Question

Gender and the Workplace

My name is Rebecca. The first summer after receiving my MBA degree, I accepted a job offer from a reputable consulting firm for which I had previously worked as an intern. I worked extra hard during my internship because I knew I had a good chance of being offered an entry-level job after graduation.

About two years into the job, my husband and I were finally used to my hectic work schedule. Working directly with clients required a lot of traveling, but I was happy with my job and my husband did not mind my busy schedule.

After much thought we both decided that putting off having our first baby didn’t make sense any longer. My husband said, “If we’re going to have kids we need to adjust our schedules for it. We both need to slow down at work a bit.” I agreed with him, and I was actually pretty excited about the idea of becoming a mom. I even told a few close friends at the office that I was trying to get pregnant.

A few weeks passed when I was called in for a one-on-one meeting with Tom (one of the firm’s partners). He told me that the firm was very satisfied with my performance and that I was being seriously considered for the position of senior consultant. At first, I was ecstatic about the prospective offer, but then he added, “Rebecca, before we make a decision, we need to know what your plans are for the future.” I proceeded to tell him my career plans when he interrupted me and said, “We see a great future for you here, but we need someone who can put in the hours. We heard rumors that you are thinking about starting a family, and we are just curious about your plans for the future.”

I was shocked by that question. How did he know about my pregnancy plans? And how dare he ask me about it. Tom told me to go home and think about the possibility of becoming a senior consultant and whether I felt ready to take on such a responsibility. He also mentioned that they were considering a few others for the position and that he wanted to see me in a couple of days to talk about it again.

I left that meeting feeling frustrated. It felt as if I had to choose between becoming a mom and a senior consultant. Two days had gone by when I was asked to meet Tom in his office. I was nervous as I walked to his office since I still had no idea what to say to him.

Questions

1. Is there anything wrong with Tom wanting to promote someone who is able to “put in the hours”? Explain.

2. How should Rebecca deal with this situation? What should she say in her meeting with Tom?

Answer 1

1. No, there is nothing wrong if Tom wants to promote someone who is able to devote extra hours for the designated post i.e. senior consultant. This is so because such a job requires time and hard work. A senior consultant has to perform a variety of duties such as helping in drafting strategies, making a contribution to client satisfaction and designing solutions with the help of established processes. The job has to be performed by someone who is ready to take responsibility and put in extra hours and effort accordingly.

2. In the situation provided above, Rebecca must first set her priorities whether she wants to build her career by accepting promotion offered by Tom or she wants to start a family as discussed with her husband. After determining her priorities, she must talk to her husband regarding the same. They should have a thorough discussion and then reach a conclusion. Depending on the same, she should then approach Tom.

In the meeting, Rebecca must convey her decision to Tom. If her priority is her career, she should tell Tom that she has dropped the idea of starting a family for the time being and is ready to accept the opportunity. In case, if her priority is to start her family, she must convey the same to Tom without any hesitation.