The Male Manager and Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
As a male it is not easy writing about PMS. There are many females, especially those local to the Bay Area, that would say ‘don’t even try!’ There are some that would say things like ‘men have their own PMS and menopause’. And so on.
But just because a topic is a difficult one does not mean that it should be avoided. And over the years I have seen PMS become a workplace issue. My thoughts and observations come strictly from a business perspective and not from a personal bias. For the record, my mother, my sister and my wife are all women.
If my comments are viewed as simplistic please consider that my comments are by a male for male managers. I have not personally encountered problems with female managers addressing a PMS issue with female employees although I am certain that it has occurred. Female managers, as well as female employees, are much more open to addressing PMS as a workplace issue.
It has been my experience that PMS is different for each woman — some women feel there is no such thing, some are incapacitated and others have a ‘good month and then a bad month’. PMS involves a ‘cycle of life’ and this cycle can be very different from woman to woman.
Even the medical community is not in agreement about PMS. Is PMS a monthly form of disability? Should employers recognize PMS and plan their schedules and workflow around it? Is PMS something that is private and something that is ‘no business’ of the employer? I have heard many different opinions. Unfortunately for male managers, no one has developed a workable ‘PMS strategy’ in the workplace.
PMS in the workplace comes in three basic forms with negative implications: absenteeism, reduced productivity and disruptions. Male managers often do not consider that PMS may be an issue. When I am speaking with a male manager, and the discussion involves a female employee’s absenteeism, loss of production or disruptions, one of the questions I ask is ‘how often do these problems occur?’ This is a question I ask about all employees — male or female. The male manager will think, pull out statistics, scratch his head and say ‘about once a month around this time.’ And not even consider that PMS may be involved.
When I bring up this possibility the male manager’s typical response is avoidance — it can’t be, we can’t talk about it, we don’t want to know about it, etc. The problem with avoidance is that it provides no rationale for absenteeism, low production or disruptions. If a female employee does have a PMS problem and management will not acknowledge that problem then the employee can be assessed as being lazy, not interested or a troublemaker. This is not fair to the female employee.
How a male manager addresses PMS is the real question. One thing is clear — avoidance is not the solution. From the workplace perspective the avoidance of PMS is a male problem. Females tend to speak about PMS much more openly — even to males. Males often ‘don’t want to talk about that.’
What is a male manager to do? As with most management issues the answer is conditional and situational. There is no formula. However, I have seen some methods to resolve the avoidance problem.
Depending on the situation, a female employee or female manager can be of great help. Having a female speak about PMS to another female employee is not so much a ‘woman thing’ as it is a ‘man thing’. Care has to be taken here about confidentiality and other ethical management issues. When a male manager acknowledges the problem but feels helpless the first thing I ask is — is there another female that can help?
Once the problem is acknowledged the solution is much easier. Managers can reassign workload, give time off, give compensatory time off, etc. This can also be done when teams manage themselves. Again, the real negatives occur when the problem cannot be acknowledged.
There are no easy answers. Like most difficult problems awareness is the first step — simply creating awareness can bring improved results. For businesses trying to become more ‘human organizations’ it is important to consider human needs. PMS is part of the life cycle — not just a ‘female’ problem. For the male manager, it is important to realize female employees deserve the consideration!
Jack D. Deal is the owner of Deal Business Consulting. He can be contacted at jddeal@jddeal.com Related articles can be found at http://www.jddeal.com and http://www.freeandinquiringmind.typepad.com
5 Keys to Balance for the Work-at-Home Mom
Phew. I just got breakfast on the table for my preschooler and I can sit down at the computer for a minute. I can finally check my morning email. “Mom!” I run over to the kitchen. Cherrios are all over the floor and now I hear the baby waking up. Little does the customer know on the other end of the computer that this email will have to wait for an unforeseen amount of time today. Oh, the life of the work-at-home mom! Can you relate?
Since being in business for myself, I’ve really had to step back on more than one occasion and re-evaluate where my priorities were. How could I put my family first, yet continue my dreams of building my business? Well, I think I’ve come up with a few answers that have worked well for me.
1. Sacrifice Means Giving More
Because I know that once my children start their day, my day revs up to speed mode the second they wake up. That leaves me virtually no time to work on business. And I’ve learned that in my situation, that’s OK! Isn’t that why I chose to be home in the first place? So sometimes that means I have to sacrifice some of my time early in the mornings before the rest of my family wakes up. I can guarantee that if I wake up 2-3 hours before the rest of the alarms go off in the house, those hours will be filled with real, solid work. It’s a great way to start my morning, knowing that I was able to answer important emails, make new contacts, write ads, and do other important work that needs to be done. Sacrificing a little sleep means I’m giving more to myself and my family.
2. Turn Off the Computer
When my children are home, I’ve learned that I must turn off the computer. They need to know through my actions that I am there to talk about their day, help with homework, or get them to where they need to go. I find that when the computer is completely off, then I am not tempted to work on it and get involved with business when I have a million more things going on right in front of me. This has not always been an easy thing to do, but my concentrated effort in this has been worth it.
