Here are three trends I’m watching with an eagle-eye as we had into 2018.

#1:   HUMAN-MACHINE PARTNERSHIPS

Humans have worked with machines for centuries, but we’re about to enter an entirely new phase according to a new study from Dell.

Here are 2 examples:

• Chitale Dairy in India is working with small dairy farms that have microchipped their cows. Chitale collects data about things like whether the cows are eating enough or need to be inoculated, and uses that information to help those farmers improve their cows’ well-being.
• NYC Department of Social Services is working with Dell to build apps the homeless can use to secure beds in shelters (most homeless people have smartphones I learned).

If this topic is of interest, here’s the entire report from Dell outlining the impact on society by 2030 of robotics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, virtual reality, augmented reality and cloud computing.

Read on below for more on an old gig made new through an app and some of the ways the #MeToo movement is playing out in the workplace.

 

#2:   NEW GIG – DOG-WALKING VIA AN APP

 

 

WAG, a fairly new startup – with an unfortunate online reputation for losing dogs! – just got a new CEO (Hilary Schneider) and new funding from Masayoshi Son’s SoftBank and its mammoth Vision Fund that includes Uber, WeWork, and Slack. The investment will give SoftBank a 45% stake in Wag, according to Recode.

A few interesting stats on dog-walking:

• In the 100 US cities where Wag is available, its customers use it more frequently than Uber’s riders use its services. Wag is betting that kind of customer loyalty and love will translate in other countries as well.
• In the US, the pet services marketplace is about $70 billion.
• The US represents less than 40% of the global marketplace.
• Global expansion is priority #1 for the new CEO

 

#3:   “MeToo” IMPACTS THE WORKPLACE

 

Female Only Workspaces

 

 

The Brooklyn location of the Wing just opened in Dumbo. This “female only” co-working space is all-pink, offers showers and makeup rooms. It is all-female, all the time in every possible way e.g.

• Snack foods and other amenities are from women-founded companies
• The library is stocked with books by female authors
• All the artwork is by women.

And no guys allowed so if you have male clients, you’re out of luck. But, perhaps if you are a Wing devotee, you’d only want to work with female clients?

I doubt the embrace and reviews would be so glowing if this were a men-only co-working space.

Quite frankly, it gives me the heebie-jeebies but 13,000 women have applied for the 3000 membership slots available, so I’m clearly not in the majority.

 

Tech firms and Recruiters duke it out in the struggle to hire more female engineers

 

 

The newest lawsuit filed by a former technical recruiter in Google’s YouTube unit, alleges YouTube illegally used quotas to hire more black, Latina and female engineers. Exhibits include a screenshot of an internal document where a hiring manager instructed the recruiting team to “only consider” candidates from “historically underrepresented groups.” Every time this recruiter brought in a qualified white or Asian male he was reprimanded.

Since only 20% of engineering graduates are women -and 40% of them quit engineering by the time they turn 30 (vs. 10% of men who quit by that age), this is going to remain a huge challenge. Instead of blaming companies for not hiring non-existent candidates, why not focus on getting parents, high schools and girls themselves to recognize how vital (and lucrative) a career in engineering will be.

 

Booth Babes No More

 

 

Women who have made their living as “models” at trade shows – especially car shows and tech shows – are out of luck, banished in an age of #MeToo

This is actually not new news. A quick search, found articles on the subject from 2012 and I never believed anybody (male or female) would buy a car because a scantily clad model was working the booth. However, I did see grown men get positively giddy at the opportunity to take a selfie with a booth babe (pathetic!).

But there you have it. A job where women actually make more money than guys in similar roles, hits the dust.

 

Bottom Line: I have my doubts as to whether the #MeToo movement will ultimately advance women in the workplace.

Based on what I am hearing, things aren’t looking good e.g. according to the Center for Talent Innovation, two-thirds of men and women now agree that people should be extra cautious around the opposite sex in the workplace.

Even more importantly, the majority of senior men are now avoiding solo interactions with women (Mike Pence was a trendsetter apparently!).

From what I’ve personally heard, wives are STRONGLY advising their husbands to be especially vigilant around women in the workplace. Some have mentioned how even one accusation or rumor can jeopardize their family’s security.

We will have to wait and see if this “avoidance” and “walking on eggshells” around women ultimately helps or hinders women in the workplace. The jury is out.