DM Coaching and Development

Flexibility is Good for Working Mothers .....and Fathers

I saw a talk recently given by a working father who recommended the book on working parents and workplace discrimination, "Fatherhood Reclaimed" by Adrienne Burgess, which I have started to read. The speaker argued that for far too long, flexible working has been seen as a  right for working mothers only and the evidence seems to bear him out - requests for flexible working from men are more often turned down than those requests from women. I agree, and think that the sooner flexibility is seen as a human issue, the more readily it will be adopted rather than be marginalised as a "woman's issue". According to Richard Reeves in The Observer " The real change needed now is in the lives of fathers. Men are more engaged in their children's lives than ever, despite the pressures of being the main breadwinner in most households. But their working patterns have not altered significantly. For women to have more equality at work, we need more equality at home; in this struggle for equality, fathers and feminists are on the same side." I liked the sound of that - fathers and feminists on the same side.

The Nom de Plume: Why One Female Writer Used A Male Name for More Money

If you have been looking for a short-cut to better pay and greater respect away from the glass ceiling- you have to read the article by James Chartrand, the copyblogger - a female writer who for years chose to work under the name "James" simply to earn more money. It is shocking how much more money and better-received her work (as a professional female!) was when she simply changed her name. She writes "The answer was plain. Without really thinking much about it, I tried an experiment when I chose my new pseudonym. Taking a man’s name opened up a new world. It helped me earn double and triple the income of my true name, with the same work and service. No hassles. Higher acceptance. And gratifying respect for my talents and round-the-clock work ethic. Business opportunities fell into my lap. People asked for my advice, and they thanked me for it, too." I won't spoil the rest of her great blog piece, but it is one of those stories that you don't know whether to laugh at her ingenuity or cry at the lack of justice in it all.  

Banter or Bullying? When "Joking" Becomes Sex Discrimination

In my coaching work with professional women, I hear hair-raising tales about women who are subject to "banter" such as being rated on a scale of 1-10 for their looks, being called "stupid blondes" or "bimbo", having e-mails whiz around with pornographic images, seeing colleagues take clients to strip clubs, and even prostitutes - only to be told  when they complain - that they as women need to "lighten up". That's why this article by Rowan Pelling about recent sex discrimination cases in the City, in the Telegraph was so interesting. She writes "While the companies deny the allegations, it's tempting to view such stories as "Carry On Hedge Fund" – or ask why women in the City can't just develop the required rhino-hide and treat it all as a joke. But what would firms make of women who openly leered over men's crotches, told them they should be brickies, or brought Chippendales to corporate events?". While I agree with her point - the real story is in the comments section after the article, which is primarily made up of harsh vitriol about these "bitches in the office" from a variety of readers, not many of whom are sympathetic to the plights of women in the city who "just can't hack it". Its enough to make you feel we are entering 1010 not 2010. 

How Much Do Your Male Colleagues Earn? Bring on the Compulsory Pay Audits

Traditionally, companies have had gag clauses on employees discussing how much they earned with colleagues. It has been a highly secretive way of keeping employees in the dark when it comes to negotiating their packages - useful to companies - but rife for abuse and gender disparities. As discussed in a recent article in Australia's The Age magazine "Women Still Trail in Pay Stakes" : "Many Australians believe women won equal pay in the `70s — but they are wrong," ACTU president Sharan Burrow said. Among the union demands are compulsory "pay equity audits" which would require companies to disclose what male and female employees are paid — including bonuses — at all levels of the corporation. It would be a simple way of changing the corporate culture if people knew what it was that men and women were earning up through the pay scale. Making them part of the reporting cycle for companies would make a huge difference." I think there is a long way to go, but I suspect compulsory pay audits would split the City assunder for all that they would unearth. 

Female Managers More Likely than Office Juniors to be Sexually Harassed

I found this new research about women in leadership positions from the National Institute for Mental Health in Washington  DC, which was quite surprising. It seems I had not been alone in thinking that the most low-ranking women within an organisation would be most vulnerable to sexual harassment. Well, it seems that quite the opposite is true - it is women with supervisory responsibilities who are up to 137% more likely to be harassed than junior women. As explained in by the main researcher, Heather McLauglin in the article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: " When sexual harassment was first exposed as a workplace issue in the 1970s, the assumption was that women in lower positions, who were more economically vulnerable and had fewer options for walking away, were most at risk of being harassed...." Instead it would seem "Men are using harassment as a workplace equalizer, to strip women in these positions of their power, prestige in the workplace. Harassment isn't about sexual desire or wanting to establish a romantic relationship, but more about control and domination."

