Minding your office etiquette at Kellogg
We often think that women are treated equally within the sheltered confines of the Hub, but that's not always the case. Many Kellogg women report that when in class groups, they are the one who:
- schedules meetings,
- takes notes,
- writes on the whiteboard,
- is interrupted, and
- doesn't receive credit for her ideas.
Let's take a look at how these affect women and how we might improve the class group culture at Kellogg.
Office Housework
"Office housework" refers to administrative tasks that help the office but don't pay off in the long run, like scheduling meetings and taking notes. Because of societal norms, women are more likely to be asked to do such tasks and more frequently volunteer to do them. To prevent women (or any individual) from always being saddled with these chores, consider establishing a formal rotation of these roles (e.g. having a different scheduler and note-taker for each meeting).
Even simpler, if you don't mind taking on one of the roles, then be proactive in doing it yourself. In fact, Richard Branson (founder of the Virgin Group) has started taking his own notes and expects meeting attendees to do the same.
If you need to ask someone else to do the office housework, don't default to asking just the women. Understand that it's just as okay for a woman to say no as it is for a man, and when the work is completed, recognize the work rather than letting it go unnoticed.
Interruptions
Numerous studies point to how men habitually interrupt women more than they interrupt each other. Often, the interruptions result in a man taking credit for the woman's contribution. Whether or not this is intentional, it has real impacts on women:
- Do nothing, and their ideas are trampled over by others.
- Speak up and say something, and they risk being viewed as overly aggressive.
Female executives who speak more than their peers are viewed as less competent, even though the opposite is true for male executives.
The good news is that preventing interruption is straightforward. But we need to recognize when it's happening and take action.
The easiest place to start is simple manners: don't interrupt, and let others finish their thoughts! Be an active listener in meetings and conversations, and approach them with the mentality that you'll learn something, rather than you already know everything there is to be said.
Next, create rules so that interruption is not allowed within meetings, and set norms so that credit is given where it's due so that men don't run away with women's ideas. Try using phrases like "As ____ said..." or "I liked ____'s idea of...".
Finally, speak up. When you an interruption happens in a meeting, it's not difficult to say "I want to hear the rest of that thought" or "wait, we'll get to you next." Make sure to communicate so that interruption doesn't become the norm.
Upcoming Events!
Women's Preview Day
Friday, October 18
The WBA is looking for student volunteers for Women's Preview Day on Friday, October 18th. Students (both men and women) are welcome to sign up for breakfast (8:30am-9:30am), lunch (12:00pm-1:15pm; second years and 1Ys only), and taking prospective students to TG at the end of the day (4:45pm-5:15pm). This is a fantastic opportunity to represent Kellogg and share your experiences to help recruit prospective female students! Please reach out to Kristina Petersen or Marie-Eve Petitclerc-Demers with questions.
Sign up here.
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