MARY KAY SCULLY
BENCHMARKS & BEST PRACTICES
Time To Revolt Against ‘More Work, Less Pay’ Establishing and embracing roles, inside and outside of the workplace. BY MARY KAY SCULLY | CONTRIBUTING WRITER, NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL
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oming on the heels of Women’s History Month, let’s continue the celebration of women and acknowledge the superhumans that we are. From leading the home to leading in the office, women take on many roles. Many women with families currently serve as caretakers, taxi drivers, line cooks, housekeepers and, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers, and tutors. In a recent Forbes article, contributor Maggie Germano stated that women are eight times more likely than men to look after sick children or manage their children’s schedules. Additionally, women are heavily involved in their professional work. In fact, despite having already heavy workloads in the office, women also take on more work when asked by supervisors, clients, and colleagues. “Gender Differences in Accepting
and Receiving Requests for Tasks with Low Promotability,” written by Linda Babcock, Maria P. Recalde, Lise Vesterlund and Laurie Weingart, shows that where people worked in groups composed of men and women, women were 48% more likely to volunteer than their male counterparts, thus taking on more work. Furthermore, when it comes to salary, 60% of women surveyed said they have never negotiated their salary, compared to 48% of men surveyed, according to a salary and compensation statistics on the impact of COVID-19 report by Randstad. Simply put, women are taking on more work and responsibilities, getting paid less and accepting it as the ‘norm.’
PATHS AND PRIORITIES For some women, their priorities and what they value may look different compared to others in their office. Home life versus work life may be more of a focus, which could partially explain why only 25% of women are represented in C-suite positions. Possibly, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many are acknowledging that work and life aren’t really in balance
– one usually takes priority over the other. In fact, according to McKinsey & Company’s recent “Women in the Workplace” study, due to the COVID 19 crisis, 1 in 4 women are contemplating downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce. Additionally, it is entirely possible that some women may enjoy the extra time with their family or freedom while not being in a physical office space, leading to greater satisfaction in their current roles and the desire to shy away from promotions or changes in roles as it could potentially take away from that time with their families. Other women may view it through a different lens and see it as an opportunity to put themselves out there for another role, or progress in their career. While there is a difference between roles at home and roles at work, it is important to note that one is not better than the other. It simply depends on the individual and what makes the most sense for them.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PRIORITIES A REALITY Once you’ve figured out what’s most important to you, where do you start? The first step is to
Determine a cadence of communication that works so you don’t lose touch.
