In these changing times of fostering diversity and inclusion, of working toward gender equality, and the bravery of Independents such as MP Sophie Scamps to tackle enshrined cultures of ‘jobs for mates’, I wonder just how far we have really come?
We’ve certainly seen and heard of many companies placing greater importance on work-life balance. But does the reality match the rhetoric? There still seems to be an unhealthy expectation for employees to sacrifice their personal lives and wellbeing for the demands of their role at work.
And with many organisations headed by male leadership, gendered power dynamics could lead more women to be hit by these types of unacceptable expectations.
After years of campaigning for women’s empowerment in the workplace and witnessing countless success stories, I was forced to ask myself a tough question this week: ‘Are women still fixed to the expectation of being on call 24 x 7 at work and home?’
One example of a situation that’s prompted me to ask such a question came from a woman named Sarah, who I met recently when she asked for my guidance around a workplace incident.
A corporate lawyer in a big-league multinational firm, Sarah had faced an impossible situation which no one should ever have to battle with.
Two separate departments had requested her to carry out a piece of work. They each gave her the same deadline that would require her to work until 3am that day.
Sarah’s request to delay or delegate one piece of work fell on the deaf ears of her male partners. ‘Just get it done’ was the un-mitigating response. After completing both pieces of work at 3.30am the next day, Sarah emailed both clients to say she was signing off and would check emails in the morning.
The next day, instead of acknowledging the extra and quite frankly inhumane hours she had put in, Sarah was reprimanded for signing off work without partner approval. She was essentially told to be on call 24×7 if she wanted to make it in corporate law.
Hearing this story brought back sickening memories of my own sentence as a corporate lawyer where I was expected to work 22 hour days for months at a time. Over a decade ago, I quit corporate law due to burnout from striving to meet these impossible expectations.
While there have been improvements, learning that this behaviour still persists made me feel nauseous. It’s a bitter irony that lawyers, who authored The Modern Slavery Act, a critical weapon in the battle against modern slavery, including forced or compulsory labour and servitude, are themselves among the most significant violators of this essential legislation.
Given the extensive demands on women’s time and energy, many may wonder how we can address the root of this problem? From what I’ve seen, it requires courage but can be done.
Here are several strategies that women can use to confront adversity and foster self-empowerment.
- Educate Yourself: about your rights and the laws that protect you against discrimination and gender inequality.
- Build a Support Network: of other women who share similar experiences and challenges.
- Foster Self-Awareness: recognise any unconscious bias you may have that has led you to pursue a culturally ingrained standard of perfectionism. This awareness will allow you to dismantle this myth and live life on your own terms, setting an example for other women.
- Exercise Assertiveness: take action in your everyday life by setting boundaries, refusing demands that aren’t right for you, and defending yourself and other women.
- Challenge the Status Quo: speak out against expectations that demand round-the-clock availability and push back against the idea that work should come before everything else.
- Acknowledge Achievements: celebrate all successes, no matter how small they may seem to build healthy levels of self-empowerment and build the resilience to tackle larger issues of gender inequality. Well-being is about being well at work, home and within ourselves.