in their profile, despite having no dedicated space for it. I designed pronouns to live alongside other prominent details on member profiles, as it's a critical and basic point of information about you.

Why is it important for dating apps to include features like a pronouns section?

It's essential for dating apps, or any app really, to create space for the fullest expression of identity possible. This is critical for dating apps specifically, though. As a member of a dating app, you're trying to convey your true self—putting it all out there in hopes that someone else on the app is interested in who you are. Including a dedicated space for identity & pronouns allows the person seeing you to get a fuller and more accurate sense of that. It also helps those who use pronouns that society typically doesn't use/recognize feel like this space is for them. Making sure to including pronouns, more gender identities, and more orientations goes a long way towards creating that sense of inclusivity.

Image credit: OkCupid, 2018.

What advice do you have for LGBTQ people, especially trans and non-binary people, who have been skeptical of using dating apps?

Dating apps are an amazing place to meet like-minded queer folks that you wouldn't be able to get to know otherwise, especially when your daily life might involves mostly interactions with mostly straight & cis folks. We understand that there can be other challenges when you're non-binary or trans—I know this firsthand. However, the biggest benefit to using a dating app, whether you're LGBTQ or not is that you can signal what you're looking for and what you're about. That's why at OkCupid we ask you 15 questions about yourself and you can filter based on what matters to you—meaning you have a better chance of meeting someone who cares about the same things you do. I've always used OkCupid, even before working here, just because I felt more comfortable with the variety of ways I was able to express myself, my identity, and my beliefs on the platform. So, that's (obviously) my recommendation here.

What do you hope non-LGBTQ users of OkCupid learn from this update?

While this update mostly pertains to LGBTQ users, we do hope this change will help to normalize the use of singular they/them, as well as other pronouns, within the dating space.

What is your advice for other companies, in and out of tech, that want to connect and support the LGBTQ community?

Listen. Talk to your LGBTQ users/customers and really listen to what they have to say. You can't assume what they might want, or how your product might be improved for them—you just have to find out, and go from there. Solicit feedback, do your research, and don't be afraid of criticism. That's the best way to build trust and inclusivity.

Clare Kenny is the Director of Youth Engagement at GLAAD. She leads GLAAD's Campus Ambassador Program, Rising Stars Grants Program, and amp series. Clare is a graduate of Skidmore College.

company values company culture inclusion inclusion at okcupid okcupid inclusivity
Paylocity

Paylocity Honored as One of the Best Places to Work in 2019, A Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Award

Below is an article originally written by PowerToFly Partner Paylocity, and published on December 11, 2018. Go to Paylocity's page on PowerToFly to see their open positions and learn more.

Paylocity (NASDAQ: PCTY), a cloud-based provider of payroll and human capital management solutions, has been recognized as a 2019 Best Place to Work by Glassdoor. Ranking #20, Paylocity is up nine spots from last year, and this is the third consecutive year the company has made the list. This prestigious Glassdoor list is based solely on the input of employees who elect to provide feedback on their jobs, work environments and companies on Glassdoor, one of the world's largest job and recruiting sites.

"Paylocity's success is driven by the highly collaborative and creative culture of our workplace, and this recognition illustrates how these values make working at Paylocity a special and rewarding experience," said Steve Beauchamp, Chief Executive Officer at Paylocity. "Engaging with our own product truly helps us build a world-class culture, and I'm honored to work with a group of professionals who strive every day to innovate and grow with our organization."

At Paylocity, employees are encouraged to voice their opinions, take initiative, and feel empowered and enabled to do their best work. A large percentage of team members take advantage of remote working opportunities and enjoy flexible schedules. Additional perks include excellent medical and retirement benefits; paid parental leave; generous vacation time; volunteer opportunities; gym membership incentives; social events; and more.

When sharing a company review on Glassdoor, employees are asked to rate their satisfaction with the company overall, and key workplace factors like career opportunities, compensation and benefits, culture and values, senior management and work/life balance. In addition, employees are asked to describe the best reasons to work at their companies as well as any downsides.

Glassdoor's Best Places to Work were determined using company reviews shared by U.S.-based employees between October 23, 2017 and October 21, 2018. To be considered for the large category, companies, including Paylocity, must have had at least 1,000 or more employees and have received at least 75 ratings across each of the eight workplace attributes from U.S.-based employees during the period of eligibility. The final list is compiled using Glassdoor's proprietary algorithm, led by its Economic Research Team, and takes into account quantity, quality and consistency of reviews.

