Last week I was having a conversation with a friend about my current job. The friend I was talking with used to work at my job but left her position about 4 months ago. She is very familiar with the personalities and the chaos that ensues daily in the office. To give a brief description, I work for a company in the healthcare field. Out of 40 staff members there are two men who hold positions in the office. Of course the rest of us are women...well some of us behave like women.
Anyway, there are four administrative positions in the office and all of the roles are held by women. To put it lightly, there are a lot of attitudes, egos and various personalities that circulate every day in the office. There are countless days when office doors are closed and you can hear screaming matches going on between some women. Just last week one of my coworkers came to sit near me and had an emotional breakdown because she couldn't take what was going on in the office anymore. It is coming to the point where I am actually becoming used to seeing people with tears in their eyes and red faces. It is such a regular part of my day that until writing this, I didn't think about how unacceptable that is for a work environment.
What I noticed last week while talking to my friend is that in the office there is a lot of hustling and bustling going on among the administration but no real progress is being made. Its not uncommon to see someone with cheap stilettos and false eyelashes speed walking down the hallways while holding papers and complaining. Everyone in the office is so busy going somewhere yet no one knows where they are going. We don't work in Donald Trump's tower. There are only 8 offices in the suite. Walking to the office next door shouldn't require you to break out into a sweat because you are moving so fast. Trying to look important must be a really hard job.
What has occurred as a result of the crappy disposition of some of the women in the office is that financially the office is beginning to tank. Productivity is not as high and profits are not being made. They are even talking about possibly letting employees go because the revenue being generated is not sufficient. I believe that this is a direct link to how these women behave towards each other and to outsiders. No one wants to work with a person who has a nasty attitude and poor communication skills. No respectable person is going to refer clients to receive services from such a company either.
I just began reading Womenomics by Claire Shipman and Katty Kay. I am only on page 12 but it has provided me with a lot of back up for what I think about the "administrators" at my job. So far the book has provided information regarding why women are considered assets to any company and how we are natural managers. It goes on to say that we have a different managerial style than our male colleagues and that's why profits increase and businesses thrive under our leadership. So my question still lingers in the air about why the company I work for is seeing a decrease in profits when there are women in the power seats. It all leads me to believe that there are too many egos and power struggles at play in the office. During a meeting a couple of months ago, the employees were told that they needed to "check themselves" in reference to their demeanor at work. Can you imagine the head of a thriving Fortune 500 company using that vernacular at a meeting with the employees? I hardly think that Oprah Winfrey in her meetings tells her staff at Harpo, "Hey! Y'all need to check yo'selves!"
I have been working in my field for almost 12 years. In those years, I have had two managerial positions. In one of them I supervised 13 people and in the other, I directly supervised 9 people and indirectly supervised 508 employees. I learned a lot from both of those experiences and when I left I had people come to me and tell me that they appreciated my leadership. I gave them space to breathe and encouraged them to grow as professionals and human beings. I wasn't and I'm still not where I need to be in terms of perfecting my management style but I learned how to treat people with dignity while learning how to be a better person. I made many mistakes but I tried to rectify them when they were made.
I think that as women we have to learn our own power and how to use it effectively. We can't let egos and titles define us. We can leave that behavior for the men to do in the workplace. We have nurturing spirits which can be used to make any work situation profitable. I often look at the women I work with and I am completely turned off. I am always looking for strong women who I can learn something from and form business relationships. Sad to say at this job, I can't do that with anyone in administration. I have voiced my opinion several times and I have tried to make the work environment better. Instead of gratitude, I was provided with sarcastic remarks and immature comments. So my part is done. I am still looking for a new job and hopefully it will be delivered soon. Until then I will just sit back and observe the silliness while consoling my co-workers who can't speak up for themselves. I just wish that the women in that office could do better. Not for the company but for themselves.
Anyway, there are four administrative positions in the office and all of the roles are held by women. To put it lightly, there are a lot of attitudes, egos and various personalities that circulate every day in the office. There are countless days when office doors are closed and you can hear screaming matches going on between some women. Just last week one of my coworkers came to sit near me and had an emotional breakdown because she couldn't take what was going on in the office anymore. It is coming to the point where I am actually becoming used to seeing people with tears in their eyes and red faces. It is such a regular part of my day that until writing this, I didn't think about how unacceptable that is for a work environment.
What I noticed last week while talking to my friend is that in the office there is a lot of hustling and bustling going on among the administration but no real progress is being made. Its not uncommon to see someone with cheap stilettos and false eyelashes speed walking down the hallways while holding papers and complaining. Everyone in the office is so busy going somewhere yet no one knows where they are going. We don't work in Donald Trump's tower. There are only 8 offices in the suite. Walking to the office next door shouldn't require you to break out into a sweat because you are moving so fast. Trying to look important must be a really hard job.
What has occurred as a result of the crappy disposition of some of the women in the office is that financially the office is beginning to tank. Productivity is not as high and profits are not being made. They are even talking about possibly letting employees go because the revenue being generated is not sufficient. I believe that this is a direct link to how these women behave towards each other and to outsiders. No one wants to work with a person who has a nasty attitude and poor communication skills. No respectable person is going to refer clients to receive services from such a company either.
I just began reading Womenomics by Claire Shipman and Katty Kay. I am only on page 12 but it has provided me with a lot of back up for what I think about the "administrators" at my job. So far the book has provided information regarding why women are considered assets to any company and how we are natural managers. It goes on to say that we have a different managerial style than our male colleagues and that's why profits increase and businesses thrive under our leadership. So my question still lingers in the air about why the company I work for is seeing a decrease in profits when there are women in the power seats. It all leads me to believe that there are too many egos and power struggles at play in the office. During a meeting a couple of months ago, the employees were told that they needed to "check themselves" in reference to their demeanor at work. Can you imagine the head of a thriving Fortune 500 company using that vernacular at a meeting with the employees? I hardly think that Oprah Winfrey in her meetings tells her staff at Harpo, "Hey! Y'all need to check yo'selves!"
I have been working in my field for almost 12 years. In those years, I have had two managerial positions. In one of them I supervised 13 people and in the other, I directly supervised 9 people and indirectly supervised 508 employees. I learned a lot from both of those experiences and when I left I had people come to me and tell me that they appreciated my leadership. I gave them space to breathe and encouraged them to grow as professionals and human beings. I wasn't and I'm still not where I need to be in terms of perfecting my management style but I learned how to treat people with dignity while learning how to be a better person. I made many mistakes but I tried to rectify them when they were made.
I think that as women we have to learn our own power and how to use it effectively. We can't let egos and titles define us. We can leave that behavior for the men to do in the workplace. We have nurturing spirits which can be used to make any work situation profitable. I often look at the women I work with and I am completely turned off. I am always looking for strong women who I can learn something from and form business relationships. Sad to say at this job, I can't do that with anyone in administration. I have voiced my opinion several times and I have tried to make the work environment better. Instead of gratitude, I was provided with sarcastic remarks and immature comments. So my part is done. I am still looking for a new job and hopefully it will be delivered soon. Until then I will just sit back and observe the silliness while consoling my co-workers who can't speak up for themselves. I just wish that the women in that office could do better. Not for the company but for themselves.
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