Gender Parity in the workplace isn’t a new topic. It’s a global issue that’s become even more visible in the post-pandemic world.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about it in his Independence Day speech in 2022. He reiterated the point about his vision for more women in the workplace. This is a sign that the disparity has been noticed.

In fact, at 25%, India has among the lowest female labour force participation (LPR) rates among its emerging market peers.

Another study highlights the significant pay difference between males and females who are engaged in similar kinds of jobs.

That study also states that the low female LFPR can be attributed to various factors like obligations towards the performance of domestic duties, conservative social norms, and lack of flexible work models.

It is also observed that household constraints trump financial need and individual preferences for job choice among women.

There can also be employer gender bias

I recall being invited for a job interview at a German multi-national for a senior finance position. My interviewer made it a point to talk about marital status. He told me they didn’t hire women engineers at entry level because these professionals tended to quit after getting married.

I doubt this company could have done that in Germany but this conversation has stayed in my mind for its lack of political correctness.

The world has changed a lot in the last 17 years. This company now states its commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. I’m sure it also recognizes the issue as a leadership challenge.

COVID-19 Pandemic severely exacerbated existing gendered barriers, widened India’s gender gap in the workforce, and affected (overwhelmingly female) caregivers and frontline workers.

Survey Findings of Impact of Pandemic on Women in July 2021 revealed that women made up just 24% of those working before the pandemic. Yet they accounted for 28% of all those who lost their jobs. Women also constitute 43% of those who are yet to recover their paid work.

Now with Modi taking a stand for women, there is hope because we continue to see his commitment to the cause even in 2024.

The COVID-19 and post-pandemic hybrid work models could become game-changers for many women – offering flexible and more innovative work options with increasingly empathetic work cultures.

Such new work models may improve gender diversity at work, in traditional organizations as well as in the gig economy.

Women face challenges in the workplace globally

This issue is not isolated to only Third World countries or emerging markets.

The problems exist in other countries too, as recorded by PWC in their report Women in Work 2021 which reviewed the impact of COVID-19 on women in work.

The recommendations in that report about policy responses to support economic recovery from COVID-19 need to specifically address the impacts of the pandemic on women.

According to the latest Women in the Workplace Study by McKinsey & Company in 2021, women are more burned out now than they were a year earlier.

It’s a matter of concern that as a result of the pandemic, one in three women has considered leaving the workforce or down shifting their career. This is a significant increase from the one in four in the first few months of the pandemic.

Additionally, 4 in 10 women have considered leaving their company or switching jobs—and high employee turnover in recent months suggests that many of them are following through.

Update February 2024 – Proposed World Bank Gender Strategy.

The formal consultation process on the draft Gender Strategy 2024-30 is closed. A new strategy will be formally launched in 2024.

As their brief affirms, Gender Equality is an urgent imperative.

The brief recognizes the fundamental human right of gender equality for all people, a matter of fairness and justice. It is a foundation for a peaceful and prosperous world and essential for development.

It also acknowledges that achieving gender equality is uniquely challenging and complex.

The WB Gender Strategy 2024-30 proposes a focus on innovation, financing, and collective action to end gender-based violence, elevate human capital, expand and enable economic opportunities, and engage women as leaders.

How can women help improve this situation?

While the policy makers and industry figure out a viable solution, women can do their bit and more.

In my post on champions and sponsors for women in the workplace, I shared quite a few stories where champions had helped raise the profile of women professionals mentoring them to achieve their potential.

In the post-pandemic world, women can support other female co-workers at work.

This is one way to protect gender equity and help women deal with growing challenges.

Many female employees are facing financial insecurity, along with increased burdens on parents and caregivers.

Without additional resources, it’s easy to burn out.

Try these practical strategies for bonding and collaborating with other women.

Cultivate Relationships

A study by Harvard Business Review found that both male and female executives were likely to have a diverse network of well-connected peers.

However, women seeking greater authority and higher pay also needed an inner circle of close female contacts.

Use your skill of Emotional Intelligence to create a difference.

Keep these strategies in mind:

1. Focus on giving. Professional networks and personal friendships depend on helping others. Reach out and share your time and expertise. Perform random acts of kindness and build mutual support.
2. Be selective. The quality of your friendships matters more than the quantity. Find other women who share your values and interests. Move on if someone consistently turns down your invitations to get together or fails to respect your boundaries.
3. Pace yourself. Healthy reciprocal relationships take time to blossom. Be patient. Get to know each other gradually.
4. Have fun. Friends see each other outside of the office and talk about stuff besides spreadsheets and coding. Host parties and organize outings.