3. Set Office Hours for Yourself
If you can set some hours for yourself to spend on work, then you can try to forget about it during other hours of the day. Those office hours may include early mornings, time while children are in school or napping, and later in the evenings. If it is important for hours to be during the day, you may want to consider hiring a sitter for those times, or try trading babysitting with a friend or neighbor. It’s amazing how much you can really accomplish with your workload when you are given a “chunk” of time all at once to completely immerse yourself in your work- without the guilt!
4. Find Support
There are so many online services where women who work from home can network with others in their niche, as well as offer support and encouragement. Take the opportunity to find these sites which will help you grow your business, balance your commitments, and love what you do! Joining and participating in forums, reading articles, and learning all that you can in each of these areas, will help you be the best mom and business woman you can be.
5. Let Your Children See You Soar!
I think it is so important for your children to see mom work hard at obtaining her goals and following her passions. You are setting a fine example to them of hard work and dedication. You are also showing them that they are #1 in your life by the way you prioritize and schedule your work-at-home day. You’re going to have your good days and your bad days. Everyone’s situation is different, so you must do what works best for you and your family. In the end, you will know what you really want out of life and how to get there. Remember, you don’t need to give up your dreams; they just continue to get bigger and better as you balance all the wonderful things in your life!
Kim Christopherson is the owner and creator of http://www.YouCanMakeThis.com. Find hundreds of downloadable patterns and “how-to” eBooks for your home and family. Sign up for the YCMT newsletter and receive a $75 ebook bundle package for FREE!
Entrepreneurial Kinship Of Women In Business
Some women have had dreams of operating their own business for the better part of their life. They rely on the entrepreneurial kinship of women who are already in the business world to help them achieve their dreams of business ownership. These women have already been exposed to the battlefield and have reached a significant amount of recognition for the success of the businesses that they started.
Most women in business will not sugar coat the facts about their hard route to success up the corporate ladder. They may have relied on the entrepreneurial spirit of their first employer to allow them to test their skills at product development and contract negotiation. If they were savvy business women, they would have used all of these opportunities to build their business contacts.
In some cases, these women made serious mistakes when they desired kinship with other women in the office who were vying for success in the same firm and who may have been just ahead of them on the corporate ladder of success. The information that they needed for success on any project might have been tainted by varying degrees of jealousy and deceit.
After a few deceptions that put them in a bad light with higher management, they quickly learn that there is no entrepreneurial kinship between women in the business world. The only thing they have in common is that they are the same sex and their desire for success. They will take this information with them when they start their own businesses and learn never to count on someone just because they are female.
The conflicts and challenges faced by women with an entrepreneurial spirit might have been explained just to deter them from taking the path less traveled. This path is normally the route to the top of the corporate ladder but may sometimes be riddled with obstacles that challenge their values and commitment. They show their true managerial skills at being able to create detours around those obstacles and earn the prize because they are knowledgeable and strong in all areas of business.
Forming an entrepreneurial kinship between both sexes can prove to be very beneficial to someone who is committed to owning their own business before they reach the age of 30. It allows women to develop a true perspective of what resources are at her disposal and which ones can be relied on no matter what is at stake.
By watching and listening and taking good advice from the people that are employed at her new firm, a woman can form a unique kinship with everyone that works for her, and that open-door relationship might prove vital in the lean years before the company shows a profit.
James Brown writes about http://www.magazinesubscriptionsonsale.com
How Work At Home Moms Work Through Distractions
Other than any children that may be present, work at home moms are more susceptible to distractions than anyone else in the work force is. Family and friends will stop in just to see the kids, or to say hello and that day’s work is going to get further behind. That does not count the natural distractions of the children you are probably staying home to care for.
Fortunately, there are many opportunities for work at home moms so that they can remain at home and care for their family while still being a productive member of the work force. Most work at home opportunities allow for liberal working hours, providing deadlines are met, as well as have a relaxed dress code. Most work at home moms believe that if it was not for the lack of dress code, they would have trouble getting their work done.
The pre-internet envelope stuffing scam still proliferates through cyberspace, with the difference being how fast the scammer can get your money. Probably the hardest thing for a work at home mom will be deciding which opportunity is worth of their time and effort. Home assembly of products, which if connected to a legitimate company, can offer lucrative earnings, but unless you can zip through product assembly like a hot knife through butter, is probably not the right at home job for you.
Typically, work at home moms have a large network of other work at home moms where they discuss ideas of keeping busy and making money while staying home and taking care of the kids. This type of brainstorming can create numerous new businesses based on the needs of this group. For example, a few stay at home moms started a website designed to help moms work at home. They have researched many different work at home opportunities and only talk about the ones they determined were not scams.
Additionally, with moms in constant communication, if one is getting behind on a deadline another may be able to jump in and help them catch up. The favor will be repaid later, but all jobs can get done by deadline when they help each other. They can also help in trading babysitting services if one is really behind in their work. Watching a neighbor’s child today can help you out tomorrow if you get really busy.
Another advantage of networking with other work at home moms is they can share information about which opportunities offer the best income potential and which ones a fraudulent. They can protect everyone in their circle from making the transition from work at home mom to victim. You can also share success stories with others to help them achieve the same income level you may be enjoying.
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