March 4, 2021

"Before covid-19 shut my office, I didn’t pay much attention to one of my most important workplace benefits."

"But nearly a year later, it’s a perk I can’t stop daydreaming about. Eight precious hours, five days a week, when I could forget the unfolded laundry, unemptied dishwasher and kid-related clutter from one end of the apartment to the other. In short, the luxury of being able to focus on my work.... If remote work is here to stay, will the proposed flexibility actually result in greater equity, employee satisfaction and retention — let alone provide the mental health benefits women need to do our jobs well? Smart policies — whether in the public or private sector — are those that consider intended and unintended consequences.... If [more women than men choose to continue to do remote work, more women] will miss out on the connections, networking and mentorship that lead to advancement. Meanwhile, they will experience increased loneliness and the stress that comes from feeling that the division between their work and their home life has eroded. So what should well-intentioned companies and managers do? If you think flexible work will boost equity, especially for parents, it is critical to consider what other policies and practices must be in place to advance this goal."

From "Hybrid and remote schedules threaten the progress we’ve made on gender equity at the office" by Sian Beilock, the president of Barnard College (in WaPo).

117 comments:

Lawrence Person said...

"greater equity"

Social Justice Warrior typing detected.

Tom T. said...

People like this really ought to think about the implications of saying that women need to be protected from their own choices.

Unknown said...

I'm curious as to what they mean by equity. Because I've always thought of that as ownership.

tim maguire said...

One thing we should do is stop treating advancement as the be all and end all of career goals.

Some people want to advance at the office, some don't. And both choices are valid. Some people work to make money and their real goal is to spend as much time with the family as possible, while other people are more ambitious at work and worry less about work-life balance. Both approaches are valid.

If more men make one choice and more women make another, outcomes will be different. But so what? That has nothing to do with different levels goal attainment. It just means there are different goals.

Oso Negro said...

Perhaps they can come to the office once per week to be harassed by men.

Fernandinande said...

I could forget the unfolded laundry, unemptied dishwasher

LOL, hire a maid, spread the wealth:

Sian Leah Beilock Ex-Officio and President $741,186

On the other hand, if [more men than women choose to continue to do remote work, more men] will miss out on the connections, networking and mentorship that lead to advancement. Meanwhile, they will experience increased loneliness and the stress that comes from feeling that the division between their work and their home life has eroded. So what should well-intentioned companies and managers do?

Those poor men!

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Change is good right? Hope and change, working gals! Don't question progress. Forward! Right? You’re not some foot-dragging neanderthal conservative afraid of a little shake-up in your cozy work environment are you? Change! It’s what’s happening!

DanTheMan said...

I find that academics are too isolated from "the real world" to have any real expertise on what the average working person should or should not do.
Doubly so for academic administrators.

Present hostesses excluded, of course. :)

gilbar said...

HOW will women (and MEN!) be able to have office hookups, affairs and romances
if they can't leave their homes (and spouses) and come to work?

DanTheMan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mr Wibble said...

On the other hand, if [more men than women choose to continue to do remote work, more men] will miss out on the connections, networking and mentorship that lead to advancement. Meanwhile, they will experience increased loneliness and the stress that comes from feeling that the division between their work and their home life has eroded. So what should well-intentioned companies and managers do?

Except men will simply build connections and networks outside of the office.

gilbar said...

Oso Negro said...
Perhaps they can come to the office once per week to be harassed by men.


may i suggest friday (afternooners and evenings) ?

mockturtle said...

Eye-roll.

Gusty Winds said...

After covid-19 cloistered white-collar parents at home, men increased their domestic contributions — but women continued to do more of the chores and shoulder more of the responsibility for overall management of the household.

How does she KNOW any of this? When my ex stayed home for thirteen years with the kids, and drank herself silly, I made the money, I did the cooking, picked up dinner on the way home if she called, balanced all the budgets, paid the bills (of which she was good at running up), and the yard work. And when she was in AA for three years, I would take care of my kids, and put them to bed. She would stay after 8pm meetings and smoke cigarettes with the other Bill W disciples.

In the day she took the kids to the local workout facility where there was a room for kids to play and be watched. She’d be there three or four hours. Then they would go to pre-school and school.

This is a total bullshit article. It could only come from a University President and “cognitive scientist”. College continues to prove itself as a waste of money.

gilbar said...

