How to Ask Your Company to Treat Women Better - The Muse

How to Ask Your Company to Treat Women Better - The MuseHow to Ask Your Company to Treat Women BetterWhile asking your company to treat women better sounds great, its a bit mora complicated than that. After all, very few people would feel comfortable marching up to the CEOs door and saying, I demand equal pay. And very few CEOs would respond to that knock with an immediate, Of course, come in and let me fix our payroll now.But that doesnt mean youre stuck. Rather, it means that you have to approach this conversation correctly. And while each company is different, I recommend you abflug by setting up a meeting with HR or your manager. So, how do you departure that conversation? Well for starters, its crucial to acknowledge this fact The issues women struggle with and care about vary greatly. Therefore, you have to avoid making assumptions that categorize women into one big homogeneous group who will all benefit from the same policies, or making demands that might benefit you, but bedr ngnis be of utmost importance to others. Once you understand that, start with an email to the effect ofDear HR rep or manager,My name is Your Name, and Ive worked on the department kollektiv for length of time youve been at the company. Im very passionate about gender equality in the workplace, and Id love to ask you a few questions about the companys initiatives around diversity and inclusion. Can I schedule a meeting with you in the next couple of weeks to discuss?Then when you do get that meeting? Ask about the following 1. Ask About Equal PayStudies show that women are less likely to ask for more money when negotiating for a new job or a promotion. Over time, if not monitored, companies can find themselves in a situation in which men are unintentionally compensated better than women. Of course, just because its unintentional, doesnt mean its OK. To investigate the issue, ask if your employer conducts a compensation analysis regularly, and if so, if they would feel comfortable sh aring some of those learnings with the larger company (as well as discussing the plan for making adjustments, if theres an issue).This analysis should compare compensation across levels, functions, and demographics within your company as well as with market data to enaya women are receiving fair and equal pay. Another option is to ask the person who leads recruiting at your company if they do compensation benchmarking for the salary range set for a position before they start looking for candidates. If the company makes sure the budget set for the position is in line with the market before the jobs posted, it can reduce the likelihood that a woman hired into a role would be under-market as soon as she starts.2. Ask if Theyll Invest in Sexual Harassment TrainingPeople hear the term harassment and automatically think of very serious and litigious cases, but women can often face subtler forms of sexual harassment that make them feel both uncomfortable and scared. For example, things lik e a late-night text with a compliment and an invite to meet for a drink, the wink thats included in every new assignment email, or the kiss on the cheek your boss gives you when greeting you or handing you an award.Most of the time women stay quiet, endure it, and often just leave the company when they cant take it anymore.Thats not fair- and most companies would agree its not right. So, ask HR to invest in sexual harassment training. Even better, ask around if any of your friends at other companies have consultants theyve used for this type of training that they think have a modern and effective approach. Youll not only be helping your company save some time, but youll also show how serious you are about the topic while demonstrating that youre a partner in finding a solution.3. Ask How They Support Women With ChildrenMany women battle with the question of what to put first career or family. And often this is because theyre working in an environment that doesnt seem very supportive of parents. Ask your HR department how your company supports women who are planning to have children, who have recently returned to work, or who are established mothers. You can suggest things like (or even offer to help with) the followingOffering expecting mothers a guide for what to consider before going out on maternity leave and what to do when returning Providing paid maternity leave for all or part of six monthsCreating a return-to-work transition plan to help them gradually enter back into the workforce, ensuring there is a proper, legally compliant lactation room with a refrigeratorStarting a support group for new moms to meet, share stories, and swap resourcesEncouraging your company to offer a variety of times when company or team socializing happens (for example, if socializing only happens after6 PM, parents have fewer opportunities to build relationships with their team or boss)4. Ask That Managers Complete Inclusivity TrainingEncourage your company (or even just your department head) to build out manager training programs that outline the importance of creating inclusive team environments that are free of assumptions and biases.For example, some leaders assume mothers wouldnt want to be considered for a big assignment or a promotion, or that women who dont have children dont mind staying late in a meeting while they watch their colleague get dismissed to leave because they have to do school pick-up. These are certainly not true in many cases, and making these assumptions can be dangerous for womens advancement, not to mention overall team morale. Management training can help people become more aware of their unconscious biases.5. Ask for Equal Access to Career OpportunitiesFor various reasons, women can feel as if theyre not given the same important, high-profile assignments as their male counterparts, that theyre not given the leistungspunkt they deserve for the work they contributed to a group project, or that theyre not being tapped for the more senior role.As your company if theyve recognized this dynamic at play among their own workers and, if so, how theyre being proactive in fixing the situation. If theyre not, you might suggest things likeStarting a womens leadership network in your organization so women at all levels can support one another and share resourcesEncouraging your company to post jobs internally before externally to ensure interested employees have an opportunity to apply Asking leaders at the company to consider this question when they have opportunities to assign high-profile assignments Are there any talented women we havent given a chance to yet?In an ideal world, more companies would conduct surveysasking questions about real issues employees care about and tackle any serious issues inhibiting peoples comfort and satisfaction head on. However, that process is time consuming, and some companies simply dont have the resources to make that a priority.If thats the case, it could mean that if you take the initiative, you could start to make changes. While you cant ensure all women are paid the same as men, you can start support groups, help educate people on how things like bias works, and start these tough conversations so that if and when resources become available, the companys ready to go.

