There’s an old saying that women have to work twice as hard as men to get half as much. While this may have some truth to it, there are things that you may be doing –without realizing it– that limit your upward mobility at work.
Women have come a long way in the workplace. We have fought for the right to work alongside men, the right to be paid the same as them and the right to be treated with respect. There’s no reason why we can’t compete like a man. The question is: why don’t we?
Part of the answer lies in the fact that women unknowingly undermine their credibility and sabotage their careers. In other words, it’s not just the men in HR ruining our chance for a promotion; we do it to ourselves too.
If you find yourself repeatedly being skipped over for a promotion, the following top three mistakes that women make at work might help:
Working too hard
Women often complain that they do more work compared to other people. The truth is no one was ever promoted by hard work alone. According to Frankel, likeability, networking skills, and strategic thinking are some of the other factors needed to grow into a successful career. Instead of working hard all day, skipping lunch and breaks, give yourself permission to “waste” a little time. Spend at least five percent of your day building relationships.
Doing the work of others
Women tend to take responsibility for not only their work, but also the work of others. There’s only one problem with this: while we’re busy doing the grunt work, men are busy building their careers. Promotions are rewarded for a job done, not doing the job. Stop volunteering for low profile assignments. They won’t only zap your time, but also won’t improve your career. Try not to let others delegate their work to you. Practice saying “I’d love to, but I’m just swamped.” There’s no need to explain further. It’s their job, not yours.
Failing to capitalize on relationships
Men rely on relationships to open doors for them. Women view it as taking advantage of a friendship or business partner. You’d trust a referral from one of your business associates, then why wouldn’t the door swing the other way? When in doubt, ask permission to use a colleague’s name. For example, “I’m trying to set up a meeting with George Smith. Would it be all right if I mention that I know you?” See how easy that was?
Know your value and you’ll avoid getting mixed up with these kinds of scenarios.
If you use that gender of yours wisely in order to have your way around in the workplace, you’ll do great.
There are a lot of advantages for being a woman in the workplace . Use them wisely. It’s not always that bad.
People really do abuse situations like this in the workplace. It’s very annoying and they think they can just push women around.
If you ever experience something like this, just leave. It’s not worth it.
Don’t underestimate your capabilities as a woman. Always know your value in the workplace.
Great tips. There are really red flags like this in the workplace.
We are all equal. ?
The only difference I see is the physical strength of men over women. But in terms of intellectual strength, it can be equal.
This is not always applicable. Women can sometimes be stronger than men.
The era that we are in should no longer have this issue. We should have grown smart enough to know that we are all capable of doing everything, regardless if it’s a woman’s task or a man’s task.