Every year on the second Sunday in May we honor a very important group of people: mothers. Of course there are the traditional mothers and then there are the not so traditional mothers-those who did not personally give birth or adopt a child but still raises and cares for people in a nurturing fashion. In almost every work place there is at least one female who personifies a mother. She is often described as the “office mom” and is usually the one who plans the office parties, distributes birthday cards, and always has emergency equipment such as Band-Aids or safety pins at her desk. Everyone loves her and can’t imagine what the office would be like without her. I’m sure as you are reading this you are nodding to yourself saying “That’s exactly like ____!”
The office mom has a variety of official titles. She could be the office manager, administrative assistant, receptionist, etc. However the one title the office mom never seems to have is: boss. She is rarely ever a director, city manager, or CEO. In 2013, The Wall Street Journal published an article titled “Who’s Your Office Mom?” It described the office mom as “the colleague who remembers everyone’s birthdays and brings in cupcakes. She has Advil and tissues in her desk drawer. She knows your significant other is all wrong for you—and will say so.” The office moms interviewed for the article love their role and their works are appreciated by their company. The note-worthy point is all of those companies where female-centric meaning they were private companies that provide services mostly to women and have a majority female staff. How is the “office mom” treated in a public organization? Would she ever be promoted to a high-ranking position in a government agency?
At my current workplace we have two women who are our “office moms”. Recently one of them had received a promotion and the office held a farewell party in her honor. Heaps of praise was showered on her for being the one who never minded working late (without being paid overtime), covering other people’s shifts, even fixing breakfast for pregnant coworkers. Everyone concluded she was the kindest, most efficient employee ever! Despite all of her good works and almost twenty years working for the same department this was her first promotion ever and it’s not to a management position. It’s almost exactly the same situation with our other office mom-she’s been here for years but yet has only been promoted once and will retire without ever having been a supervisor.
According to an article in the American Psychological Association about gender issues in the workplace, the standard female leadership mentoring, coaching style is more favorably received in a work environment that is majority female. The typical male “command and control” style is more favorably received in male-dominated professions. As a woman in public administration this is especially concerning because since 1984, the percent of women in local government managerial roles has not changed from 13%. Since the majority of leaders in local government are men does that mean a woman with the typical female style of leading is not appreciated therefore her chances of getting promoted is lower?
There are several topics that can be discussed that surround this issue. This article has a word count limit and therefore other points will be discussed in upcoming articles so be sure to look out for them! One question is what is a woman who desires to move up in a male-dominated profession supposed to do? Are we supposed to suppress any “typical” female urges and do our best to emulate men in order to be accepted? I suggest following the example of female CEO’s like Mary T. Barra. In January 2014 Mary T. Barra became the first female CEO of the male-dominated company General Motors. She had been working for GM for over 30 years and has been described as “humble”, “caring”, and “collaborative” – typical female characteristics. However it was the economic value Barra created for GM that led to her own financial and career advancement. Barra did not spend her days fixing co-workers tears-she was known as the person who could fix an entire department and make it more efficient.
The same is true for other female leaders of male-dominated industries such as Ursula Burns (Xerox Corp.), Marillyn A. Hewson (Lockheed Martin Corp.), Virginia M. Rometty (IBM) Corp.), and many others. These women remained true to their leadership styles however their contribution to their company can be monetized. While in a government agency it may not be possible to monetize work contributions, women who desire leadership positions must be known as more than the person who brings in the yummiest cupcakes. If you desire to bake food for the office feel free to do so! However let them serve as a thank you to your department for producing the most sales, working hard to bring a new business into the city or for receiving the highest rating in customer service. Now that’s an upwardly moving “office mom”!