Encourage Work-Life Balance

Women continue to bear responsibility for the majority of work at home. The American Psychological Association warns that this causes stress and other health issues and lowers productivity.

Try these techniques to enhance work-life balance:

1. Suggest flexible hours. One upside of the pandemic has been a big increase in the opportunities for remote work. Maybe supervisors at your company are willing to experiment with alternative schedules as long as employees complete their responsibilities.
2. Examine benefits. Let your employer know what perks matter to you and other women in your office. Maybe you’d rather have gym memberships instead of bean bag chairs and coffee machines.
3. Review workloads. Are your performance reviews based on realistic expectations? Discuss the situation with your colleagues to see if adjustments are needed.
4. Take time off. Research shows that excessive overtime and unused vacation days actually lower productivity. Set an example by leaving the office at a reasonable hour. Take advantage of your annual leave.

Develop Leadership Skills

Women at the top are struggling too. The McKinsey report also describes Onlys: women who are the only or one of the only women at their level in the workplace.

They’re more likely to feel pressure to work more and face a variety of microaggressions.

These strategies can help:

1. Support mentoring. Depending on what stage your career is at, you can look for a mentor or become one yourself. You might even do both. These relationships provide guidance and build community.
2. Advocate for others. Unfortunately, there’s some truth in The Devil Wears Prada kind of stereotypes. Even if your company culture tolerates bullying other women, break the cycle. Have the courage and compassion to provide constructive feedback. Help other women advance in their careers.
3. Network with women. Join a professional group for women or start one of your own. Mingle with other women when you attend conferences and follow up with interesting acquaintances.
4. Make referrals. One of the most effective ways to help other women is to make introductions and referrals. Bring others together to find new partners, clients, and friends.

One woman’s success can benefit others too. It’s up to you to do your bit to create an environment that maximizes and celebrates each other’s accomplishments.

When we talk of cultural differences it doesn’t necessarily mean between countries or nations. It can also mean between different parts of your own country.

For example, India, where a huge country with different kinds of people, different cultures depending on whether you’re in the north or the south or east or the west.

In today’s business world, you are bound to encounter colleagues and clients from different backgrounds whether in your own country or internationally.

The exposure to other experiences and perspectives can be enriching, but it can also be challenging to work together effectively.

While it’s important to avoid stereotyping, there are some common situations you can prepare for.

Review these ideas as you think about how to bridge cultural differences in your workplace.

Additional Resources

In the story that I shared about my Japanese colleague and the Leadership Course, things might have worked out differently if everyone had demonstrated Social Intelligence.

That too is important for reducing cultural differences both in the workplace and in our private lives.

Read more here.

Learn more about my recommended resource with this post here or on the image below.

Ever worked in a job where a slacker colleague or subordinate didn’t pull his or her weight in the office that created all round resentment? Not to mention stress?

I’m stating with 100% confidence that we’ve all experienced this particular kind of lazy co-worker who’s gotten our goat at some point or another. How we’ve handled it is a different matter.

Sometimes we’ve covered up for them. Other times we’ve allowed our resentment to be expressed especially when it affects our own work or team morale.

I met my first slacker colleague quite early in my career when I was part of an industrial secondment team for reviewing a Pension Equity Plan that needed financial support from the government.

Things were complicated because the accounting system had developed an issue and the Fund Managers had not done their job properly. Our mandate was to determine what should have been the value of each pensioner’s corpus in the plan.

It wasn’t the most glamorous assignment in the world but one that required concentration and efficiency as we worked towards a deadline. Colleagues were being pulled in from all our offices to work on it. We were put into micro teams to speed up the work.

My team leader and I were putting in the work but one of the secondees in our small team was too busy having extended lunches, doing her shopping and leaving work at closing time!

The rest of our team was eating sandwiches at our workstation at the time and clocking in extra hours.

There came a point when the rest of us couldn’t take more burden. The lady was out and sent packing back to her office.

It was the first time I heard the word slacker.

Since we were assigned a hotel room together and chatted, I thought it was more of a rebellion (more on that later).

A short background about the label of being a slacker

My colleague was definitely a slacker and fits the Wikipedia definition to perfection.

A slacker is someone who habitually avoids work or lacks work ethic.

It seems the term slacker goes as far back at 1790 or 1898 and gained recognition during the British Gezira Scheme in the early to mid-20^th century when Sudanese labourers protested their relative powerlessness by working lethargically, a form of protest known as “slacking”.