Study Women Supreme Court justices interrupted three times as often as men

Study Women Supreme Court justices interrupted three times as often as menStudy Women Supreme Court justices interrupted three times as often as menUnder the U.S. Constitution, we are equal inthe eyes of the law - but according to one study, men and women are not being treated equallyat the Supreme Court.We already know that women get interrupted mora often when theyre speaking. What we know now is that even powerful women - the most powerful women in America, arguably - experience the same thing.Looking at oral arguments over the past 12 years, two Northwestern University researchers found that the female justices were getting interrupted three times more than their male colleagues 32% of interruptions were of the female justices, and in2015, 65.9% of all interruptions on the court were aimed at its only women - Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor.An interesting side note Only 4% of interruptions were by the female justices.Why it matters that women ge t to speak full sentencesThese women arent shrinking violets theyre pioneering women who have achievedthe highest legal authority in America. In the history of the Supreme Court, there have only been four female justices on the bench three of them are there now.Interruptions matter for more than just manners.To make a case for higher pay or more responsibility, women have to be part of the conversation.Oral arguments are where outcomes to court cases get debated and decided. When a female justice gets cut off, she is less able to question advocates or convince her colleagues of her argument. This study proves thatinterpersonal relationshipsmatters just as much as institutional ones when it comes to organizational power, and on the bench, as in other workplaces, women have less of it.There are other examples of women in power getting interrupted. During the first presidential debate, DonaldTrump interrupted Hillary Clinton 51 times in one debate, while Clinton interrupted Trump 17 ti mes, according to Vox.When she would get interrupted, Clinton wouldnt stop, apologize, or ask for her rightful time. She smiled and kept speaking over the interruption.This turns out to be the best strategy, and there are several others that work well.How to stop interruptions a three-step plan1. Dont stop speaking or apologize for speaking. Just speak.When you know a man is going to interrupt you, women on the bench learned that theyneeded to cut straight to the point.The researchers found that to combat the interruptions, female justices like Elena Kagan would learn to stop framing their questions politely with, May I ask or an Excuse me.Even politelyaddressing the advocate by anthroponym was seen as an opportunity for someone else to cut a female justiceoff. So over time, the women adopted the aggressive arguing style of their male colleagues.But that doesnt mean that this behavior helps on its own. Justice Sonia Sotomayor uses a minimum amount of qualifying statements in her ora l arguments, but shes still getting interrupted the most by male advocates arguing before her.2. Get a sponsorOne of the best strategies is to have a boss - whether male or female - back up female employees. Glen Mazzarra, a showrunner for The Shield, got so sick of women on the writers team being shouted down that heimposed a rule that women writers cannot be interrupted.To change this workplace culture, it needs to be enforced and modeled from the top. The researchersrecommended that Chief Justice John Roberts needs toset an example to the public and to his colleagues by enforcing the rule that prohibits advocates from interrupting the justices.3. Have someone at your backEnlisting allies is crucial to end interruptions once and for all. Women in the Obama White House adopted a strategy of amplifying each others ideas so that they wouldnt get interrupted. This doesnt have to break up along gender lines good bosses who observe team dynamics or male peers can also be supportive al lies. The bottom line is that while every woman can handle herself, individual actions and skirmishes wont change the world. Making interruptions a source of social shame in the office is more likely to end them.