Seriously, HOW do you tell your hubbie that you're going on a long weekend "business trip"
with your boss, if you don't go to work? Where IS the cheating going to go on at?

Shouting Thomas said...

Another rich white woman bitching about nothing.

I’ve been fed up with this moral garbage of rich white women pretending to be oppressed for decades.

These bitches need to experience some real deprivation and suffering and I mean that literally. They’ve led incredibly soft, rich lives and they desperately want to experience the other reality.

Checked her out. Rich white bitch born and raised in Berkeley.

rehajm said...

I've said since the beginning working remotely won't be permanent. Many of us are human beings and humans are social. Our youngest staff want the office to be open again, youngest being just out of college and the age where you're supposed to be forming long term work and personal relationships. A few of the clients are starting to complain, too...

No way government hacks continue to work from home. One of the biggest perks of having a corruptocrat job is traveling on the taxpayer's dime.

Harsh Pencil said...

Wait. The President of Barnard College, at her salary, claims, pre-Covid, to have worked a 40 hour week and not take her work home with her? Nice work if you can get it.

BUMBLE BEE said...

Diversity is strength. One can't be diverse if you are all together in one place. BTW, great catch Fernandinande, $754,000... hire two maids.

BUMBLE BEE said...

Where, oh where can I get My poodle groomed?

Oso Negro said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kay said...

I won’t comment on the sexism angle, but I do want to talk about how remote work is changing things. I’m about to start a new remote job that I am very excited about, but with excitement, some nervousness. I already know that I thrive better in an in person work setting. I’ve had work from home jobs that I felt were extra stressful because it became impossible to separate work life from home life. I do see some benefits to working from home in these new arrangements, and I think there is a certain flexibility in how I will work from home that may make things easier. We’ll see how it goes. I can see benefits to both approaches.

Oso Negro said...



120 years of toxic feminist thought says "so what". It may one day occur to self-styled feminists that the Law of Unintended Consequences applies to their vagino-centric social engineering as well. Worst "ism" of the 20th Century for American culture

Mikey NTH said...

I work remotely now. I live alone. If I don't do it, the chore isn't done whether it is a work task or a household task. The ability to do laundry while working is a heck of a luxury and one I am grateful for. This perpetual race for oppression-status and victim-status in these articles is baffling to me. It isn't generating sympathy in me, it is generating contempt, as in "Stop whining and just deal with it already as thousands of other people do, you aren't all that special."

Kirk Parker said...

"I can see benefits to both approaches."

Clearly, you are unsuited to be a college president or Wapo writer.

Shouting Thomas said...

Feminism is evil.

I keep waiting for Althouse to renounce her youthful mistake, but I think pride is standing in the way.

Feminism is plain fucking evil. There is no good side.

Tom said...

You know why my wife does more of the chores? She simply see far more to he done than I do.

I do 100% of chores I believe need to be done. For domestic tranquility reasons, I do a bit more than that.

But if I have a Boylan Cherry Soda, I’m not rinsing out the bottle before it goes into the recycling bin (which my county dumps in a landfill because they’ve never invested in a recycling sorting machine). My wife will go back and rinse out every bottle.

So, yeah, my wife does more chores than me. She also invents far more chores than I’d ever consider.

Gusty Winds said...

These University Feminists pretend that the world is still “Little House on the Prairie” where Pa worked the fields, and Ma took care of the little house. It’s not. Feminists have successfully emaciated a large swatch of the Millennial and Generation Z young men. Started with giving them all Ritalin and Vyvanse when they were in grade school because they wouldn’t sit in their chair. Now we have a society of sensitive, neutered, beta-males ashamed of the small amount of masculinity they have left.

See. I can write generalizations based on my beliefs, assumptions, and personal experience too. And I don’t even call myself a “cognitive scientist”.

Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...

"If you think flexible work will boost equity, especially for parents...."

Wait! If equity is boosted especially for parents, then it is not being equitably boosted.

What is "equity" anyhoo? Fella could get his brain tied in a knot like Robert Pirsig chasing a definition of "quality."

Sebastian said...

"will the proposed flexibility actually result in greater equity"

Cuz, as we all know, that's the goal of business--not products or services, not profit or growth, but equity.

"provide the mental health benefits women need to do our jobs well?"

Cuz, as we all know, women need mental health benefits, cuz, as we all know, women are special.

Fernandinande said...

