March 20, 2006

Does The Boys Club Have Room for a Pregnant Woman?

Recent organizational changes led to Grant being promoted to site leader for a manufacturing company. As Grant assembled his management team, many of the “old guard” were moved into positions of lesser scope and, one by one, left the company. The departures included virtually all of the women who had managerial responsibility under the old regime.

Not surprisingly, the organization was nervous about what the changes meant for them. A climate of fear was pervasive as employees saw Grant’s male friends being moved into positions of power. Many employees began looking for new jobs as they tried to figure out whether Grant liked them or not.

Connie had been at the company for two years and was expecting her first child. Under her previous boss, the work environment was relaxed with emphasis placed on doing good work rather than doing things for the sake of appearances. Employees in her department took breaks when they needed to rather than based on a predetermined schedule. Employees were trusted to do what needed to be done.

As a result of the reorganization, Connie got a new boss who, at Grant’s direction, instituted a more rigid schedule. Be at your desk by 8:00am, a 15 minute break at 10:00am, lunch from 12:00pm to 1:00pm, a 15 minute break at 3:00pm, leave after 5:00pm. Never mind that the work did not require this type of scheduling, these were the new rules.

50% of you should be able to anticipate what one of Connie’s concerns was about the schedule. Being three months pregnant, nature is working on its own schedule and that does not always cooperate with one’s work schedule. Connie was afraid that she was going to get fired if she had to take additional breaks beyond what was allowed in the new schedule.

Come on! You have got to be kidding, right? Nope, I am not kidding. The story is true. Connie’s fear may seem irrational to us, but her fear is real. And the organization, in the way they have managed the change process, has done nothing to allay her concerns or those of other employees.

In managing the change process, the organization has failed to do an adequate job of understanding the consequences of its actions on employee perceptions. When senior women leave the organization or get moved into jobs with lesser responsibility it does not send a positive message to the other 300 women that remain (over 50% of the workforce). If you think people in organizations don’t notice these changes and interpret what it means for them, get real!

If every action has an equal and opposite reaction, organizations would be wise to anticipate what the reactions to a change might be and have a plan for dealing with them. In the absence of credible communication from trusted leaders, employees will make up their own stories about what the truth is and what they should fear. Without safe places where employees can raise their questions and express their concerns without fear of retribution, they will gossip with their peers and update their resumes.

Posted by Greg Robinson at 03:08 PM | Comments (4)