How to beat procrastination and finish anything you start

How to beat procrastination and finish anything you startHow to beat procrastination and finish anything you startIn July 1830, a young twenty-eight-year-old named Victor Hugo, struggled with procrastination, andalmost gave up on writing his book.Hugo welches due to submit the book to his publisher by April 1829, but he missed the deadline- in fact, he hadnt written a single word. And as a result of this, Hugos publisher threatened to pursue legal actions against him. 1After much pleading and negotiations, Hugos publisher agreed to extend the deadline till December 1830. But once again, Hugo procrastinated on writing the book and missed the second deadline.This time, Hugos publisher had had enough and gave Hugo an ultimatum if the book wasnt submitted in five months, Hugo would pay a fine of 1,000 francs for each week it was late (the equivalent of 13,000 dollars today). 2Hugo knew he had to do something drastic and figure out a way to beat procrastination, and finish writing the boo k.Heres what he did next.You are under House ArrestShortly afterwards, Hugo bought a grey woolen body-stocking that covered his body from head to toe, a new bottle of ink, and locked his clothes in the wardrobe to prevent himself from leaving the house.According to Hugos wife, Adele Hugo He entered his novel as if it were a prison. 3Each day, from dusk till dawn, Hugo would write his book, and only leave his working desk to eat, sleep, or read the drafts of the book to his friends, for an hour after supper. 4In short, Hugo self-imposed a house arrest. And after a few months, his strategy finally paid off.On the 14th of January, 1831, Hugo finished writing the book- weeks before the deadline- and named itThe Hunchback of Notre-Dame(French for Notre-Dame de Paris).Within the first 18 months of the books publication, it sold three thousand copies- a lot for the early 1830s- and today it is widely regarded as one of thegreatest books ever written. 5But Hugo couldnt have overcome procras tination and finish writing his best-selling book without using a special strategy.This strategy is called thehouse arrest strategy,and hereshow you can also use it to beat procrastination and finish anything you start today.How to beat procrastination using the House Arrest StrategyHere are three simple steps to use thehouse arrest strategyto beat procrastination.Step 1 Write down a deadline in the near future.Deadlines are one of thefive things to doto overcome procrastination and follow through on your plans.A good deadline is short enough to force you to take immediate action and long enough to finish the task at hand.In Hugos scenario, the publishers five month deadline forced him to get started on writing his book.Step 2 Create negative consequences for inactionThe next step is to usestakesor negative consequence, to punish yourself if you fail to meet the deadline.For example, Hugos negative consequence for failure to meet his publishers deadline was a fine of 1,000 franc per week of delay.Step 3 Design your desired future actionThe final step is to put something in place today that will lock in your actions tomorrow- this is what psychologist call commitment devices. 6Examples include buying small plates to avoid overeating, locking away credit cards to avoid getting into debt and paying upfront for exercise classes.Hugos commitment device was locking away his formal clothes and buying a bottle of ink to start writing his book, and prevent himself from leaving the house.Personally, Ive also used commitment devices to stick to my writing habits.On May 2017, I announced to the public that Id write and publish an article each week, and aside from two short sabbatical, Ive written at least onearticleevery single week since then. This is just another example of the power ofdesigning your environment.The best way to get started with commitment devices is to announce your plans to the public- friends, family and colleagues- and keep them updated on your progr ess on a weekly basis. This way youll be held accountable to finish anything you start.Motivation isnt enoughJust like Hugo- prior to writing his book- we tend to rely solely on motivation and willpower to beat procrastination, but this often leads to failure to meet deadlines and follow through on our plans.A better way to beat procrastination is to use thehouse arrest strategyin three simple steps write down a deadline, create negative consequences for inaction and design your desired future action.And just like Hugo, youll finally break the curse of procrastination thats been unternehmensverbund you back from your achieving your potential.Mayo Oshin writes atMayoOshin.Com, where he shares the best practical ideas based on proven science and the habits of highly successful people for stress-free productivity and improved mental performance. To get these strategies to stop procrastinating, get more things by doing less and improve your focus,join his free weekly newsletter.A versio n of thisarticleoriginally appeared atmayooshin.comasVictor Hugos House Arrest Strategy How to Beat Procrastination and Finish Anything You Start.FootnotesBarbour, Alfred. Victor Hugo and His Times (1883)Thefranc was in the Latin MonetaryUnion, which used the gold standard around 1873. At the time, the franc was the equivalent to 0.2903225 grams of gold. Thats the equivalent to 0.0102408248 ounces.Todays price of gold is approximately $1240 per ounce, which leads to one franc (in 1830) being worth about $12.70 today.Hugo, V. (1978). Notre-Dame of Paris. (Trans. J. Sturrock)Hugo, Adele. Victor Hugo A life Related by One Who Has Witnessed It (1863)Victor Hugo by Graham RobbGharad Bryan, Dean Karlan, and Scott Nelson, Commitment Devices, Annual Review of Economics 2, no. 1 (2010), doi10.1146/annurev.economics.102308.124324.