Read on Twitter
An employee came to me last week and asked to move to 80% time. Her husband, she said, was taking on some extra responsibility and they were having trouble keeping the kids on track during remote learning.
I said no.
#sktech #skpoli #cdnpoli #COVID19SK #covid19
I said no.
#sktech #skpoli #cdnpoli #COVID19SK #covid19
Women in the workplace have been disproportionately affected by COVID, erasing decades of gains. And it's easy to see why when women typically earn less (even for the same jobs) than their partners. https://www.forbes.com/sites/advisor/2020/10/19/women-are-leaving-the-workplace-in-record-numbers-and-we-dont-know-when-theyll-be-back/
Every reason my employee gave was valid and rational (we hire great people), but the base assumption was wrong.
The assumption was that we should expect the same thing of our work lives now in terms of productivity and time commitment that we did with pre-COVID.
The assumption was that we should expect the same thing of our work lives now in terms of productivity and time commitment that we did with pre-COVID.
We shouldn't.
I have a high-performing team who outperformed themselves again this year, outperforming almost every other team in my company in fact and winning awards for it.
They did it with kids at home, with COVID isolation, and with increased stress and loneliness.
I have a high-performing team who outperformed themselves again this year, outperforming almost every other team in my company in fact and winning awards for it.
They did it with kids at home, with COVID isolation, and with increased stress and loneliness.
They didn't do it by working 9 to 5 or putting 40 hours of tracked time in during the week. They didn't do it by shutting their door and not seeing their kids or by using every moment of Zoom calls for work.
They did it by being a supportive group and working together.
They did it by being a supportive group and working together.
When someone has to leave to pick up their kids, someone else covers. When a 2-year-old bounces into a business call, they smile and everyone understands. When a day is less productive because they can't stand staring at the walls anymore, they get out so the next one is better.
So I said no. No, you can't become one of the women earning less because of COVID. No, you can't sacrifice your career advancement because of a perceived lack of productivity. No, you don't need to feel guilty about taking the time to make sure your kids are learning.
Instead, we're working together to make sure that she's still productive and happy, that she feels comfortable blocking off whatever time she needs in her calendar to support her family, and that she and her family will be healthy and ready for when we come out the other side.
It's a small thing. I'm a single boss in a large company among many employers.
But let me encourage anyone with the power to do so to deny this change. Work with your team from within, above, or below to support the people struggling through this.
Please.
But let me encourage anyone with the power to do so to deny this change. Work with your team from within, above, or below to support the people struggling through this.
Please.
I should note that I spoke with my employee before posting this. 
Looks at Twitter notifications.
Oh.
I guess this is probably a good time to say that we're hiring.
https://jobs.siemens.com/jobs/196410
Oh.
I guess this is probably a good time to say that we're hiring.
https://jobs.siemens.com/jobs/196410
@KWardTV did a great piece that pulls the threads together for @globalnewsto. https://globalnews.ca/news/7584691/coronavirus-research-women-in-workforce/