The word “slacker” was commonly used in USA during World War I to describe someone who was not participating in the war effort or avoiding military service (later termed as a draft dodger).

It’s not clear when the shift in the use of “slacker” from its draft-related meaning to a more general sense of the avoidance of work happened.

However, slacker has connotations of apathy and aimlessness. Other words that can be used for slacker include idler, do-nothing, loafer and layabout.

It is also used to refer to an educated person who avoids work, possibly as an anti-materialist stance, who may be viewed as an underachiever.

3 points to consider before taking action on the slacker

While slacking in the workplace should be discouraged and better work ethics be indoctrinated, it’s not always black and white.

Context of slacking is important.

For starters, is the person a habitual slacker or is this a one-off being triggered by a different set of circumstances?

The colleague I mentioned earlier had not wanted to come on the assignment. She was forced to do it by her manager who told her to put in 2 weeks and then he’d pull her out for other work.

I know this because we were sharing the hotel room and had some great chats about it.

As a junior trainee at the time, I was amazed she would allow her image to suffer the way she was going about it.

It was a learning lesson for me to be used later in my career – make sure my team members are all in or else find someone else to do the work.

Not everyone is a slacker – sometimes there are other issues going on that can lead to outward symptoms of laziness.

Your colleague might have problems on the home front or be unwell which prevents them from working efficiently.

In such a case, emotional intelligence and empathy are required as well as good management skills to adjust one’s approach.

Maybe give them time off or allow them to work from home while insisting the work has to be done.

Secondly, focus on your own productivity.

I know it’s irritating if your co-worker is not doing their bit but honestly, is their action or lack of it really affecting your productivity?

My colleague’s actions were definitely affecting my work. I was doing more than my share but I was still able to work independently even if I was slower in the evenings because I was tired out.

My team leader had to handle this for all of us. In general, if your productivity is not directly affected, unless you’re the manager, perhaps its best to not raise the issue.

Thirdly, if some minor tasks are slipping through the cracks, you might just consider doing them yourself provided this doesn’t become a routine activity for you.

One-offs are fine, all the time simply encourages bad behavior.

More ways to tackle the lazy Coworker

While it’s not your job to teach your colleague good work ethics, their active participation is required to get the work done.

If the 3 points I mentioned earlier are not enough, then here are 3 ways to handle the situation without adding to your stress.

Make the team member understand their role in the scheme of things. In other words, apply your skill of relationship building. When colleagues are part of creating the solution, they feel more responsible and wouldn’t deliberately let you down.

Maybe my colleague would have acted a little differently if she had not be thrown into the middle of a project. Instead of being told to pour over bank statements and find contributions from pensioners she was told what we were trying to assess.

Restructure your process. If the colleague still doesn’t get the message, you need to be proactive to ensure your productivity and deliverable don’t suffer. Can you restructure your job to bypass the coworker who misses deadlines?

Escalate the matter to your supervisor. This is a last resort tactic and to be used only if all other attempts to get your coworker to do their part of the work fails.

However, make sure you have already documented specific examples of their behavior and the impact on the work process first. Otherwise it can backfire on you.

How to get work out of Slackers when you’re their Manager

My early experience prove to be handy much later in my career when I had to manage a slacker in my Group. The story of extended lunches and leaving on time was further exacerbated with work that wasn’t up to the level required.

I was a new Manager in the Group and had already been apprised about this employee. Let’s say, her reputation preceded her. I wanted to give her the benefit of doubt and see how big a slacker she really was.

As it turned out, the lady had just had her first baby and her heart wasn’t really in the job she had. The office politics had turned dirty for her and she was on a Performance Improvement Plan. On top of it, her heart was set on going a more academic route.

Getting to know her was the best thing I did.

I discovered she had certain unique skills that were valuable for the projects I was doing but hadn’t been utilized by the other Manager in our Group.

She put in her papers about 4 months later when the tug of motherhood got strong and went on to pursue the line of education she wanted. During the time we worked together, this slacker was the most efficient professional I had!

There was no secret sauce or magic involved. Simply applying Emotional Intelligence with a good dose of trying to understand what made the other person tick.

Being a good manager means bringing out the best in one’s team while also ensuring the goals of the organization and those of the employee are aligned. I share another example with tips in my blog post How to bring out the best in reporting colleagues.

Quite often employees fall behind because they need training in skills. They refrain from telling their manager or coworker about it for fear of looking incompetent.

