Each week, Dr Kirstin Ferguson tackles questions about workplace, career and leadership in her advice column Got a Minute? This week: the workload blame game, a supervisor accused of harassment and misuse of the office printer.
I am Gen X and want to know how I deal better with young women in my workplace taking time off in work hours for Pilates, nail appointments and kids’ school events. I don’t have kids, so I do the bulk of the workload as a result. Everyone tells me “that’s what work is like now” but it’s really unfair.
I am a fellow Gen Xer, so let’s get straight to it. I think your question is a little unfair itself. There is world of difference between “Pilates and nail appointments” and “kids’ school events”. I suspect you may frame any absence from the office negatively. And why do you only notice young women having time out of the office?
The workplace has changed, and we all need to adjust with it. When you and I started, work was work and your personal world did not infringe at all. Things are no longer that way, thank goodness. If you need to go to the doctor during work hours – and don’t all Gen Xers these days – you can. If you have caring responsibilities for older parents, there is flexibility our own parents could never have dreamt of when they worked “back in the day”.
Reframe what you see as unfair and find how the new way of working can perhaps help you enjoy it a little more. If you have genuine concerns about your workload, that is an important discussion to have with your manager. I would be surprised if a colleague having a nail appointment can be the sole cause.
A colleague was sexually harassed by her male supervisor. The organisation didn’t handle the matter very well, and she left the role for her safety and mental wellbeing. The alleged perpetrator remains in a very senior role, responsible for HR. This has caused my colleague huge distress, and she is concerned for the wellbeing of the current staff. What should she do?
Your colleague has more options than she may realise. She might consider contacting the Australian Human Rights Commission, which handles sexual harassment complaints. She can also consult a workplace lawyer – many do a free initial consultation – to understand the options.
She can raise concerns about current staff as a separate issue. Making a complaint to the organisation’s board or governing body, or to a relevant regulator, is a legitimate path. She doesn’t have to be the complainant to flag a risk to others – and the fact that this person is in charge of HR is particularly concerning.
I hope your friend is getting the mental health support she needs after what sounds a traumatic experience.
My workmate is on a local school committee. On days when we both work back, and everyone else has gone, she does a ton of printing for the school – up to 200 colour pages at a time – and makes stapled booklets. The managers go on about cost-cutting and trying to reduce stationery usage. I’m sure they’re not aware of her non-work related printing. I have only been there a few months. I am torn between mentioning this or turning a blind eye. What should I do?
She put you in a genuine dilemma. I know you don’t want to be the person to dob someone else in. However, she is doing the wrong thing and the fact she waits until everyone’s gone suggests she knows that too.
I would start with talking to her, just gently, and ask whether all the printing she is doing has been approved by senior leadership. You could even link that to the specific requests they have made about cost-cutting. Wait and see what she says. Hopefully, the fact you have raised it – initially just with her – will stop it from happening again. But if she continues, and it is clear she doesn’t have approval, you have given her fair notice and I think you may need to consider telling someone else.
Either way, remember that she is responsible for whatever happens and by making the choices she is making.
To submit a question about work, careers or leadership, visit kirstinferguson.com/ask. You will not be asked to provide your name or any identifying information. Letters may be edited.
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Dr Kirstin Ferguson AM is the author of Blindspotting: How to See What Others Miss and Head & Heart: The Art of Modern Leadership. Kirstin is ranked in the world’s Thinkers50 list and holds a PhD in leadership and culture. www.kirstinferguson.com.Connect via X, Facebook or email.