Learn more about Paylocity career opportunities by visiting our PowerToFly page.

company award company culture work culture culture culture at glassdoor life at glassdoor working at glassdoor glassdoor culture paylocity glassdoor award
Shield AI

The Role Of Trust At Shield AI

A conversation with Ryan Tseng, Co-Founder and CEO

Below is an article originally written by PowerToFly Partner Shield AI, and published on November 27, 2018. Go to Shield AI's page on PowerToFly to see their open positions and learn more.

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE FORMATION OF SHIELD AI & THE MISSION. HOW DID TRUST FACTOR INTO THE UNDERLYING IDEA OF CREATING THE COMPANY?

Trust was a huge component of what inspired Brandon to want to start Shield AI. His experiences in the military and his experiences deploying and seeing people in harm's way. For me, as an entrepreneur, trust was important in the context of being able to trust your teammates. When we started, on the first day, we talked for eight hours about the mission of the company and the values we wanted to set.

The mission and values were centrally important, and among that list of values, the first one was trust. I don't think there is anything more important to the functioning of a company than trust. If trust is absent, you will never achieve your mission.

Honesty and integrity are table stakes. At Shield AI, we ask that teammates be willing to put the people around them first. As an organization, trust is about being a company that puts customers and stakeholders first, asking what we can do better to meet their needs more effectively and focusing on how we can make them proud. So, at the beginning, we thought that if we could build an organization where honesty and integrity were central and infused into every decision we made, where there was a culture of putting your teammates first, and where there was a culture of focusing on how to make customers proud, then we could have a solid foundation of trust.

DID YOU THINK IT WOULD BE HARD TO DO?

I didn't know if we would be able to do it, but I knew through my prior experiences that it was something I cared a lot about. I had witnessed environments where there was not a lot of trust and I saw how detrimental it was. I knew it would be challenging because I believe so many teams and companies have trust-related challenges.

HOW DOES SHIELD AI WORK TO CREATE A CULTURE OF TRUST?

There's a process for it and it starts with just having clarity about what our values are. Because trust sits at the top of our values, it has a large impact. It permeates all of our processes. We consider trust in the way that we hire, in the way that we conduct our performance reviews, in the way that we interact with investors, and in the way that we serve our customers.

In additional to building the values into our processes, I would say that a lot of people on the team are very deliberate in talking about trust and values frequently. For instance, our current priorities are product, execution, and teammates. That's not an accident -- the idea of putting teammates first is a pillar of trust and it is something that I and others on the team prioritize all the time.

HOW HAVE YOUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES IN LOWER-TRUST TEAMS INFORMED HOW YOU THINK ABOUT CREATING TRUST AT SHIELD AI?

It is common for organizations to include concepts of trust, honesty and integrity in their values, but have cultures that fall short in the embrace of those values. The biggest gap are the leaders -- leaders who do not make it a priority to build a culture of trust. Leaders who watch things happen and do not say anything when they should. Among the most important aspects of building a culture of trust is getting the leaders invested in the importance of continuously emphasizing and embodying trust and talking about why it matters.

HOW DO YOU SEE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF CREATING TRUST IN A PRODUCT SUCH AS NOVA IN THE CONTEXT OF PROTECTING LIVES?

I think it's the most important aspect of the product. Whether or not somebody chooses to use it is based entirely on whether or not they trust it. Without the foundation of trust, Nova would not be something that our customers would choose to use when people's lives are on the line. Just as trust is fundamentally essential for a high-functioning team or fundamentally essential for an organization's success, trust is fundamentally essential for a product to be useful to people.

IF CUSTOMERS WERE TALKING ABOUT SHIELD AI AND TRUST, WHAT WOULD YOU WANT THEM TO SAY? HOW WOULD YOU WANT THEM TO THINK OF THE ORGANIZATION?

I would want them to know that we genuinely care about our mission and making them proud. If every conversation at Shield AI were recorded, no matter who was at the table, and played back for our customers, it is my hope that our customers would conclude, "I'm proud to work with these people, they stand up for my interest."

company values company culture work culture culture at shield ai shield ai culture life at shield ai trust at shield ai shield ai values
Optoro

Giving 1%: Optoro Employees Donate Time To Local Community Garden

Below is an article originally written by Sarah Foulke at PowerToFly Partner Optoro, and published on June 14, 2018. Go to Optoro's page on PowerToFly to see their open positions and learn more.

Not only do Optoro employees receive generous PTO, but we're also encouraged to take VTO (Volunteer Time Off)! We recognize that volunteer opportunities enrich and inspire the lives of our employees and as a company, we're tracking towards a goal of giving 1% of our time. This equates to 20 hours a year per employee.