If you’re a manager, be proactive in identifying skills gaps. Ensure the employee under your charge is given access to the training, whether its offsite or an online course.

Some tips about getting the lazy team member to start pulling their weight are:

Share the big picture with the employee.

Employees will feel more engaged and motivated if they understand the purpose behind their activities. Talk about how their efforts contribute to the good of the organization and help others.

For example, a monthly report is being prepared for top management. You ask someone to pull out numbers without telling them the importance of those numbers and you might end up having to double check.

In contrast, when the person knows the relevance of the numbers, they’ll make sure their work leaves little to criticize.

Clarify roles.

Give staff members unique responsibilities to increase accountability. Design tasks that leverage their personal strengths.

As I discovered my team member had unique skills when it came to analyzing financial instruments and creating templates that could be used to plug and play for different clients. Imagine how many hours of work she saved us on different clients with complex loans and financial instruments!

Establish measurable goals and reward progress.

Employees may under perform if standards are imprecise. Set targets they can aim for, like number of billable hours per month or milestones to be achieved per quarter.

Follow up to let employees know that their accomplishments will be noticed and appreciated. Praise them for taking on a heavier workload successfully.

I had a boss who used to take us out for a meal when we’d successfully complete a difficult assignment or give us time off. Give the whole office an extra day off to reinforce a sense of teamwork.

Ask for input.

If you’re unsure how to proceed, enlist the employee’s cooperation by asking them for their feedback. They may be able to suggest whether they need closer supervision or a quieter workspace. Just being consulted may help them to feel more engaged.

That’s how I discovered my team member’s special skills. I asked her for her feedback and views, and she showed me a template she’d been working on.

The point I’m trying to make is one doesn’t have to go after the lazy employee with a whip to get work out of them. Sometimes trying to understand them and leveraging their skills can actually turn the situation around for everyone.

Besides, it makes us better coworkers and managers and develops our people skills too.

I knew it was a question the corporate world and employees would have to face at some point of time.

Going into a lockdown to save lives and contain the spread of COVID-19 was important. It was equally important to reopen the business world if economies were to survive. We needed to prevent the kind of global meltdown we experienced in 2008.

While essential services like banking, telecom, energy, medical and essential food supplies required a minimum number of employees to report to the workplace, many experienced the work from home scenario for the first time.

I know this firsthand because my contact person for my internet and mobile services was fielding complaints and providing solutions from home.

I salute the COVID Warriors who stepped up to the plate and showed up each day to make the lives of the rest of us easier.

From the questions I was being asked on Quora and other forums, I was also aware of the loss of jobs and threat of job loss if people didn’t come into work.

Many were not aware of the advisories issued by the government or their legal rights because redundancies are relatively uncommon in India.

It’s still considered by many to be a blue-collar labor problem for which trade unions exist to protect the worker rights. Not many knew that it could happen to a white collar professional.

There were tacit hints of fear about the future of their jobs and what would happen.

How prepared were businesses to operate in the new scenario?

Governments around the world are not insensitive to the needs of the economy. Stimulus packages have been created to meet the need of jumpstarting the economy in the days after lockdowns were lifted or eased even as cases continue to be reported.

But was the corporate world ready with the right infrastructure to enable remote working?

Were they prepared for the time when workers would return to the workplace or factory?

The Economic Times surveyed both India headquartered companies as well as multinationals not headquartered in India, covering sectors including auto, banking and financial services, consulting, engineering design, education, FMCG, healthcare, technology, IT-enabled services, manufacturing, pharma among others between April 21 to April 23.

The survey revealed that more than 60% of companies were in advanced stages of planning for business operations post the ending of lockdown 2.0 on May 3^rd and the commencement of Lockdown 3.0 when certain relaxations were allowed.

Of the companies surveyed more than 40% were proactively looking at containment measures to insulate their business. Roughly 12 per cent were still trying to figure out how to operate in the post-lockdown environment.

In the meantime, India Inc learned to work from home with remote teams, remote engagement and the necessary safeguards at the workplace to protect employees and customers.

While not all companies were at the same page in terms of their preparations, they all understood the need for agility. A new set of guidelines for both corporations and individuals started to emerge.

But being technologically prepared is just one part of the problem, companies have to be psychologically prepared too.

Organizations need to be alert and empathetic to the needs of employees working from home.

(Source: Coronavirus: Health scare forces work from home, but is India Inc ready?)

Then there is the issue of requiring employees to return to the workplace and dealing with their fear of risking infection.

