Taskrabbit Inclusion & Diversity

Describe your experience as a woman in tech. What are some of the challenges you’ve faced, and how have you overcome them?

At Taskrabbit, I’ve grown from engineering manager to engineering director. I love the complexity of people and process challenges, and I feel privileged to have had opportunities to grow. While many people I’ve worked with — particularly here at Taskrabbit — have been wonderful human beings who ensure a compassionate, inclusive and safe work environment, being a woman in tech has had its challenges. 

I have often been one of the only women, if not the only woman in engineering. I’m lucky to now be surrounded by fantastic female engineers and engineering leaders at Taskrabbit. In my experience, it can be challenging to change the narrative of those who see me as a novel addition to the team meant to check the box of diversity. My main job is leading engineering teams, and I’m also happy to advocate for all things diversity and inclusion. Balancing representation and fulfilling my engineering leadership duties is tricky. I do my best by setting regular goals and capturing what matters for me, my team and my company. I also try not to turn down opportunities (like this one!), even when they might be out of my comfort zone.

What are your professional goals, and how has Taskrabbit enabled you to pursue them? 

I thrive in an environment where I continue to learn and grow. My recent professional goals have focused on enabling my team to succeed. When my team is happy and able to define and achieve their goals, I’m happy. I am passionate about optimizing team performance by reducing blockers, refining processes to best suit their needs and providing coaching. I love seeing my team cultivate an empowered, collaborative and transparent culture.

I attribute much of my career growth at Taskrabbit to the opportunities available. Taskrabbit encourages us to take ownership; if you see value in working on something, you can! We have a number of resources to support career growth. We have individual learning stipends that can be spent on things like coding courses or manager development books, and a department-level learning and development budget for larger workshops, such as training engineering managers on engineering metrics. Every year, Taskrabbit creates space for career conversations between individuals and their managers. These discussions often continue in regular one-on-ones, providing ongoing support and guidance.

How does Taskrabbit celebrate and empower women?

We have an affinity group for women at Taskrabbit, which, alongside our other affinity groups, fosters a diverse and inclusive workspace. There are also other benefits for women, such as a reproductive health stipend and parental leave. Taskrabbit truly cares about diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging at all levels and has a task force focused on creating a sense of belonging and inclusion within our internal and external communities.

With flexible PTO and remote-first policies, Taskrabbit cares about ensuring a positive work-life balance. I’ve had two children during my time with Taskrabbit, and navigating being a new parent during the throes of a pandemic was made so much easier with the support of my team. I am grateful for how easy it is to put my family first when I need to. On the rare occasion when my toddler is home with a cold and crawls onto my lap during a meeting, she is always greeted with smiles.