We support many local and international organizations, including City Blossoms, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering healthy communities by developing creative, kid-driven green spaces. City Blossoms focuses on implementing urban gardens in low-income communities where children may not otherwise have access to green space. The organization works to teach healthy living habits, community development, environmental education, and artistic expression.

This week the Sales and Marketing teams traveled to Seaton Elementary School in Northwest DC to help City Blossoms clear out an overgrown garden.

We trimmed overgrown weeds and plants, cleared out trash, and helped build a garden. It was a great way to give back to our local community as well as bond as a team!

Want to join us? Check out our open positions!

company culture company values life at optoro giving back company giving back working at optoro optoro culture optoro values optoro team team at optoro optoro gives back
SendGrid

Giving Back At SendGrid: What We’ve Done And Where We’re Going

Below is an article originally written by Christina Frantz, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at PowerToFly Partner SendGrid, and published on November 27, 2018. Go to SendGrid's page on PowerToFly to see their open positions and learn more.

Happy #GivingTuesday!

Giving Tuesday is celebrated every year on the first Tuesday following Thanksgiving, and encourages people and organizations to give back to the community.

The day also marks the 4th anniversary of Pledge 1%–a movement SendGrid joined just prior to our IPO in November 2017. This movement was created with the idea that all companies, no matter their size or stage, can make a social impact by donating 1% of their assets including equity, profit, people's time and/or product. SendGrid has committed 1% of our equity over the next ten years to help our communities thrive.

Corporate responsibility at SendGrid

I was lucky enough to join SendGrid to create and shape our community investment strategy. Over the past several weeks, I've met with Gridders to better understand what we do and what we're passionate about in an effort to identify what we are uniquely positioned to do to drive positive change in our communities.

What I've found through these conversations is that giving back is already part of SendGrid's DNA. I've learned about amazing things my team members are already doing to support our community that has laid the groundwork for our corporate social responsibility initiative.

Stem volunteering club

For example, Gridders Jessy Sweet and Hannah Apuan started a STEM Volunteer Club to improve STEM initiatives around Denver. The club connects Gridders to volunteer opportunities such as:

  • Teaching coding to Boys and Girls Club youth
  • Mentoring at hackathons that serve underrepresented community members
  • Tutoring elementary students in math

"The idea of our club was inspired by discussions from one of the Diversity and Inclusion weeks at SendGrid," says Hannah. "Gridders were asking: how do we improve diversity in tech? We decided one of the ways to bring new perspectives into the technology industry would be to start from the beginning and emphasize STEM education for students from all backgrounds."

SendGood with SendGrid

SendGood is a program created in 2018 by Gridders Austin Whiting, Carly Brantz, Mike Pace, Corinne Nagel, and Veronica Hudson. The team focused their efforts on how to leverage our product to support nonprofits.

SendGood is a program that allows marketers to sign up for our Marketing Campaigns tool and once they send 5,000 emails, a $50 donation is made on their behalf to charity.

"SendGood makes a difference by helping drive our new product Marketing Campaigns, but we're equally excited that it supports organizations whose values align with SendGrid's 4H values: hungry, happy, humble and honest," says Austin.

Learn more about the program and beneficiary nonprofits.

Community week

We just wrapped up our annual Community Week, which is an opportunity for Gridders to volunteer, arm in arm, in support of our communities. Over the course of a week, more than 150 Gridders volunteered in eight unique cities with 19 nonprofits for a donation of over 1,000 service hours!

Events like these are valuable because they help people develop new skills, foster connectivity between colleagues, and also make a huge difference for nonprofits who rely on volunteers to accomplish their goals.

Through the team's efforts, we were able to feed hungry neighbors, encourage self-sufficiency, educate low-income children, build homes for families, care for abused and neglected animals and provide support to families with critically ill children.

Pledge 1%

And now today, I have the honor of representing SendGrid at Nasdaq to ring the opening bell alongside the Pledge 1% organization and other companies who have taken the pledge. We're here to celebrate the power companies have to be a force for good and are hopeful that we can encourage other companies to join us.

No matter the size or stage of your company, every organization has the capacity to help their communities.

Making a profit and making a difference does not have to be mutually exclusive–in fact, together they are a profitable business strategy.

As I collaborate with Gridders to identify our social impact strategy, I'm grateful we already have the ingredients I believe are essential to a successful strategy: a passion for giving back, a commitment to utilizing our unique skills and products to improve the lives of others, and a long-term dedication to investing in our communities. We'll be back soon to share our social impact mission and strategy!

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