The IBM Study: COVID-19 Is Significantly Altering U.S. Consumer Behavior and Plans Post-Crisis,  polled more than 25,000 U.S. adults in the month of April to understand how COVID-19 has affected their perspectives on a number of issues. This included retail spending, transportation, future attendance at events in large venues, and returning to work.

The results revealed Americans didn’t want to go back to the office.

In particular:

• 54% want remote work to be their primary way of working
• Over 75% said they would like to continue to work remotely at least occasionally
• Almost 40% indicated they feel strongly that their employer should provide employee opt-in remote work options when returning to normal operations

It isn’t just India or the USA, my international clients tell me about how their organizations are dealing with the situation.  They are giving options to employees to come into the workplace or wait till the second wave of return to the office while continuing to work from home.

The fear and anxiety are universal. I’ve seen the sentiments of the IBM survey voiced by professionals in other parts of the world too.

How to deal with returning to the workplace anxiety

Besides the normal day to day hustle and immense stress of daily living in the modern world, we now have a pandemic to contend with. We have to deliver in our jobs in the perpetual shadow of a possible COVID-19 infection.

Unfortunately, dealing with anxiety has become somewhat of a normal part of life for many individuals in the world today.

Although this problem is not necessarily a new phenomenon, there are certain aspects of our current situation that have served to exacerbate the issue.

Furthermore, we are expected to juggle more responsibilities at one time, all while being as productive as possible.

Although anxiety certain varies in intensity and frequency from person to person, there are a few ways to deal with the problem that are beneficial for anyone experiencing this issue.

Let’s look at a few techniques in order to alleviate some of your anxiety and prove you’re a good responsible professional.

Control What You Can Control

The truth is, many of the issues causing anxiety in your life right now are beyond your control.

This includes global and community issues as well as problems in your personal life.

What you need to realize is that the weight of the world is NOT on your shoulders, even though it can certainly seem like it at times.

Anxiety tells you that you should be worried about solving problems that are way out of your hands.

In reality, focusing on the issues that you actually have the ability to resolve is a much healthier response to a problem-filled world.

Coming back to the workplace and fear of returning to work, remember that the employer has the obligation to provide a safe place to work. They need to follow reasonable safety standards for their industry as well as government mandates and advisories that are in effect at this time.

The cost to company for employing you isn’t just the salary you earn; they also have responsibilities for you during the working hours.

Companies would thus set parameters and hours for employees, whether they come into the workplace or choose to work from home because without those parameters, they might become liable for overtime.

More importantly they need this for employee insurance purposes where the insurer needs to know about the employees who are working from home in case of an accident and whether the employee is covered.

So, trust they will do the right thing by their employees and set up the right protocols to protect everyone.

It’s Okay to Not Feel Okay

Another side effect of anxiety is a feeling of isolation. People experiencing anxiety on a routine basis tend to feel like they are the only ones dealing with this issue.

Because of this perspective, we often feel like everyone else is much happier than we are, like we won’t be accepted if anyone else knew the extent of our anxiety. It is so important to realize that this is far from the truth.

Everyone around you is experiencing some degree of anxiety or mental hang up. You are far from alone. Don’t feel like you have to go through life acting as if everything is okay when it isn’t.

When it comes to going back to work, it is natural for you to not feel completely comfortable with the situation.

There could be a number of reasons for that.

One important reason would be if you’re not feeling safe returning to work because you’re a high-risk employee (i.e. you have a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 or your age is 65 or over).

In such a situation, if HR is not already aware of your situation, you need to communicate it to your employer in writing and let them work around the challenge rather than put yourself at risk and get stressed out about it.

Even if you’re not in a high-risk category and your employer has taken adequate precautions to protect you, it is normal to have concerns.

Talk to your boss or to HR about it and communicate your anxiety and concern and request if you could be brought back in the second wave of reopening especially if there are other employees who could be brought back first.

Good companies don’t like to lose valuable employees. You might even be able to negotiate using any accrued leave to compensate for the delayed return if your job responsibilities cannot be performed from home.

Reach out for Help If You Need It

Finally, if your anxiety is something you are having trouble dealing with on your own, then ask for help.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with seeking professional help for this issue. Ironically, our society welcomes getting help for even minor physical ailments. Yet they act as if doing the same for a serious mental issue is taboo.

Consider this, if you had a toothache, you would most certainly seek a dentist to take care of it.

Why would you not seek a doctor that is medically trained in alleviating mental health issues if you are dealing with anxiety?

There is help out there, get it if you need it!

