Write for us. (Call for Submissions.) Tell us what you think would, could, and should happen in Business Culture.
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Do you believe “the times they are a changin'” or are you more of a “the more things change the more they stay the same” type?
Either way, we’re hoping you’ll put your thoughts into an article and send it along, or post a comment. About anything really, but specifically about how these four cultural shifts might affect men and the world.
What would happen if we could create a business culture and benefit structure that ELIMINATED these four assumptions from society’s group-think? What could happen? What should happen? There are a few brave (and successful) companies that are making some changes that suggest they’re trying, what do you think of them?
#1 — The assumption that men will put career first, but women will put family first.
You don’t have to be a HR professional to know that companies of every size have reservations about hiring women for key positions because they “go off and have babies and don’t really focus on a career.” While the “having babies” part is, biologically, only true for women, the shift in focus from career to a balance between career and family not only does affect all parents, I think it SHOULD affect all parents. To say that men remain as focused on their work as they were before they became a parent is basically to assume that their only role with the kids is that of sperm contribution.
Yet, many men still say that taking time off to be with their kids puts their career at a greater risk than would be true for a women because it’s assumed the woman will need to juggle priorities but assumed that any man with career aspirations will put his work first.
So eliminating this assumption would level the work field for women and the home field for men. That seems like a good thing to me.
Companies making an effort on this one:
When the UK rolled out a system of shared paternal leave which allows new parents to divide 50 weeks of leave between them, Virgin took it one step further. Richard Branson announced that new fathers will be given up to a year’s paternity leave on full salary. Actually, that new rule includes all genders, and it includes adoptions.
A list of 20 other companies offering a range of paid leave for fathers of newborns includes social media companies like Reddit and Facebook and, perhaps surprisingly, Wal-mart.
#2 — The assumption that “family” means someone related to you by blood or marriage.
While it would be wonderful if “family leave” could be applied to anyone you loved enough to feel the need to care for, let’s start with something a lot easier to define: Domestic Partner Benefits.
The ability to designate a domestic partner who then enjoys all of the benefits usually extended to a legal spouse would offer many couples significant savings on health care, peace of mind, and greater equality with their married counterparts.
Also in this category are benefit structures that support parents who adopt. This has obvious benefits for all employees, but the greatest benefit is, of course, to the children.
Companies making an effort on this one:
Wal-Mart pops up on this list too, at least regarding health benefits, announcing the change in policy in 2013. The big three auto makers also offer some version of Domestic Partner Benefits. And The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption releases a “100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces” list every year.
#3 — The assumption that a greater number of hours logged equals greater commitment, productivity, and value.
The picture of the workaholic Dad chained to his desk because he’s climbing the corporate ladder to the top needs to be added to the nearest bonfire. Or maybe we should immortalize it to remind us of what the masculine stereotype should NOT be. That guy can’t possibly be a “family man” because all he’s able to provide for his family is the paycheck. When we reward employees for efficiency, effectiveness, and outcomes achieved we leave them free to turn in their best work and still have the best of themselves to take home to the family.
Putting in the hours to look good, prove your dedication to the company, and compete with all the other “working stiffs” was never the best way to accomplish a company’s mission or to retain the most effective employees. Some companies have not only recognized that rewarding the workaholic is counterproductive, they’re employing benefit and boundary tactics to keep workaholism in check.
Companies making an effort on this one:
Evernote gives employees a $1,000 cash bonus for taking a week long vacation. The company is valued at more than $1 billion so they must be investing their money where it matters. Bamboo HR is said to actually mandate a 40 hour work week (no more, or you could be fired.) And Vynamic boosted their employee retention rate to over 90 percent when it implemented a ban on work emails between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and on weekends.
#4 — The assumption that all employees require a complicated benefit handbook and an entire HR department to tell them how much time off is “too much.”
Most high level employees at least are used to being judicious about balancing time off. But most benefit programs reward the most productive employees with no more vacation than the people who make every task stretch to take up at least five minutes more than the time allotted. Unmonitored work schedules put everyone on the honor system — if you’re taking time off it’s because the company can afford to have you gone. It basically puts the employee in a similar situation as the entrepreneur — make good decisions, work smart, be effective, get extra time to enjoy yourself.
I’ve heard many say that taking more than the usual two weeks would be “career suicide” no matter what the company policy might be. (See #3.) But imagine if families could have more vacation time, even the occasional four-day weekend. And companies that have implemented this policy continue to see improved morale and retention without a decrease in the bottom line.
Companies making an effort on this one:
Before Branson rolled out his plan for offering paternity leave, he announced that some employees would have “unlimited holiday” — a trend that’s also showing up at Hubspot (who won an Employees’ Choice Award on Glassdoor’s 2015 “Best Places to Work” survey) and entertainment giant, Netflix. While some coverage of this move was derisive, I think it has promise as a new employment paradigm.
So you tell us, what would, could, or should happen with these four trends? How can we eliminate these assumptions and how would it affect men and their world?
Please review our guidelines and terms and conditions before submitting. You can submit through our online portal or directly to me at dixiegillaspie at gmail.com. We look forward to sharing YOUR point of view.