Negotiating Women

Negotiating Women

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Don’t Let Working From Home Derail Your Career

Working from Home (WFH)
Working From Home (WFH)

As horrible as the Covid-19 situation was, it allowed us to demonstrate that working from home can work if done properly.

And since working from home has traditionally more important to women than to men, it seemed like a good thing. In fact, it might have been the silver lining in the Covid-19 cloud.

Not so fast! Working from home can create career problems that disproportionately affect women.  These include:

  1. Increased work family conflict
    Everything from sharing the workspace to dividing up the household chores to home-schooling the children can create or exacerbate tension.
  2. Access to the right assignments and the right people
    We know that it’s impossible to progress unless one assembles the right portfolio of experience. And although it may not be impossible, it is certainly a lot harder to get ahead without sponsorship.
  3. Being in the room(s) where it happens.
    Out of sight can  mean being out of mind. Working remotely for long periods of time, no matter how productively, can leave you invisible when promotions are decided or important project are staffed.

Don’t let these potential “trip wires” get you off track. Enjoy the flexibility that working from home offers without derailing your career

Negotiating WFH Boundaries Successfully

Working from home (WFH) requires change for those used to working in an office. Among those changes is the fact that negotiations that weren’t necessary before have become de rigeur. Tips for negotiating WFH boundaries successfully can help – these negotiations are with people who matter to you personally.

Tips for Negotiating Working from Home Boundaries Successfully:

  • Plan your ideal work from home situation. Write it all down so that you will be able to negotiate your work from home boundaries successfully. Even if you don’t think it’ll be possible to achieve your ideal situation, having thought it through in detail will be useful when you begin the negotiation.
  • Have the conversation. Take the time to sit down with those who share your space to discuss how you can work most productively – if you fail to fail to do so, expect that you will get in each other’s way. Take control by working things out before they cause problems. For example, decide
    • who will work in which area
    • how you will manage noise
    • how you will indicate to each other when you can be interrupted and when you can’t
  • Listen carefully to be sure you understand the other person’s needs. Too often, we ask questions but we don’t really listen to the answers. Instead, we use the time to plan the next thing we’re going to say. As a result, we deprive ourselves of information we could use to craft a creative solution. In addition, the other party often notices and isn’t pleased.
  • Check in to make sure things are working periodically. Negotiating working from home boundaries successfully is rarely “one and done.” As things change, people will need to renegotiate the agreements they have made to accommodate the changes.
  • Negotiating WFH boundaries successfully is more than about the boundaries agreed to. The ways these negotiations are handled are indicative of the ways people feel about each other and the respect each has for the other’s work.

 

The Gender Pay Gap Is An Issue – Still!


Women can – and should – negotiate to close the gender salary gap. Carol offers the following advice:

  1. Plan ahead. Don’t wait until the “compensation conversation” is about to happen to prepare your case. 
  2. Do your homework. Be sure to help yourself by doing the research required to know what you are worth. Don’t leave money on the table!
  3. Make it easy for the other person to say “yes”. Assuming you are doing a great job, your interests are aligned with your boss’s. Take advantage of that insight to reach an agreement that meets your needs and his/hers. 

 

“Office Housework”: Saying No Requires Finesse

One of the things that can hold women back at work is devoting too much time to what has been called “office housework” or “invisible work”. These are the tasks that make the wheels on the bus go round and round (as the children’s song goes) yet don’t count when performance evaluation time comes around. They include planning the team offsite, on-ramping new employees or taking notes at the meeting — certainly not an exhaustive list, but you get the idea.

The challenge women face is that they are expected to do these kinds things by both men and other women. And, to make matters even more complicated, many women  are very good at them. At the same time, when they spend time on them, they are not accomplishing other, more visible and highly valued tasks which can mean missing out on financial opportunity. What to do? Of course, it depends on the particular situation but the goal is to do your fair share — and no more.

 

Carol Frohlinger’s Advice on Negotiating Salary In Bad Times

You may be wondering, “What are the common mistakes regarding negotiating salary in tough times and how can they be avoided?” 

The most common mistake (and the one that will do you in every time) is a failure to plan for both the facts and the feelings:

  • Be clear about what you want and be prepared to justify it.
    Know what the market rate is for someone with your skills and experience in your geographic area. Consider the pushback you may get and be ready to deal with it in a professional way. Practice the conversation with a friend.
  • Get in the right frame of mind.
    Think about the contributions you’ve made and how they’ve helped the company─ you’ve got to go into the salary negotiation feeling like you deserve to hear “yes”.

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