Mika Brzezinski, co-host of “Morning Joe” and founder of Know Your Value interviewed Carol Frohlinger, President of Negotiating Women, Inc. at the Comcast Technology Center in Philadelphia on September 20.

The conversation, which took place in front of approximately 60 high performing employees of Independence Blue Cross, covered a wide range of FAQs about negotiation. It began by polling the audience about their experience about whether gender matters in negotiation. The overwhelming response was that it does.

Delving deeper into the research about gender and negotiation, Mika asked Carol about the following questions:

• is it true that the reason women don’t get what they deserve in the workplace is that “they don’t ask”?
• what are the kinds of things women should negotiate for in the workplace?
• what are the kinds of ways women can get in their own way when they negotiate?
• how can women get out of their own way?

Carol also shared her top tips for successful negotiation outcomes.

Carol talked with Anne Fisher of Fortune about the ways women can – and should – negotiate to close the gender salary gap. Among the advice Carol offered is the following:

1. Plan ahead. Don’t wait until the “compensation conversation” is about to happen to prepare your case. You can read more about how to plan in the article.
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. 

 

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.

Read more about Carol’s perspective here.