Finally, learn to take things one day at a time and practicing stress management techniques to lesson anxiety and build resilience.

Live in the moment. This means focusing all of your physical and mental energy on what is going on right now. Not only does this simplify life, it also allows you to get the most out of your limited time.

That’s how I’ve been dealing with the Lockdown and it has made things less stressful than they needed to be.

If you want to understand how your mind is processing the situation and find your own unique solution, remember to download the worksheet How to Overcome Trying Situations By Changing Your Mind here or by clicking the below image.

A recent question on Quora broke my heart. The person must be in a lot of pain to ask this question on an open forum.

I was given a “doesn’t meet expectations” rating in my annual review. My manager never told me anything throughout the year. Should I leave?

It brought back memories of the time I lost out on an important promotion and how I was guided not to give up but demonstrate I had what it took.

Despite the desire to run away, I took the advice and never looked back in the course of my corporate career.

Fortunately for me, my Group Manager had high Emotional Intelligence. He not only informed me in advance about this but had done it in a manner that I could hear what was being said. My guide too understood my situation while giving me sound advice.

It’s difficult to answer a question on Quora without knowing the full facts. If I was this person, I would inquire about the rating and take it up through the right channels.

Obviously, this person is still a valuable asset otherwise they would have been dismissed.

Perhaps there is an expectation communication gap that needs to be filled.

There is no way the manager would not have sent out signals or spoken to this professional. In the case that the manager didn’t, it indicates a lack of feedback skills. Perhaps both the manager and employee need more soft skill training.

They definitely need training in Emotional Intelligence.

When it comes to workplace happiness, most people get in their own way. The biggest obstacle that many people face with workplace happiness is low emotional intelligence.

I’ve covered the top 3 signs of low emotional intelligence in this post.

Emotional intelligence is your ability to identify and manage your emotions, as well as those of other people.

How you manage your feelings at work can make all the difference in your career.

Here are some of the top ways that you can put emotional intelligence to work.

Practice Deep and Focused Listening

While communicating with colleagues, you always want to practice deep and focused listening.

When the other person is speaking, avoid rehearsing your response. Instead, make it a point to focus your mind and attention on asking clarifying questions to help you better understand what the person is saying.

At the end of the conversation, make sure that you summarize and provide feedback on what you think you heard the individual say. Then ask if your summary is an accurate portrayal of the conversation.

Start Paying Attention to Body Language

When you’re at work, start noticing the body language or nonverbal communications of those around you. Pay attention and learn to recognize when body language isn’t consistent with the words being spoken.

Start getting used to interpreting body language as a way to understand the complete communication of your colleagues and employees. With practice, you will get better at recognizing nonverbal signs.

Coming back to the Quora question, it is quite possible the professional missed the body language cues.

Avoid the urge to Blame Others

Take responsibility for your actions and outcomes.

People who always blame others for their misfortunes are never successful in their personal or professional life.

When you get caught up in useless behaviors and emotions, you end up losing precious time and perspective that could help you create a more enjoyable work experience.

If you fill your workday with blame and venting, you’re only setting yourself up for even more disappointment and dissatisfaction.

Instead of looking at externals or other people to take the rap for your situation, stop and consider how much you have contributed by your actions to the outcome. Think of how you will handle similar situations in the future.

You may not be able to change what’s happened but at least you will avoid future mistakes.

Check Your Attitude

You can increase your emotional intelligence and make your workplace more enjoyable if you check your attitude.

If you go to work with a sour mood, or always see everyone else as wrong, you’re the one that will ultimately lose out. Your attitude is a matter of perspective, and your perspective matters.

If you try telling the story from someone else’s eyes, you’ll start seeing different ways that you can change your plan and increase your emotional intelligence at work.

This is where practicing the skill of perceptual positions helps to create harmony and improve working relationships.

If you find yourself unhappy with your current job, you may need to work on your emotional intelligence.

Utilize these simple ways for putting your emotional intelligence to work for you. Start enjoying all the opportunities that begin to present themselves.

Looking for a practical method to enhance your Emotional Intelligence? You want this self-study bundle.

Get The Ultimate Guide to Developing Emotional Intelligence

Everyone knows about sexual harassment in the workplace and the #MeToo Movement has brought it back into media attention.

But did you know there is something called non-sexual harassment that is equally bad for employee morale and mental health?

Workplace harassment according to Wikipedia is the belittling or threatening behavior directed at an individual worker or a group of workers.

