The Work/Life Balancing Act

Should pregnant workers get special treatment?

When I was pregnant, I made full use of the special parking spot at my newspaper's offices for expecting mothers. It was right up in front of the building and saved me from walking for miles carrying around the 70 pounds I had gained with my daughter.

I didn't ask for special treatment, but it sure was nice to get it.

Now, there's legislation afoot not just to give expecting mothers special treatment, but to save them from losing their jobs or income -- just because they are pregnant. Today, Senators Casey and Shaheen, Representatives Nadler, Maloney, Speier, Davis and Fudge are proposing a Pregnant Workers Fairness Act to ensure that pregnant women are not forced out of jobs unnecessarily or denied reasonable job modifications that would allow them to continue working. 

It would seem like the U.S., the democratic country that we are, wouldn't need such legislation. Sadly, we do.

According to women's advocacy groups,  pregnant working women are being denied simple adjustments – permission to use a stool while working a cash register, or to carry a bottle of water to stay hydrated, or temporary reassignment to lighter duty tasks.

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act that's being reintroduced in the House and Senate would close legal loopholes. It would prevent employers from forcing women out on leave when another reasonable accommodation would allow them to continue working.  The bill also bars employers from denying employment opportunities to women based on their need for reasonable accommodations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.

Here are a few examples proponents are giving for the need: Amy Crosby, a hospital cleaner in Tallahassee, Florida, was forced into unpaid leave from her job when the hospital refused to accommodate her doctor’s request that she not lift more than 20 pounds because of her pregnancy; Heather Wiseman, a retail worker in Salina, Kansas, was fired because she needed to carry a water bottle to stay hydrated and prevent bladder infections; and Victoria Serednyj, an activity director at a nursing home in Valparaiso, Indiana, was terminated because she required help with some physically strenuous aspects of her job to prevent having another miscarriage.

I was pregnant three times and I can tell you that pregnancy, while exciting, can present all kinds of health concerns and on the job dilemmas. If a pregnant women is asking for an accommodation, it's only short term -- and there's a new life at stake. Will business groups fight this legislaion? Will they say it creates an undue hardship on the employer? 

So far, 138 advocacy and legal rights organizations have shown support for Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. It's being called common sense legislation.

I for one want to see just how much common sense our legislators have when it comes to something so basic as knowing the difference between special treatment and a reasonable accommodation for a pregnant worker. Women increasingly are the breadwinners in their families. They can't afford to be forced into unpaid medical leave or fired while pregnant. Let's get this law passed!

 

Moms who save children's lives

Is there any work life balance for moms in medicine?

Linda Brodsky, an pediatric otolaryngologist, has received a grant from the American Medical Women’s Association to study the experiences, attitudes, and work habits of women physicians. She told me the health care system is not readily adapting to how men and women work differently. 

Being a physician is extremely difficult, particularly for moms, she says. "If you go into it, expect a tough road. Being overwhelmed is the nature of every day life as woman physician. To think otherwise is naïve or romanticized."

Yet, 13 percent of all physicians are women, and they are expected to be 50 percent of the doctor population by 2040. "Women are going into medicine despite barriers and challenges because they want to be part of an exciting field," Brodsky explains.

 Today, in my Miami Herald column, just in time for Mother's Day, I featured doctor moms and learned how they juggle saving children's lives and raising their own families.

Help at home is critical for doctor moms

By CINDY KRISCHER GOODMAN

The Deeter family is shown in the living room of their plantation home on Sunday, May 5, 2013. Dr. Kris Deeter gets help at home fro her mom and husband.            Gregory Castillo / Miami Herald Staff

 

By CINDY KRISCHER GOODMAN

For Kristina Deeter, a hard day at work could include resuscitating a toddler who nearly drowned, adjusting medication for a child who is struggling to tolerate a new heart or setting up a premature baby on life support.

