It is International Women’s Day. Women are every where, and in most nations there are events, conferences, demonstrations- all a call for better treatment of women, provision of equal opportunities for women, regard for their welfare, well being and in some of these nations- bills are being pushed in parliaments to protect women in workplaces.
This is not just any day for me, it’s my birthday as well. Every year on the 8th of March I am reminded of two things: One is that I share my birthday with all the women in the world and two, is that I am truly a Pisces.
I was reading The Good Boss by Kate Eberle Walker yesterday- and it was so good that I couldn’t put it down and this is because in writing about bosses and the workplace, she reminded me of my experiences as a woman at work and there’s something she shared from the very beginning that stuck with me:
Women not only need to do their actual work but they also need to think about how they are being perceived as they are doing it.
On the pressure women face at work, The Good Boss by Kate Eberle Walker
About the book:
When it comes to a woman’s day-to-day experience and her career trajectory, one key player has the most significant impact: her boss. If we really want to support women in the workplace, managers must step up.
The good news is that many of the things you can do to be a better manager for women are easy.
In The Good Boss, CEO and business consultant Kate Eberle Walker offers timely, tactical advice based on her experience coaching managers, as well as the lessons she learned working her own way up the corporate ladder. Eberle Walker outlines nine straightforward rules that any manager can follow to help the women on their team—whether they oversee one, one hundred, or one thousand employees.
So, what are these 9 rules? How about I share 5 of my absolute truths and favorites!
- Call her by her name
- Don’t ask “What does your Husband do?”
- Speak up so that she doesn’t have to
- Be an equal opportunity Asshole
- Don’t sit in her chair
These 5 rules are the ones that I kept screaming “YES!!!” when reading because I’ve experienced them more so rule number 3: Speak up so that she doesn’t have to and this was in relation to a boss that was female and she would talk down on all of us, quick to insult and delay salaries if we did not please her!
Talking about what a woman’s spouse does is a complete no-go area. In some instances it is more like you can get away with or afford so much because your spouse does this and that. And while we are at it, if she qualifies for a position, an opportunity- give it to her, give her the chance and in some interviews I lost out on an opportunity because I was single, unmarried and without a child and I remember on particular interview where the man on the panel asked me, “this job comes with a good pay package and if we take you in, give you a two or three year contract, won’t you get comfortable and choose to start a family?”
Finally, rule number 5: don’t sit in her chair is the reminder that if a woman goes away on leave, when she comes back ensure her space is either as she left it or better than she left it. Don’t give someone else her office, chair, position or regard- not unless you are promoting her to a better office, position and holding her in high regard.
The Good Boss is a book that I know will speak to many women in the work place on the challenges we face, and also a must-read for managers- both men and women on ensuring a safe space for women at work.
The book will be available on Amazon stores on March 16th 2021 for $18.99 on Kindle and $24.95. You can pre-order a copy: on this link. Visit the author’s website: here
nilichoandika 