In fact, under occupational health and safety laws around the world, workplace harassment and workplace bullying are identified as being core psycho-social hazards.

Harassment in the workplace has far-reaching impact on the health and well-being of the employee, as well as on their job stability and job satisfaction.

For legal purposes, workplace harassment is based on the victim’s national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender, or other characteristic that is protected by a country or states laws.

Workplace harassment in general refers to objectionable or unwelcome conduct, comments, or actions by an individual at any event or location related to work which can reasonably be expected to offend, intimidate, humiliate or degrade the other person.

It can take many forms ranging from being disrespectful, condescending and degrading to a targeted individual to more physical forms such as physical assault, sexual assault, bullying or even threat of harm.

Overbearing supervision, constant criticism, and blocking promotions are all considered workplace harassment.

Whichever form this harassment takes, the harasser often does so with the intention of making the victim feel uncomfortable.

Workplace harassment is not always between the opposite genders – even same sex workers can choose a victim of their own gender to focus their hostility or uncivil behaviour.

What’s important is how the victim feels. Sadly most cases of harassment or bullying are not reported until the time of the employee quitting their job and stating it in their exit interview.

Workplace bullying: Bulk typing of tax returns became an office issue

I experienced workplace bullying quite early in my career at the hands of a female Head of Department. To the outside world it appeared as if she was giving me work to do but there was more going on than met the eye.

It started out innocently enough. As the junior most employee in the firm, I often found myself with spare time on my hands between audits and kept busy doing small tasks for my supervisor.

One of them was typing the tax returns for our clients when the secretary went on leave. Simple for me since I had taken typing classes in the interim period between leaving school and joining University.

The Head of Department discovered I could type and asked if I could help her too. Of course my supervisor and I could not refuse her request but then I found a pile of typing on my desk every morning. This went on for a month and I could not do anything about it even though I resented it.

The Secretary had come back from her leave but the Head of Department insisted I do it because of my typing speed.

Things came to a head when I was getting ready to visit an audit site with my supervisor but was pulled back to do bulk typing.

Perhaps I was young and daring or the fact that I knew I was leaving for London in 3 months and would be free of this lady I decided to speak my piece.

The next day I walked into the Managing Partner’s office and told him I wanted to quit because I didn’t want to type!

I was so scared and intimidated by the Head of Department that this meeting went on for an hour with the Managing Partner slowly coaxing out the details from me. I told him the supervisor was not intervening and how I felt.

All this time, the Head of Department was walking up and down outside his office and this fact didn’t miss his eye.

I was frightened to leave his room and he poor man was stuck with a scared young woman.

The situation was resolved with his telling me to tidy up some papers for him while he went out for a client meeting. I was assured he would look into the matter but also given one of the first valuable bits of guidance in my career – to stand up for myself and refuse to do a task if it felt demeaning.

The next day the Head of Department was fired for creating a toxic work environment. Clearly she was good at her work but failed as a Leader.

My supervisor and another senior member invited me out for lunch that day and apologized for not protecting me.

As I learned later, the entire team had met up with the Managing Partner earlier and had offered to resign on the grounds of harassment.

The boss was still thinking of a resolution when I came in with my complaint and he took the only action possible to restore the workplace moral.

It was a tough call as this Head of Department was a valuable employee, but as a Leader, he did what he had to do.

5 Common Types of Workplace Harassment

Since then I’ve learned more about the different ways workplace harassment or bullying can happen. In addition to sexual harassment and quid pro quo harassment (sexual favors for a promotion or pay rise or even to avoid being fired) here are some that come to mind.

I’m sure there are other types out there too but these are the most common.

Discriminatory – All unlawful workplace harassment is discriminatory and is defined by its intention instead of how it is carried out. Examples include racial, gender, religious, disability-based, sexual-orientation and age based harassment.

Personal – This is more about bullying, intimidation and hostility and can cause emotional damage. Personal harassment includes personal humiliation, inappropriate or offensive jokes, ostracizing and even criticism.

Physical – Here physical violence or threats are made to the victim and in extreme cases even assault. If it makes the receiver uncomfortable to be touched, it comes under the radar of harassment.

Power – This is a common form of harassment where the harasser exercises their powers over the victim who is lower down the pecking order at work. This is exactly what happened to me with the mountains of typing in my earlier example.

Psychological – Here the victim is put down on a personal or professional level or even both impacting their sense of worth and self-esteem. It can include belittling the views or suggestions of the victim whether in private or in a meeting or even discrediting the victim openly to form a public opinion about the victim.

