Stay Home, Sicky!

Since when did going to work sick become a badge of honor? If I had to guess, it was right around the time that employees began to recognize that supervisors and managers did not care about what they actually accomplished, only that they showed up.

See, not so long ago in a land not so far away our work output became less tangible. No longer were we sewing garments, molding candles, or otherwise producing widgets. All activities that can be measured by the number completed. Blame it on technology, or simply process improvements, but either way, our work shifted to developing programs, processes, and even motivating others, things that were not so easily measured. Well, that sounds like progress! Isn't that a good thing? It is. However, it would be great if we had taken the time to teach managers and supervisors how to measure productivity in this new age. It's not too late, but it won't be easy.

First, an organization must have realistic goals.  There must be something to be achieved.  Not your run-of-the-mill, daily grind activities, but goals that improve something.  Maybe it's increased revenue or increased market share or even reduced defects.   The goal must be finite and able to be measured.  If we are going to increase revenue, we need to know by how much and when.  We must also have tools in which to measure the goal. 

Next, we must identify activities that will help us achieve the goal.  Everyone on the team is responsible for some element of the activity or even an entire activity.  Like the goal, it must be measurable. 

Finally, progress toward goal achievement must be tracked.  We will have no idea if we are close to meeting the goal if we are not tracking our progress. 

With these three elements, leaders can focus on what's getting done and not whether Flo with the Flu shows up to share her germs with the rest of the staff.  If we focused on getting work done rather than showing up at a specfic time, we might accomplish much more.  Or maybe we'd have more productive hours, thus work less time. 

The Great Divide: Pay Inequality. Whose fault is it?

Recently, I’ve been searching for a regular full time position. I’ve been in my career for almost two decades. During that time, I’ve worked for great companies and some not so great. I started a business, and then later closed that business. Throughout it all, I’ve had some awesome experiences and really developed my skills. Every consulting assignment that I have had, I’ve been asked to stay beyond the initial engagement. Suffice it to say, there have been some dynamic experiences in my career and I feel well qualified to do what I do. And just for good measure, lack of confidence is not something I typically struggle with. So why as women, do we question ourselves about the compensation we expect? Why do we cower when it’s time to talk money?

People that know me well know that I do not fear talking about money in a social setting. To the point that I have even coached others on their money situation and methodologies for handling different circumstances. I know down to the dollar how much I need to earn to maintain my current standard of living. I also do research on what my skills and experience are worth. So imagine my amazement when preparing for a phone interview, I began to question my salary requirements.

Am I asking for too much?
Since it’s not a Fortune 100 company, should I reduce my requirement?

Ultimately, I shook it off and stayed with my established range. But the question lingered, as women, why do we do this? Do men have this same struggle? Do men question themselves on why they ask for what they ask for? I’m reminded of the anecdote in Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In about how she was convinced by her husband to negotiate her salary at Facebook. That said to me that no matter whether you are offered $20,000 or $20,000,000, as women, we are inclined to shy away from standing up for ourselves financially.   So until WE decide that WE are worth it, women's pay will always lag behind.

What do you think?