$741,186 from a good link.

Roughcoat said...

If you knew 21st century women only from what they write about themselves, you'd think that they were the unhappiest creatures on the planet.

DavidUW said...

Work ends. Women hardest hit.

Mr Wibble said...

These bitches need to experience some real deprivation and suffering and I mean that literally. They’ve led incredibly soft, rich lives and they desperately want to experience the other reality.

I'm perfectly fine with a civil war in the country, because it would clear away the detritus and give the rest of the population a taste of what actual hardship is.

There's such a thing as being too comfortable. It's not healthy for human beings, either physically or psychologically. The worst thing a parent can do, I think, is to try and eliminate the hardships of life for their children. It raises them to be weak.

Gusty Winds said...

The only “Cognitive Scientist” who got anything right was Sigmund Freud. Penis envy is real.
Go to a lesbian bar and watch the bull-dykes for a few drinks. Plain as day.

gilbar said...

here's the sort of "math" you can expect from Bernard College
for the first time in eight months, the economy saw a dip in job growth with 140,000 jobs lost in December. All of these jobs, according to an analysis from the National Women’s Law Center, belonged to women!

In December, women lost a total of 156,000 jobs, while men gained 16,000 jobs, according to NWLC. Of the net 9.8 million jobs lost since February, women have accounted for 55% of them.


NOT A SINGLE MAN LOST HIS JOB IN DECEMBER! you heard it from Bernard first!

rhhardin said...

Don't clean up, don't fold laundry. It worked for me.

Dave Begley said...

How in the world did this word "equity" creep into our language and what the hell does it actually mean?

I know equity to be the value of a house or business that is not encumbered by debt. If your house is owned free and clear, then you have 100% equity. If I own 5m shares of Newco and 50m are outstanding, then I own 10% of Newco's equity.

Kay said...

Whenever I had to work overtime in my old office job, I would start my work hours earlier. I found that early in the morning I’m the most productive and then I lose steam. By starting earlier I’d be able to leave on time, which always made me look bad. People who were working past hours had no idea I was too, but at the beginning of the day not the end. So it was a perception thing that caused undo pressure. And I used to have to sit at my desk pretending to be busy after having worked a full day + morning overtime.

Todd said...

So the Reader's Digest version is "Remote work, women and children hardest hit"?

Now workplace flexibility is double-plus ungood?

rhhardin said...

Equity is the part that resembles a horse.

Spiros said...

What a surprise!!! Now we know why high-achieving women struggle with their family lives. Boo hoo!!! Men don't do "unpaid labor" and don't have to pay the "emotional tax" of emptying out the dishwasher. Seriously, STFU. The struggle for equality is over. Women live longer. Women get paid more (at least on a per hour basis for the same work as men). If you don't count the top thousand or so billionaires, women are destroying men in the workplace. And, over the last few years, for every 1.75 men who get a college degree, three women do. So stop. And, while you're at it, stop taking week long vacations whenever your kid is colicky. The rest of us don't appreciate working 60 hours a week to cover for toxic females.

There is one down side, however. Normal, well-adjusted women outnumber normal, well-adjusted men by huge margins. Well-educated women don't know this. It sucks to be a single mom and working class. Poor women really need men, they don't need shallow feminism.

Jaq said...

I always thought that what led to advancement was hard work and consistent contribution of valuable insight, but in her world, it’s all about connections and some kind of secret society.

but women continued to do more of the chores and shoulder more of the responsibility for overall management of the household.

The way they come up with this, of course, is to discount the jobs men don’t mind doing to do to keep the household running as leisure activities, while declaring as an article of faith that women dislike every bit of the work that they do to keep a household running.

Shouting Thomas said...

Probably the best thing about being retired is that I don’t have to play office politics with a piece of shit like this woman.

Temujin said...

People want to have their cake and eat it, too.

Different people have different needs and will act accordingly. I despise when a woman insists that she's speaking for all women. Men don't do that. I don't speak for all men, nor would it ever cross my mind to think I could. How little one must think of their gender to think that they all have the same wants, dreams, desires.

Anyway, she made this statement, "Meanwhile, they will experience increased loneliness and the stress that comes from..." There are now numerous studies, articles, and books written about how over the last couple of decades, women are now more numerous in college and grad school than men, and are taking over the professional world as well. They are postponing long-term relationships, postponing marriage, and fewer professional women are choosing to have children. And as such, more women than ever are finding themselves lonely, stressed, unhappy, and wondering what they're doing with their lives. After all, they followed the direction they were told they must by all those experts who know what all women want.