The Blurred Lines between friendly Office banter and Harassment

Sometimes the line between an office joke or banter and being made a victim of harassment become blurred. I suggest you consider how you feel in order to determine the difference and exercise your emotional intelligence.

A timely action can make a bigger difference to your workplace culture than you might realize.

Writing this blog post brought back memories of the time when a fellow Senior Manager called out to me as I was leaving the office to stay back as he wanted to drop me home that evening. It came as a surprise. I wondered if he was hitting on me or just being funny.

I saw his team looking at me intently for a reaction.

We had an open office floor plan and I could feel the pairs of eyes behind my back waiting for a response. As a new Manager in the office, I realized my next move would make or break my reputation.

I gave a witty repartee to the effect that if he could finish his work on time, I could give him a lift in my car because I preferred sitting behind the steering wheel.

The entire office exploded in laughter and I walked out.

But this remark kept bothering me on the drive home. Should I give him the benefit of the doubt or was there another insinuation?

I knew I had to nip it in the bud before it happened again.

The next day I made an appointment with the Partner he reported to and told him about what had happened.

Instead of lodging a complaint, I explained that such jokes could be misunderstood by the office staff and while I could laugh it off, a younger woman might create a scene or take matters to HR and this particular manager’s reputation could be sullied.

The Partner said he would look into it.

A week later, the Partner’s Executive Assistant told me that the Manager had been counselled by HR based on my complaint.

But he also told me something that shocked me. Mine was not the first time this had happened!

A few months earlier there was a woman Executive who had filed a complaint about this Manager’s insisting he drop her home during an audit she was working on and his getting aggressive when she declined. The matter had been resolved by transferring her to another audit team.

I guess the Manager had been given the benefit of doubt the first time but when I came along with my complaint presented as a suggestion, action was taken.

Was the Manager trying to be friendly and having it backfire? Was it sexual harassment or plain bullying based on Power or Psychological games? I leave it to you to figure out.

How to handle workplace bullying

My overarching recommendation whether you are facing harassment or not is to always read the Organization’s Code of Conduct and Policies as well as be aware of their procedures for reporting harassment.

You also need to handle the situation exercising Emotional Intelligence.

Here is a 4 step plan to handle the situation.

Step 1 – Identify the type of harassment you are facing

Is it sexual harassment or workplace-related harassment?

This clarification will determine how you should proceed.

The next 2 steps require being assertive.

Step 2 – You need to be assertive, demonstrate you have self-respect and confront the harasser

Similar to how I handled my co-worker, you need to be frank and firm and discourage such behaviour.

Keeping quiet and hoping things will change is not the solution as it encourages the harasser to continue with his or her behaviour. In other words, nip it in the bud.

This requires confronting the harasser and letting them know their behaviour is inappropriate in a calm manner and not in the form of an office scene. My tips on stun gunning the meanie will help here.

This step has 2 benefits. Firstly, if the harasser had not meant to upset you, it clears the air. Secondly, if the intention of the harasser is to make you feel uncomfortable, then this will serve as an adequate warning.

If the face to face discussion indicates the intent is not innocent, then document the details of the incident and the need to stop the behaviour on email to the harasser. This will serve as proof that you had already cautioned the harasser to cease and desist from his activity.

Normally at this stage things should resolve but if they don’t, then you need to prepare for intervention at a higher level.

Step 3 – Document the incident for Intervention

For this, first document the incident and get as many facts ready as possible. This will include the nature of the incident, witnesses to the incident, the time and place.

Management and HR will need to verify your complaint and also talk to the person being accused of harassing you before they can take action. Be specific and clear in your documentation and be ready to discuss your complaint with HR or any internal committee that your employer has to remedy such situations.

This is where the Code of Conduct and Office Policies are important as you can allude to them too.

The inquiry procedure can go on for some time so be prepared to be called in for more information.

Step 4 – Decide your next move

A good company will handle your complaint professionally and counsel both parties. Nobody likes to lose good employees.

If the results are not satisfactory or if you feel your complaint has not been handled properly, then it’s time to consider whether you really want to work in that organization.

Sometimes finding another job with a healthier workplace culture and environment is a solution.

Your exit should be done with dignity and grace. You would need a reference and burning bridges is not a good idea.

Consult a good lawyer conversant with the laws and regulations of your country on this matter for the next step you should take to ensure you aren’t victimized if you intend to leave the employer and make sure any agreement you sign with the employer doesn’t compromise your rights.

Have you ever experienced workplace harassment? How did you handle it?