Then, after an intense 12-hour shift, Deeter, a 41-year-old pediatric intensive care physician, will go home to her own children — and try not to be a hyper-sensitive mom. “My job makes me very aware that anything can happen,” she says. “I think that makes my relationships with my own kids more special.”

Many working parents — and mothers in particular — tread a delicate line between demanding careers and the needs of family. But for mothers in medicine, the stakes are particularly high.

 

“It’s a critical job and I can’t just run out the door if something happens at home,” says Deeter who is part of an 9-doctor team with Pediatric Critical Care of South Florida, which operates the pediatric intensive care unit at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood and North Naples Hospital in Southwest Florida. “I say I’m sorry to my kids and husband a lot. But when it’s really important, I’m there.”

To help her children understand why she works such long hours, Deeter has introduced her children to patients and even brought them with her to bereavement ceremonies.. “I don’t want them damaged by my job, but I do want them to have that compassion to help others.’’

As women have come up the ranks in the male-dominated field of medicine, they have changed the practice, taken a more nurturing approach to interacting with patients and families and made it more acceptable to openly talk about challenges of many years of schooling, training, a high-stress environment, long and unpredictable hours — and motherhood. Today, nearly 13 percent of physicians are female, compared with about 8 percent a decade ago, according to the American Medical Association.

Toba Niazi, 34, is the rarest of women in medicine: a neurosurgeon. Only 200 — about 7 percent of the nation’s roughly 3,300 board-certified neurosurgeons — are female. On a given day, Niazi might meticulously remove a tumor from a child’s brain or skillfully repair a baby’s spinal cord. She operates as part of the three-person department at Miami Children’s Hospital and serves as a voluntary faculty member at the University of Miami, which means she sees children who are pediatric neurology patients at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Niazi also is the mother of a 2-year-old and an 8-month-old. Pregnancy was difficult. She spent eight to 10 hours at a time on her feet in the operating room — without a bathroom break. Of course, motherhood is a challenge, too. “It’s hard to leave your 2-year-old when you’re going to work and say, ‘I’ll see you in 12 or 16 hours,’ especially when you leave them with a caretaker that is not family,” she says.

After long emotional days at work, Niazi says she wants to be the one to tuck her tots into bed at night. That doesn’t always happen.

Like many doctor moms, Niazi’s husband also is a physician, a stroke neurologist at Baptist Health South Florida. A full-time nanny cares for the kids during the day, but dad’s schedule allows him to be the parent at home at night when his wife is on call or works late. “He gets what I deal with and understands when I have a sick child I have to take care of and can’t come home,” Niazi explains. “I don’t think anyone else would tolerate it.”

Support at home is essential. So are the right workplace partnerships or teams who share responsibilities and support motherhood.

Positive outcomes are critical not just for moms in medicine, but for the nation at large. Amid a potential physician shortage, an increasing numbers of doctors — mostly women — are deciding to work part time or leave the profession.

Setting up a system that works can take some trial and error — and staying power.

“It’s a long road and at times during that road, you think ‘wow can I do this?’ It’s your passion that gets you through it,” Niazi explains.

Ana Russo, 33, says she can go from shuttling her child to school to keeping another child alive within the same hour. She’s a nurse who is on the frontline when a child with a traumatic injury arrives at Jackson Memorial Hospital Ryder Trauma Center in Miami.

As a mother of two boys, 6 and 2, she says it’s almost impossible to not to relate to the heartache parents endure when their child is critically injured riding a bicycle, swimming in a pool or crossing the street. It has made her a much more cautious mother, maybe even overly cautious. She insists her kids wear elbow and knee pads and a helmet when they ride their bikes. “It’s hard to not keep my kids in a bubble with everything I see at work.”

Russo says some days, she gets emotionally attached to saving a young patient, feeling a sense of responsibility. As a mother herself, “you care for that child like your own.” Her days can stretch into night without an opportunity to check in at home during her 12-hour shift. “That’s why you have to have a good support system at home.” She relies on her husband and aunt to be there for homework, afterschool activities and dinner.