The person writing this article is immensely overpaid.

Wilbur said...

My God, how does she summon the strength to carry on? Sian Leah Beilock is a true hero to be celebrated.

Whiskeybum said...

Oso Negro said...
Perhaps they can come to the office once per week to be harassed by men


Sounds like a good start-up business venture for some of us retired guys... I’ll come to your home office to harass and mansplain things to you for $60/hr. ;)

(Oh - and you can get me a cup of coffee while I’m ‘working’ with you)

Wilbur said...

Equity delights to do justice and not by halves.

Jaq said...

"f more men make one choice and more women make another, outcomes will be different. But so what? “

Well, it’s systematic misogyny for one thing.

Birches said...

Maybe your kids need a parent more than you need a career if you're having trouble doing both... just a thought.

Mr Wibble said...

I've said since the beginning working remotely won't be permanent. Many of us are human beings and humans are social. Our youngest staff want the office to be open again, youngest being just out of college and the age where you're supposed to be forming long term work and personal relationships. A few of the clients are starting to complain, too...

No way government hacks continue to work from home. One of the biggest perks of having a corruptocrat job is traveling on the taxpayer's dime.


I'm a government contractor and prior to the shutdown they were already on a 3-2 telework-office schedule. The section chief is trying to make it permanent full-time telework. A lot of people are more productive working from home, while they like the idea of being able to recruit from around the country and not worry about fighting for candidates in the DC area.

My guess is that it we will see it swing back towards office work, but with a lot more flexibility and decentralization.

Gahrie said...

Women given the opportunity to work at home is obviously a tragedy that needs to be opposed.

gilbar said...

The Covid-19 Baby Bust Is Here
Nine months after the pandemic began, birthrates began to fall in many advanced economies, early data shows


See? SEE What happens without work?
No Work, No Affairs
No Affairs, no Pregnancies !!

Gahrie said...

No woman must ever be made to feel responsible for, or bad about, anything, ever.

Wendy said...

What should companies do? They should offer policies and trust their employees to make the right decision for their circumstances. While my husband is not perfect I am not perfect either, but we are both working from home with kids. Guess what I expect that my husband does his share and vice versa. That will look different for all families, but I am tired of hearing people whine that women do most of the housework, etc, yes the work/home life divide has been eroded by so many working from home but get creative and solve it. Going to an office and ignoring the unfolded laundry just hides the problem it doesn't solve anything. Solve the problem. If you want your spouse to do more work and you feel like you are taking on too much ask for help and outline how you need help and then let that person help you.

The best thing I ever did was work to temper my need to have things done my way, there are a ton of ways to put the sheets on the bed but as long as clean sheets are on I no longer care if the sheet is upside-down by my standards. That is just one example. If there is something that must be done to my exacting requirements I do that chore and my family members do other chores.

I see a ton of women crying about 'equality equality equality' but they are not expecting and demanding that in their personal lives. Start there and it will ripple outwards. I see women whining that their husbands don't do dishes or laundry etc, but I have ask how many of them demand it in their own relationships? If you want equality in the workplace then you have to start by demanding it in your personal relationships.

jaydub said...

Everything she recommends serves to increase administrative costs without any identified productivity improvements or revenue enhancements. I hate to point this out but the only "offices" where this type of peripheral feminist thnking takes place is at non profits and government offices. In the real world business owners and managers who have bottom line responsibilities don't spend a lot of time worrying about how to increase administrative costs.

Howard said...

Funny how a silly woman can make so many big strong mans mens get hysterically defensive. Talk about penis envy.

Jaq said...

"My guess is that it we will see it swing back towards office work, but with a lot more flexibility and decentralization.”

That makes logical sense, but things are changing and I am not so sure.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/jp-morgan-trying-offload-big-blocks-corporate-manhattan-real-estate

Certain states have tax structures that penalize a company for having workers working remotely from them, for instance instead of just taxing the employee’s income, they tax a percentage of the company’s income, and others are very welcoming to remote work.

Jim Grey said...

