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When I Work Announces New CEO

On August 1, Martin Hartshorne will replace Chad Halvorson as CEO of When I Work. The company announced the transition in a press release (accompanied by a personal LinkedIn post by Halvorson) yesterday. Halvorson, who founded the company in 2010, will serve as chair of the board and as the company’s first chief experience officer. This is the first significant change in executive leadership for the company.

When I Work Martin Hartshorne

Martin Hartshorne

“Last summer, shortly after we reached 1 million active people, and with growth accelerating, the inflection point was obvious,” Halvorson said in his LinkedIn post. “It was the right time to pass the baton to someone that could help scale our momentum, build the muscles needed to win the market, and allow me to pour my energy into areas of the business I am most passionate about. This led to a CEO search kicked off by myself, the board, and the leadership team.”

Hartshorne, who will also join the company’s board of directors, has more than two decades of experience in the workforce management realm. He most recently served as chief strategy officer for Ultimate Software, has served in various roles for Infor (previously Workbrain), and was founder and CEO of EmployTouch Inc., a company that created “tablet-based hardware/software solution for labor data collection, employee self-service and collaboration in hourly workforces.”

“I’m honored to be joining When I Work at such an important point in its journey,” Hartshorne said in the release. “Chad and his team have built a successful company with a solid foundation, stellar reputation and near limitless opportunities for growth…. I’ll be focusing on scaling so we can meet the clear demand for our products and innovating further so we can help more workplaces around the world work better together.”

When I Work provides businesses with an employee scheduling and communication platform. In April, the company reduced full-time staff by 35% (55 full-time and eight part-time lay-offs and one full-time furlough) citing business impacts by COVID-19.

Alex Skjong
Alex oversees the content produced for BETA, Twin Cities Startup Week, and tech.mn. When he’s not writing or editing, there’s a good chance he’s enjoying a refreshing brew and explaining the merits of heavy metal (of which there are many).