Are Women Better Bosses?

I am often asked about this question in panel discussions on professional women in managment, and while I believe you can have a great boss who is either female or male, it is interesting how we love to see the debate hashed out with one gender being deemed as the inherently the "best managers". It also hugely depends on your version of what "best" is. I was leading a mixed group at the University of Cambridge on the topic of gender difference in teams, and some of the male participants said their preferred style was to "be left alone" receiving no feedback unless their was a problem - virtually the opposite of any of the women in attendance, or indeed that I know. I recently saw the New York Times article which pits some of the most credible experts from both academic and the corporate sector to weigh in on the big question. For their opinions, read "Do Women Make Better Bosses?"

Be Assertive...It Literally Pays

Professional women who worry more about being nice than getting ahead are losing out financially. New German research published by the Institute of Leadership and Management found that career "women who take an 'alpha female' approach in the office earn four per cent more than those who act in a 'passive' manner - which over a 40-year career, could mean aggressive women earn an extra £40,000 during their working life. Guido Heineck, lead author of the study, claimed that "being nice does not pay for women". He said: Traditionally, women are more passive and likeable at work. This shows that to be successful in the workplace women have to adapt a more alpha male-like behaviour." The difference is likely to be down to the way more timid professional women may fold earlier and for less money, during salary negotiations. I don't think the answer is to be "meaner" but to be more assertive when asking for what you want - a good lesson for any woman in and out of the workplace. 

Where is the Time you "Save" on Your Blackberry Going?

The main attraction of a Blackberry is that it can help ensure a healthy work-life balance. The idea is that you can still work whilst freeing yourself from that greatest symbol of "corporate oppression" - the desk. A blackberry allows you to take work away with the average blackberry user converting up to an hour of normal downtime - commuting, walking between meetings and so on into productive work time. Theoretically, this should in turn give professionals more free time with their family and friends. The reality may look a bit different however, with many people still working on their blackberries whilst they are with the aforementioned friends and family:)

That freed-up time translates roughly to 250 hours per year, enough for a 10 day holiday! However, there seems to be a real question as to whether users seize the potential of that "free time" - especially in today's uncertain economic climate, with nearly half of blackberry users planning summer holidays saying in a recent BBC poll that they would be taking their blackberries with them on holiday to stay in touch with work. Will you be taking yours with you this summer?    

The Professional Female Defines Success More Widely

The Guardian recently reported about "Women at 30 Putting Careers Second". I didn't recently read the article as professional females completely downgrading the importance of their careers, but rather, including other roles as being more important than they might have claimed in the past. The article by Amelia Hill and Tracy McVeigh explains the findings of "Turning 30 report, which was carried out by the magazine Elle, also found that today's 30-year-olds were no longer the career-driven women of a decade ago but were instead looking for happiness in their personal lives ahead of work fulfilment. Some 70% of women considered it the age at which they put their relationships and personal lives ahead of their careers, with more than 80% thinking it was the perfect age to get married."  What do you think your thirties are for?

Feeling New Year Malaise?

I have had trouble this week getting back into the groove of work since the new year. I've been easily distracted with things I don't really need to do (giving too much time to IM, reading on-line stories, sleeping later than usual) and not getting into a work mentality. I know this is common after a holiday and wonder what other people do to fight the malaise? While I am starting to get back to feeling my normal self, it takes a concerted effort to engage in activities that enthuse me again. Three top things that work to help beat the malaise for me are 1. Scheduling a few social activities to look forward to after the Xmas holiday - without something social to look forward to, January can feel like a real let down after the December. 2. I know it is absolutely freezing outside, but do get some type of exercise - physical activityy and even just a bit of sunlight each day will make a huge difference, walk to the post office, your local shops, go get your lunch rather than put an order out  3. Engage in one new networking activity that you had put off from last year. For example, I have several appointments this month that were good intentions from last year, but are now in the diary for this year. Let me know what you do to fight new year malaise?