I have worked from home for a year now. My wife did for a few weeks at the beginning but the nature of her work makes that challenging, and she's been reporting to the office ever since. It's fallen to me to do the laundry and empty the dishwasher and even make dinner -- why not? I'm not commuting, which gives me significant time back AM and PM. And I do have time in between meetings and over lunch to do some houseworks. The house runs so much better because of the pandemic!

I'm going to end up going back to the office one day, my company has made clear that this is what they will want. Okay, that's fine. But this family is going to have to figure out how to squeeze in all of the things I've just handled while I've worked from home.

DanTheMan said...

>>"My guess is that it we will see it swing back towards office work, but with a lot more flexibility and decentralization.”

Our company has announced that if you want to stay remote, even after we reopen later this year, you can do so, with very few exceptions.

And no one will be allowed back without proof of vaccination.
I wonder if we will all be required to wear masks in an environment where everyone has been vaccinated?

DanTheMan said...

>>But this family is going to have to figure out how to squeeze in all of the things I've just handled while I've worked from home.

Jim, a good first step might be learning not to put your finger in front of the lens when you take a picture. :)

Oso Negro said...

Here are the lyrics to a sure-fire hit from my coming album "Something to Cry About"

The track is titled "Splooge Stooge" and I am dedicating it here to Shouting Thomas and Howard.

Splooge Stooge

She looked so good
The girl down the hall
With her fuck me pumps
And her push-up bra
You tried to resist
Cause you had some doubts
But you did it with her
Then she ratted you out

You’re a splooge stooge
A splooge stooge
You couldn’t resist her
And so you lose

You wanted her bad
But now it’s a mess
The bitch in HR
Forced you to confess
One consensual act
Means she was harassed
Cause she changed her mind later
Now you’re out on your ass

You’re a splooge stooge
You’re a splooge stooge
You couldn’t resist it
And so you lose

Instrumental break

She wanted it too
But she changed her mind
You wanted her too
But she left you behind
Modern women at work
Can play the cunt card
You got a taste
But then you got fired

You’re a splooge stooge
You’re a splooge stooge
You couldn’t resist
And so you lose

Repeat chorus

RMc said...

Sure, coronavirus has killed millions, but what we're really worried about is the fact it might threaten the progress we’ve made on gender equity at the office! Priorities!

Roughcoat said...

The best thing I ever did was work to temper my need to have things done my way.

Maybe you could talk with my wife ...?

Gahrie said...

Funny how a silly woman can make so many big strong mans mens get hysterically defensive.

Yeah!

After all, it's not like there has been a consistent, persistent attack on men and masculinity from the Left for the last fifty years.

Todd said...

Whiskeybum said...
Oso Negro said...
Perhaps they can come to the office once per week to be harassed by men

Sounds like a good start-up business venture for some of us retired guys... I’ll come to your home office to harass and mansplain things to you for $60/hr. ;)

(Oh - and you can get me a cup of coffee while I’m ‘working’ with you)

3/4/21, 8:33 AM


And don't forget the samich!

Mick said...

Use the time you don't spend commuting to clean the house. Then you can feel better about where you are.

MacMacConnell said...

Gusty Winds said...
"The only “Cognitive Scientist” who got anything right was Sigmund Freud. Penis envy is real.
Go to a lesbian bar and watch the bull-dykes for a few drinks. Plain as day."

It probably explains why lesbians have such extensive collections of dildos, at least the ones I know.

Oso Negro said...


Blogger Gusty Winds said...
Feminists have successfully emaciated a large swatch of the Millennial and Generation Z young men


This was either a fun typo or a delightful malapropism.

Russell said...

I think this is a fair concern. I doubt the policies the author proposes will be to my liking but this is a very real issue but it isn't just for women. My wife does not work but I do and I've been working exclusively remotely for a year. No office or customers to visit in person. The amount of noise and distraction I have to block out is high and very difficult to deal with when on meetings. There does need to be flexibility. I don't think remote work full time is good. Like at all. I also think going to an office five days a week is likewise not good. And I understand this is a very white collar concern. But the ability to focus on work and just knowing 'family issues' are not your concern for a part of the day is a significant mental health consideration. Does it disproportionately affect women? Yeah, I can see that. But its an across the board problem. Corporations are very prone to workplace fads, so this could be one where they do some very stupid stuff as we transition back to a ' new normal.'

MadisonMan said...

Another Women and Children hardest hit article.

