How Indeed VP LaFawn Davis tackles the extreme work life balance of being a woman in STEM during COVID-19
An Interview With Penny Bauder
My fiancé and I have an imaginary co-worker that we blame things on. They always leave coffee cups around the house. Someone really needs to give them some feedback. We take long walks together to connect, workout, send care packages to others, take space from each other when need be, talk about tensions in the house head-on to alleviate them (but likely it’s the co-workers fault), stay as positive as possible and hold space for each other when that’s not possible.
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of our lives today. Many of us now have new challenges that come with working from home, homeschooling, and sheltering in place. As a part of my series about how women leaders in tech and STEM are addressing these new needs, I had the pleasure of interviewing LaFawn Davis.
LaFawn Davis is Vice President of Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging at Indeed. She leads Indeed’s strategic efforts to remove bias and eliminate barriers to entry by focusing on inclusive features and accessibility in products to help all people get jobs — and create a diverse and inclusive work environment for Indeed’s employees. Having spent more than 15 years serving in D&I leadership roles at innovative global technology companies — Google, Yahoo, PayPal and Twilio — LaFawn has cultivated her passion for diversity through strategy and data insights — and deepening relationships and strengthening communication channels within underrepresented communities in the technology industry.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
I’ve been doing this work for about 15 years. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay area and my career started during the first .com bubble and burst. Twenty years ago, diversity and inclusion wasn’t something discussed in the technology industry. What I didn’t realize until recently is that my parents had been training me for this career my whole life.
My parents grew up in Berkeley and Oakland during the core of the Civil Rights Movement. We played Black History Month board games and I read black history comic books — because we were only being taught European history in school. My parents would often talk to me about the unfairness of the world and how I had to be “bilingual”. What my father meant by that is what is known as code switching, the process of shifting from one linguistic code (a language or dialect) to another, depending on the social context or conversational setting. My mother taught me that there were different environments where I had to change the way I dressed, the way I presented myself and how I acted. Not as a method of assimilation but as a mode to survival. And, that the many layers I have would feed into how I experienced life — which is intersectionality.
When I was 14 years old, my very first job was at a flower shop that was owned by black woman. I didn’t get it at the time but — to be able to see a florist that looked like me, to be able to see that she had black dolls and black greeting cards that other shops did not — was a lesson that representation matters. All of those life lessons were preparing me to pursue a path in what is now my career, my calling and my passion.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started at your company?
I had an offsite with my team in Tokyo to visit the offices, talk to employees and see what the Indeed culture was like there. At the end of that trip, I was supposed to fly out to Singapore when I became really sick with a bacterial infection that I likely had before I flew there and was hospitalized for 5 days. The doctors and nurses all spoke Japanese and I spoke English so we tried our best to communicate with the little words we knew in each language. When that would fail, we used translator apps to speak to each other.
Indeed has great international insurance, so all I had to do was focus on healing as the insurance company worked directly with the hospital. The manager of the hotel I stayed in brought me to the clinic, to the hospital emergency room and later brought me pajamas and hotel amenities. Toyko Indeedians — that I only just met that week — offered to come by the hospital and check on me.
Everyone was extremely nice and caring and it was that human connection and empathy that gave me an immense sense of gratitude while there. When I should have been scared (and my family was freaking out),I was just grateful.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
We’ve launched an Inclusion Resource Group (IRG) Product Advisory Council, a cross-collaborative effort between product teams and Inclusion Resource Group members to influence product development related to DI&B. Members are needed to empathise, think critically, and increase awareness of potential inclusion blindspots and mitigate associated risks when developing products, marketing, and all consumer facing objects. The IRG Global Product Advisory Council is an accelerated method to integrate or incorporate diversity of experience, thought, background, and perspectives directly into product development.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
One of my mentors is Stacy Brown-Philpot, CEO of Taskrabbit. We worked at Google together and she was instrumental in helping me understand how to turn my passion into a career. She believed in me when no one else did — including myself. One person early in my career said I would never be able to get into a diversity role. She quickly dismissed that sentiment, supported me and lifted me up. When I wanted to learn how to become a better public speaker — more like her — she took me under her wing, shared how she became a great speaker, gave me feedback and cheered me on along the way. I’m eternally grateful to her for investing in me and still strive to make her proud!
Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of our lives today. Can you articulate to our readers what are the biggest family related challenges you are facing as a woman in STEM during this pandemic?
The things I most worry about are what I cannot control outside of my home. I have an adult son who just turned 21 and is not sheltering in place with me. I have 72 year old parents, a 97 year old grandmother
and close family members, some of whom are autoimmune-compromised or essential workers. Not many work in STEM fields or are able to WFH, so this pandemic is affecting them in different ways.
Can you share what you’ve done to address those challenges?
I set up bi-weekly Zoom family dinners with my family so we can connect, see each other’s faces, catch up and ask if anyone needs anything. It’s been wonderful to wave at my grandmother’s smiling face, hear what my Uncle is cooking for dinner, see my parents wearing coordinated outfits, watch my niece get ready for work as a newscaster and share a lot of laughter together.
Can you share the biggest work related challenges you are facing as a woman in STEM during this pandemic?
