The new world of work isn’t all about power to the people, flexibility to work at home, and Kumbaya. You have to keep on your toes in the new world of work.

Big Brother may be watching. There’s more monitoring of how you spend

your day such as virtual clock in and out, tracking work computer usage and

monitoring emails and other internal communications through surveillance

software.

It’s “The Rise of the Worker Productivity Score,” according to Jodi Kanto and Arya Sundaram in the New York Times, August 15, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/08/14/business/worker-productivity-tracking.html

“Across industries and incomes, more employees are being tracked, recorded and ranked,” according to NYT reporting.

Worker productivity surveillance fosters productivity and accountability says companies using surveillance softer. It’s inhumane and inaccurate say many employees. The problem is that most of the surveillance software doesn’t track offline activity like mentoring, thinking, writing on paper, or talking with colleagues. Unless you constantly jiggle your mouse in meetings or other off-line activities, you’re just labeled as “derelict” in many systems. (Check out TikTok for videos on fooling the trackers.)

As timeless wisdom says, “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that is counted counts (attributed to Albert Einstein).

Watch out if you are using devices provided by your company. Best to

have personal conversations and activities on your own devices.

The metamorphosis of the workplace can make anyone feel uneasy. We

have to accept that change is no longer unusual, it’s the rule.

Transformation is the new status quo. You can’t rely on the company to

take care of you. That went away with the gold watch upon retirement. Most

companies are fighting for their own survival anyway.

You have to take care of yourself. #surveillance #employeesurveillance  #workerproductivity

And women are more likely to say yes!

It’s a mistake for any one – man or woman –  to take on too many “extra” assignments that are outside your job profile. These are things that are more busywork than important to your job’s focus. This includes things like attending luncheons for new hires or 60-minute meetings where you’re only involved in a ten-minute segment.

Taking on too much busywork is not smart for the obvious reason. Busywork eats up your time so you’re stressed or have to neglect some of the important things your career success depends on. You have to pick and choose, and bow out when the extra load is too much.

Granted, saying no isn’t easy. Women have a harder time saying no according to a study by Lise Vesterlund, an economist at the University of Pittsburgh reported by Rachel Feintzeig, “Just Say No to Busywork, The Wall Street Journal, July 25, 2022.

Extra tasks like mentoring young employees can be extremely satisfying, as a colleague I’ll call Penny relayed to me. She didn’t feel that she could turn down requests to interview potential hires and mentor new employees. Penny felt mentoring was especially important during the pandemic when everyone was working from home to retain employees during the Great Recession. But the requests continued and Penny continued to say, “Yes.”

Unfortunately, when her annual review came around, Penny was criticized for not being more involved in big strategic initiatives as many colleagues were.

As Penny discovered, it’s important to set guidelines for how many “good to do” extra assignments you take on. You need to have time to do what counts most so you “brand” yourself as an essential employee who plays an important role in the company’s mission. #womensleadership #careersuccess

Zoom levels the playing field in corporate meetings giving women equal footing according to Jennifer Nasan, Global Chair of Investment Banking at J.P. Morgan in a July 3, 2021 op-ed in the Wall Street Journal.

“Zoom is the great equalizer. Everyone’s box is the same size. It doesn’t matter if you are the CEO or the summer intern, your real estate is the same. A box with a name but no title became a tool of empowerment. Your name and face are consistently visible, making you more memorable, familiar and known. When you speak it is very hard for anyone to interrupt and it is also very hard to be ignored with your face staring back. You get invited to a lot of meetings that you wouldn’t have attended if travel were involved. I have witnessed many women in investment banking, young women in particular, find their voices and project newfound confidence in this virtual square. Remember, this is an industry still dominated by men and the physical manifestations of assertiveness and power.”

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-zoom-revolution-empowers-women-to-speak-up-11625260956?page=1

Ms. Nason’s opinion piece has received lots of pushback from female and male WSJ readers:

“False narrative that women need guidance on how to participate in meetings”

“Female of male, if you act like a shrining violet in the workplace, it’s on you”

“Aren’t we past women’s empowerment by now?”

According to a report by Represent Women, an organization that advocates for women’s gender parity, ranked-choice voting aids women and people of color in winning elections.

As the report’s author, Cynthia Richie Terrell, points out, “Over the last decade, 19 cities and counties used ranked choice voting to select local-level officials. … Overall, women won 48% of the individual seats up for election.”

While not enough to get her over the top, ranked-choice voting in the Democratic primary in New York City in 2021, brought Kathryn Garcia close to the winner, Eric Adams.

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/women-rule/2021/07/02/ranked-choice-new-york-kathryn-garcia-493461