Last night I folded laundry. I start laundry/hang out laundry in between telecons sometimes. Sometimes I cook something in between telecons. WFH allows me to do a lot of stuff, but on the other hand, I have a hard time stopping work at a reasonable time.

JAORE said...


A liberal requirement that has unintended consequences? And women and minorities hardest hit?

Must be a first.

Geez, who'd have thunk it?

I'm Not Sure said...

"But nearly a year later, it’s a perk I can’t stop daydreaming about. Eight precious hours, five days a week, when I could forget the unfolded laundry, unemptied dishwasher and kid-related clutter from one end of the apartment to the other. In short, the luxury of being able to focus on my work....

What's the problem here? The laundry and dishwasher aren't going to take care of themselves while you're at the office, you know. But you can't focus on your work if you're around them? Hard to imagine anyone reaching your position, who hasn't learned how to establish priorities.

Oso Negro said...

Blogger Whiskeybum said...

Sounds like a good start-up business venture for some of us retired guys... I’ll come to your home office to harass and mansplain things to you for $60/hr. ;)


Old guys know stuff, Whiskey. But I don't even get out of my pajamas for less than $250 an hour.

Marty said...

How in the world did this word "equity" creep into our language and what the hell does it actually mean?

Like the nonsense word "sustainability," "equity" sounds meaningful but is in fact an empty concept masking its role as a Maoist social engineering tool. Useful idiots like Beilock use these locutions in performing their roles as sheep dogs trying to herd the sheeple into the re-education camps. Not sure this will be as easy to accomplish as her masters think.

Jaq said...

"It's fallen to me to do the laundry and empty the dishwasher and even make dinner -- why not? I'm not commuting”

Thanks to all of the automation men developed, doing the laundry, loading and unloading the dishwasher, making dinner really doesn’t take all that much time now, does it? Those chores that were once burdensome are now light work easily done. I have a feeling she is complaining about stuff she doesn’t really have any personal experience with.

Joe Smith said...

Is there a single, cogent thought in that entire paragraph?

This babe needs an editor.

Jaq said...

My commute used to be 40 mins both ways, that’s more than enough time to do the majority of household work and have time to relax too. I can remember missing the social aspects of work, but I guess if you think of your job as primarily about being your extremely well paid social life, rather than getting work done, missing this would be a bigger problem.

Jaq said...

I guess her main problem is lack of self discipline and FOMO.

Yancey Ward said...

She should have tried being unemployed during the pandemic.

I'm Not Sure said...

"The best thing I ever did was work to temper my need to have things done my way."

They should make a pill for that. Years ago, I finally started ignoring the dishes and dishwasher entirely because the woman I was living with was never satisfied with how I loaded it. I figured if I'm going to get yelled at for doing it wrong, I might as well get yelled at for not doing it at all. Outcome's the same, just less work.

MikeD said...

Our hostess seems drawn to highlight the meanderings of the most insufferable people.

Oso Negro said...

Blogger I'm Not Sure said...
"The best thing I ever did was work to temper my need to have things done my way."

They should make a pill for that.

3/4/21, 9:50 AM


They do! It's called Valium. Guaranteed to chill your ass out. You just need to learn the magic words to get the 30-something Indian doctor to write the scrip. Or take a little trip to Mexico.

Yancey Ward said...

"If you think flexible work will boost equity, especially for parents...."

"Wait! If equity is boosted especially for parents, then it is not being equitably boosted."

All animals are equal and some are more equal than others.

Doug said...

Question: when a biological male transgenders to female, does xer IQ automatically go down 20 points?a

Doug said...

Not a coincidence that the word "bitch" describes both a woman and a complaint.

Sam L. said...

I trust nothing from the WaPoo.

Doug said...

DanTheMan: I wonder if we will all be required to wear masks in an environment where everyone has been vaccinated?

I'll bet that is a rhetorical question.

What's emanating from your penumbra said...

Some people are just fucking complainers.

Doug said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Doug said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ALP said...

"...the connections, networking and mentorship that lead to advancement."

FFS - I wish articles like this would research how many jobs out there HAVE advancement opportunities. Many do not. I am not going to be promoted to attorney no matter how much connecting, networking or mentorship I have. Lots of jobs, like mine, involve toiling away alone - which suits me fine. I want to scream every time I get an email about our missed 'connections' while working in the office.

Ugh I really should transition to male. Maybe THEN my employer will understand I like working alone and being left alone.

rcocean said...

