My first reaction after hearing about Salesforce’s Trailblazing Women Summit was “ugh, not another women in IT panel”. But as I tuned in, I was pleasantly surprised by the great group of hosts and guests. (Especially recommended: the story of Claudia L. Gordon who spoke about challenges faced by women with disabilities.) The conversations radiated warmth and compassion that was a stark contrast with the typical “panel” cringe. Kudos to the organizers.
One quote from the event press coverage caught my attention.
[…] the average woman in business spends about 200 more hours a year on non-promotable work – cleaning cups after a meeting, mentoring the new starter, organizing the office birthday party – than men.
Back in the days of work in an office, I was totally guilty of random cup washing. Not because of my gender but because there is something in the combination of running water with repetitive activity that helps clear my head of ABAP. But with other examples mentioned, I wonder why is this non-promotable activity in the first place? Is celebrating birthdays and office camaraderie not important for your organization? And mentoring is not promotable? How come?
It’s about time we start recognizing the value of community work that women clearly tend to do more of instead of asking them to be more like… well, men. JP
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