The Ethical Optimist

I have a female friend who has worked for a local, multi-million dollar health care company for almost 8 years now. She started as a customer service rep and worked her way up to managing the department. In fact, she’s become the ONLY female manager at the company.

Since that time, the company has been purchased by a major global player, and gobbled up two other companies. My friend has survived four rounds of layoffs as the company has consolidated its holdings and eliminated redundancies to operate more efficiently.

Now, she reports to male managers that are mostly English and Swedish.

In that eight years, she’s actually seen her salary and benefits shrink…being told each time to just hang in there and be a good team player and, ultimately, she’ll be rewarded. Her male managers all know she’s a single mother who desperately needs a local job and the benefits that go with it. In fact, they’ve made mention of it.

Now, as all these changes have taken place, she’s also assumed the responsibilities of two full-time managers in other departments and oversees a staff of about 20. All for about $50K a year…she stopped getting her holiday bonus about 2 years ago when the Brits took over. When she questioned HR, she was told, as a single mother, you’re lucky to have a job.

Today, I had to drop myfriend off at a sexual harrassment training course (her car broke down, and she can’t fix it AND pay the rent). Apparently, some of the male managers have been making “inappropriate” comments to some of the lower level female workers.

She, of course, felt it was a big joke. I can’t blame her. A few off color remarks in the workplace can be handled by those of us who’ve been around the block a bit. What is harder to fight are sexual harrassment issues that go deeper, like the wage discrimination she has to face each and every day.

Luckily for many in the PR industry, men and women are closely compensated. What many women in our industry, as well as others face, is the subtle discrimination against working and single parents. This is especially true in the agency business, where many are expected to work long hours in order to meet billable hour requirements. Many HR folks at large agencies continue to worry about the lack of mid- to senior-level managers, while clients bemoan the fact that their accounts are staffed by inexperienced juniors.

Much of that is the result of “parental” discrimination. Younger, inexperienced workers don’t mind staying late. Those of us who have lives and children don’t have that option, and have decided to leave the large agencies to either go it alone or revise our career expectations.

So, just telling me I have great legs isn’t the basis for training. Companies need to take a deeper looking into what constitutes sexual harrassment in 2008 and beyond.