This is the sort of crap you get when you make woman Presidents of Colleges. you can track the collapse American Higher Education to the percentage of woman in the top slots.

Oso Negro said...

Blogger rcocean said...
This is the sort of crap you get when you make woman Presidents of Colleges. you can track the collapse American Higher Education to the percentage of woman in the top slots.


You can certainly track the collapse of K-12 Public Education to the quality of women in the top slots.

ALP said...

Mikey NTH said: "The ability to do laundry while working is a heck of a luxury and one I am grateful for."


YES! YES! YES! I can get a decent amount of yoga stretching/weight workouts while waiting for our document management system to open a file. I was able to make a cup of tea while the system compiled a bunch of PDF docs. Love it. I work for the biggest firm in Seattle and they can't offer me the same beneficial work environment that I have here at home in terms of size, comfort and quiet.

ALP said...

RE: focus. Some people have problems with boundaries. These are the people that cannot work from home. Some people have scattershot ways of working because their job involves reacting to multiple things throughout the day. This, I think, works against focus.

My job involves laser beam focus on my computer and churning out work product. Lends itself to focus. Some jobs - WFH isn't a good match. Silly to assume it works for all.

Darcy said...

Interesting take. I'm a legal administrative assistant at a large firm supporting 5 attorneys and I'll bet the percentage of the other (mostly female) LAAs in my firm who really appreciate working from home is at least 80%. I love working from home. I am grateful for all of the little things I can get done at home during the work day in my spare moments. I particularly love starting dinner early as cooking is something I very much enjoy and prior to working from home, I wouldn't get home from the office until 6:00 p.m., which meant rushed, easy to throw together meals.

I realize considering most of these things as traditionally done by women is objectionable to a lot of feminists. But I've also been hanging art, headboards, fixing trim and preparing to paint. These are also things I love to do and I can spend my lunch hour getting them done. I don't have a problem with the "equity" of labor between my husband and I.

I don't have little ones anymore, but I'd imagine a young mother would find a lot of positives to working from home as well. Especially considering that teachers don't want to teach in person.

Silver linings.

Joe Smith said...

Quick summary: Rich, entitled, protected white woman bitches and moans and says (and I quote), "Men, blah blah patriarchy blah blah inequality blah."

James K said...

Where IS the cheating going to go on at?

Jeffrey Toobin had one solution. He just got careless, as do many cheaters.

iowan2 said...

I made several predictions early on, about life with the China flu

1. Time in office was going to end up being a perk. Thousands of little bits of info that coalesce into intelligence. All those little tidbits allow you to get a leg up on future projects, foreshadowing of positions coming open, mood of bosses, or subordinates. All of that is valuable. If your goal in increased productivity, and advancement.
2. No matter what you wanted to prove, or support, you would be able create statistics to validate you position.

Lou M said...

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

JZ said...

I’ve been reading comments about this on the WaPo site where it ran, and they are as critical as the comments here. This woman may learn to keep her opinions to herself, but I doubt it.

Brian said...

Except men will simply build connections and networks outside of the office.

I find the happy hour frequencies in my personal network are extending. And while I'm not a golfer, I understand that a lot more golf "working sessions" are being conducted.

Wendy said...

@roughcoat... Sure I will talk to her ;) But she has to accept it not me and not you.

We do the whole you cook the other does the dishes thing too. Quite frankly my husband is the king of dishwasher Tetris, he thinks it is a fun challenge. I think he is insane but the dishes get cleaned and I don't have to do it and he doesn't complain about it, win win. And laundry... he is color blind, I sort and start the washer, it is a mixed bag who moves it to the dryer. He brings it up from the basement 90% of the time because his office is there. Each member of the family fends for themselves when it comes to picking through the pile and we all take what is ours.

I don't see why this is hard concept to grasp. Divide the chores and enlist the kids and make them do some work. I tell my kids they have to contribute because they are part of the household so they have to help make it run because they get the benefits of being in the household.

Jim at said...

Working from the office or working from home, I've always done the household chores, cooking, etc.

Why? Because my wife is terrible at it. :)

iowan2 said...

I don't have little ones anymore, but I'd imagine a young mother would find a lot of positives to working from home as well. Especially considering that teachers don't want to teach in person.

