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In the Indian Middle
class context these can lead to delicate issues, more so because of
our upbringing and grooming which always encourages us to be fixated
on gender-specific roles and relationships in the family. More often
than not we carry these fixations to the workplace and land in
trouble. This can happen to either gender. There are a number of men
who find it very difficult to work with a female superior, and at
the same time there are a number of women who have felt that they
need to be given a different treatment in terms of workload and
timings. These things are changing, I have come across women who not
only work long hours but are also not averse to working on weekends
if the situation demands, there are men who are as comfortable with
a female superior as with a male. But as you work in teams and
manage teams, be prepared to work in a "Gender Neutral" environment.
Irrespective of what your upbringing or traditional values has been,
never color your views on the other gender based on what you see at
home, a female superior need not be "Motherly" and female colleague
need not be "Sisterly" (sic). Mother and Sister are roles at the
home, they are not meant for the Office, in the office a female
Colleague is a Colleague, period. All issues on motivation,
accountability, deliverables and performance remain the same and
unchanged. Even in times of extreme stress avoid any "Gender
specific" references, never use language that can be deemed to be
politically incorrect.
These are some of
specific soft skills which I have been able to zero in on after years of
my own behavioral experimentation at the workplace, they are not taken
from books but out of actual testing the behaviors and results at the
work environment. I am sure that as we mature in our industry and
business more will be added to the above list. Till then I hope the
above will be useful to people stepping into their careers.
Concluded. |
