Looking forward to 2048
July 11th, 2008 by Cali & Jody
Our mouths pretty much dropped when a friend sent us a copy of a “Guide to Hiring Women” from a 1943 issue of Mass Transportation magazine. We thought it must be a hoax, but Snopes bore out that it’s oh so real. Here are some of our favorite moments:
“[P]ick young married women . . . they usually have more of a sense of responsibility; they’re less likely to be flirtatious.”
“[Husky] girls — those who are just a little on the heavy side — are more likely to be even-tempered and efficient than their underweight sisters.”
“Retain a physician to give each woman you hire a special physical examination — one covering female conditions.”
We offer this tidbit not out of a sense of superiority at how advanced and modern we are compared to the Neanderthals of yesterday, but out of a sense of hope. We offer this article because when we talk about a Results-Only Work Environment, there are people out there who immediately counter by saying, “Things will never change.”
Of course things change. What seemed like an impossibility in 1943 (women being treated like adult humans) is a given today.
(Before you write that “but things also stay the same” post in the comments, realize that we know that women still face discrimination and bias in the workplace. We’re not saying it’s a perfect world, just a better one.)
One of the reasons why ROWE works is because it is more in line with the business realities of the 24/7 global marketplace. ROWE is also more accommodating to employees’ “always on” lives. In forty years, the way we defend the traditional work environment is going to look as silly as that Mass Transportation article.
To all the doubters out there, we ask this:
Wouldn’t you rather have tomorrow today?
Oh - and we’ve picked a winner for the “Create Your Own ROWE Revolution” contest. It’s Jeff with the following response to why he needs ROWE:
“Because please, for the love of God, I just want to do my damn job.”
‘Nuff said on that one - good enough reason for us. Jeff’s boss will be receiving a copy of the book very soon…
It’s amazing that we really haven’t made that much progress. Although we define the ‘guidelines’ mentioned in this article rightfully as sexist, in a way it was just another form of Sludge (certainly an extremely disgraceful form of it). All of the statements were made from perceptions that had no basis in reality and were not related in any way to the results sought by the hiring company. How do the looks of a woman or her marital status truly have any effect on how well she works?
So, now we are all dealing with different Sludge because its illegal to dish out that old form of Sludge. That is probably the biggest status quo item to defeat because it serves to support the current culture. Once the Sludge goes, the ‘time before results’ culture becomes very wobbly because people will start to focus on what we are trying to accomplish, what results we are seeking.
That tomorrow could begin to happen today where I work if the first two questions on our “Performance Recommendation for Pay Raise” form was not about ‘Attendance & Punctuality/Sick Occurences’ and ‘Availability’. In fact, the form actually asks no direct questions about how an employee has done in achieving goals and deadlines. The closest it comes is asking what the employee has done to meet the ‘expections’ of the position (i.e., job description).
Glad you guys felt my plea had merit. Here’s hoping ROWE finds some fertile soil at work.