My DIL had built a substantial work from home job, ~6 years ago. Enough work, she would crowd source some computer projects out to others, to help her keep up and grow the business. She was having to hire a babysitter to keep the kids out of her hair. When the fourth arrived, she threw in the towel and walked away from the business. Now the youngest is full time school, and full time in person learning since August. (one of those thousands of school districts that proves the teachers unions wrong about safety of in person learning) She got into the labor market early summer last year, and landed a fulltime, with benefits job, that is 90% work from home, before wu hu flu. But she is competing with her peers, all of whom don't have an office to go into either. So no one gets the perks of going into where the action is.

Mike said...

Ann, we could really use a reddit style comment section, these are so hard to read.

I'm a guy, and I really, really miss going to work. I can't go downstairs to get a cup of coffee without having three people talking to me, a baby crying, some chore I have to take care of right now, and decisions that I need to be made immediately. So I very much get where this article is coming from when you take out the gender.

Joe Smith said...

"Working from the office or working from home, I've always done the household chores, cooking, etc.

Why? Because my wife is terrible at it. :)"


That's what she wants you to believe.

Sucker : )

ccscientist said...

It isn't just gender equity, I think it hurts productivity for everyone as well as destroying one's ability to work in teams and get to know co-workers. Typical feminist thinks everything is about sexual politics.

Inga said...

My daughter, who has been working from home from the onset of the pandemic is in house counsel for a large company. My son in law was called back to the office fairly early, his business doesn't lend itself well to working from home. My two rambunctious grandsons ages 7 and 4 need a full time caregiver. The nature of the work my daughter does doesn’t comport well with two little boys being active boys during a tele conference, or intense on line work. My daughter sends the 4 year old to the daycare that he has gone to since he was 3 months old. He was out of sorts and sad to be away from his friends that he was with at daycare since they were babies. They are like sisters and brothers. The daycare is well known and has an excellent reputation, parents are drop in anytime they choose to. When the daycare opened up again and he could go back, both my daughter and my grandson were happy with it. And these little ones wear their masks like champs.

My 7 year old grandson was doing full time remote learning because his school district mandated it. My grandson needed someone to guide him and monitor him doing his school work and my daughter hired someone to do that, it worked out very well. She is kept BUSY doing her job. Then in the afternoons he went to the Rec Center with some of his classmates. The Rec Center opened up around the same time the daycare opened up and both boys benefitted greatly from being with their peers in person. My daughter gets to do her job, the boys get to be with their friends. Now the schools have opened, so far a hybrid system and teachers are getting immunized, things are looking up.

n.n said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
n.n said...

Typical feminist thinks everything is about sexual politics.

It is for the minority of feminists and masculinists, advocates, activists, kneelers, and political patrons. However, for the normal distribution of men and women, it is equal in rights and complementary in Nature/nature.

n.n said...

Gender equity? Genderphobia is a clear and progressive condition. Masculine is not feminine, males and females are equal in rights and complementary in Nature/nature. #HateLovesAbortion

Jim at said...

That's what she wants you to believe.

No. Really. There's even a Everybody Loves Raymond episode where Debra finally discovers Ray's been doing things wrong on purpose. That's not her.

My wife was never taught how to do these things, and I lived on my own for 15 years before we met. It's just easier.

Plus, it gives me some latitude on, um, other things.

Joe Smith said...

"Plus, it gives me some latitude on, um, other things."

Latitude? I would expect an open bar : )

Jim at said...

"Latitude? I would expect an open bar : )"

You are correct, Sir.

TheOne Who Is Not Obeyed said...

I've worked from home for 20 years for a Fortune 50 company. This decision eliminated any opportunity for advancement in title for 20 years because the Company culture says managers (now "people leaders") have to be present all the time to "lead".

When I started working remote, there were three others in a 450+ person I/T shop working remotely.

A few years ago, another of my team made the move to remote. And other teams did the same. I'd say about 50 people in a 600 person shop (not counting our offshore Indian tech support teams) were remote before the pandemic.

With Wu Flu, all of us are now remote. I coached a lot of my team (peers, not direct reports) through the process and how to handle it. And now another close team has a manager ("people leader") who was remote for 2 years before the pandemic. So the culture is changing to be more realistic of the need for remote work.

Best advice I've given according to my peers: The amount of productivity you achieve is directly related to how often you can close the door on everything else in your house. If you don't have a physical door to close your productivity is going to suffer.