I don’t particularly face challenges as a woman in STEM during this pandemic, but I do see the challenges other women are having that have school-aged children or other caretaking responsibilities. Even prior to COVID-19, child rearing and caretaking disproportionately affects women being in and thriving in the workforce. This is exacerbated in this pandemic, with more women having to juggle work and personal responsibilities. Women at work face a maternal wall bias which refers to stereotypes encountered by working mothers and mothers seeking employment. It’s the concept that you can be 100% a good employee or 100% a good mother — you can’t be both.
Can you share what you’ve done to address those challenges?
At Indeed, we’ve built some flexible working programs. There is an 80% work for 80% pay option or an unpaid 90 day leave option where you still have benefits and your long-term incentive program units still vest. We have a Parents & Caregivers Inclusion Resource Group (IRG) which is a great space for people to connect and get support from each other. There’s also a WFH-Parents slack channel where parents share a lot of tips and tricks.
Can you share your advice about how to best work from home, while balancing the needs of homeschooling or the needs of a family?
We’re not working from home in the traditional sense. We’re working at home during a global pandemic, where the usual rules don’t apply. Some ways to balance family care and work under these unique circumstances include the following:
● Over-communicate and set expectations with your manager throughout your work from home experience. Many employers are very understanding of the challenges that parents face during these difficult times, and may be supportive of your specific needs to be successful working from home.
● Practice time management and set a schedule that allows you to be present for both your work and family lives. Blocking off time in your calendar for caregiving needs is a great way to set expectations with your teams.
● Set boundaries with both work and family. With your coworkers, communicate your availability clearly and often. With your kids, it is helpful to have a dedicated space in your home where you are “at work” to serve as a physical boundary — like a bedroom, home office, or even a closet. You can even work with them on signals to let them know when you should not be disturbed. You can get creative with hand signals, or even make red light/green light signs to indicate when you shouldn’t be disturbed unless there is an emergency.
● Take breaks throughout the day to prevent burnout and boost productivity. Try taking a short walk, do a short exercise video, meditate, or perform another simple activity that makes you feel rested.
Can you share your strategies about how to stay sane and serene while sheltering in place for long periods with your family?
My fiancé and I have an imaginary co-worker that we blame things on. They always leave coffee cups around the house. Someone really needs to give them some feedback. We take long walks together to connect, workout, send care packages to others, take space from each other when need be, talk about tensions in the house head-on to alleviate them (but likely it’s the co-workers fault), stay as positive as possible and hold space for each other when that’s not possible.
Many people have become anxious from the dramatic jolts of the news cycle. The fears related to the coronavirus pandemic have understandably heightened a sense of uncertainty, fear, and loneliness. From your perspective can you help our readers to see the “Light at the End of the Tunnel”? Can you share your “5 Reasons To Be Hopeful During this Corona Crisis”? If you can, please share a story or example for each.
- There will be a future. This is my 3 economic downturn of my adult life. Yes, this is different as it’s a global pandemic — but we will recover. We always do.
- The environment is healing. Less pollution, less ozone shrinkage, birds, ocean life and other wildlife or repopulating and occupying more space.
- More time for friends and family. Less busy lives. Deeper connections and an emphasis on the importance of loving people while they’re here.
- Recognition of Essential Workers as heroes. We now understand that the people who teach, help us function in our daily lives (grocery story, warehouse, delivery, etc.) and health care workers really are the essential workers among us. They are the heroes among us and it’s about time that that’s been recognized. 5. A global sense of belonging. Whether in the U.S., Italy, Tanzania, Singapore or any other county — we’re in this together.
From your experience, what are a few ideas that we can use to effectively offer support to your family and loved ones who are feeling anxious? Can you explain?
It is so important during these times to take the time to check in on each other, to stay connected with your loved ones to talk and/or to vent about any stresses. I also love sending loved ones care packages as a small gesture of compassion and love. I also enjoy sending things on social media, over video chat, or through the mail to make friends/family members laugh. I think that it is also a great idea to continue to plan future things together, like trips or gatherings, to remind ourselves that these circumstances won’t last forever and to give ourselves something to look forward to. Practice gratitude with family and loved ones. With so much happening in the world around us, being grateful for life, health, employment, shelter and the basics.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Until the lion has his historian, the hunter will always be the hero.” — African Proverb
That quote is relevant because it reminds me that history isn’t about the truth. History is about perception that becomes reality with storytelling as the architect.
How can our readers follow you online?
● Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/lafawn
● Instagram: @thelafawn
● Twitter: @lafawn
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
About the author: Penny is an environmental scientist-turned-entrepreneur. She’s worked as a climate scientist, an environmental planner, and a wilderness park ranger. Motivated by a passion to raise a generation of environmental leaders, in 2010 Penny founded Green Kid Crafts, a children’s media company that provides kids around the world with convenient and eco-friendly STEAM activities. Today, it’s become a leader in the subscription industry, with over 1 million packages shipped worldwide that have exposed a generation to think about and take a leadership role in sustainability. Penny, her husband Jeff, and her children Rowan and Declan live together in San Diego, California. She holds a B.A. in Environmental Management and an M.S. in Environmental Science. Penny has over 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship, management, strategy and finance. She’s a seasoned leader, an inspiring speaker, an encouraging business mentor, and a creative writer. You can learn more about Green Kid Crafts at https://www.greenkidcrafts.com/ and follow Penny’s stories and updates at https://www.instagram.com/greenkidcrafts/ and https://twitter.com/bauderpenny.