Lynn Meister, 52, worked full days and many nights as a pediatric hematologist/oncologist while raising two children, now in their 20s. She says she relied heavily on her husband for help at home and never once felt the personal sacrifices outweighed the rewards.

For years Meister would get asked, “’As a mother, how can you do that kind of work? Doesn’t it make you afraid?’ But I wasn’t afraid. I always felt like I had so much to offer because I am a mother.”

She, too, experienced the medical nightmare as a parent, when her then 12-year-old daughter was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor. That daughter now is an eight-year cancer survivor. Meister says the experience made the balancing act that much more important to her and led her to become an even better doctor.

Yet, Meister says her biggest battle was with imperfection, a common struggle among working mothers. “I felt like I never was doing quite as good a job as I could as a doctor or mother.” Today, she encourages other women to stick with medicine. “My son and daughter are fine adults, and if I can cure a child of cancer what can be better than that?”

An end to alimony, a beginning for work life balance

Big changes to alimony are in the works in Florida. I call it a HUGE wake up call for all spouses.

Yesterday, the Florida Legislature sent Gov. Rick Scott a sweeping measure that would alter the state’s alimony laws, including eliminating permanent alimony.  Instead of permanent alimony, the measure places guidelines based on the length of marriages.

Several female legislators blasted the measure, saying taking away permanent alimony would punish women who chose to remain in the home and help raise children. Other female legislators were angry, too.

“Why would a woman agree to stay home, have children, be limited in her employment opportunities and then face financial disaster?” asked Rep. Elaine Schwartz, D-Hollywood.Rep. Cynthia Stafford, D-Miami, called the bill “anti-woman,” “anti-marriage” and “mean spirited.” Rep. Barbara Watson, D-Miami Gardens, said it would allow husbands to drop their wives after they decided they “needed a Barbie doll rather than a wife.”

My thoughts are that times have changed.  Going forward, neither men or women should rely on each other completely for financial support for the rest of their lives -- whether they are married or divorced!

Alimony should not be a crutch.

There's nothing wrong with the decision to stay home and raise a family, whether you're a man or woman. But if there's anything we've learned from a high divorce rate and a high unemployment rate it's this: no one can afford to drop out of the workforce completely or let their skills lapse for years while raising kids. It's just too risky.

Taking away permanent alimony might be a bid deal for some women (and men). But it shouldn't be.

If you choose to stay home and raise children, it's imperative today that you keep your skills fresh. There are all kinds of opportunities to do this that won't infringe on your work life balance. You can volunteer at your child's school or at a family-friendly non profit. You can take online classes or work part time while your children nap. You turn a passion or an idea into a business from your home.

But what you no longer can do, is rely completely for the rest of your life on your spouse's income. 

At some point in life while you're raising kids or after they are on their own, it's likely you will need or want to go back to work to earn an income, restore balance or pay for your golden years. At a time when divorced parents are sharing custody, for a judge requiring a husband or wife to add "work" back into their work life balance equation, that's not anti-women or anti-men, it's just the reality of the 21st Century. I'm amazed it's taken this long for the laws to catch up.

 

 

How are you celebrating Equal Pay Day 2013?

 

 

Today, I'd love to be at a local town hall meeting bringing attention to Equal Pay Day. But I'm slammed with deadlines. (I hate when work gets in the way of fun!) So, instead, I'm celebrating Equal Pay Day by brainstorming strategic coverage I can give the topic throughout the year.

White women are paid 77 cents, black women 69 cents and Hispanic women 60 cents for every dollar paid to a white male. If women were paid equal to men, we'd be able to afford some of the conveniences that make a difference in our work life balance -- better child care, healthier take out meals, dog walkers, etc. These conveniences not only make our lives easier, they make our entire family lives better. We can't go another generation with women earning less than men for doing the same job.

Now, I ask you, what are you doing to celebrate Equal Pay Day?

It could be something as simple as talking to your children about the wage gap and encouraging them to make changes when they enter the workplace. 

It could be something as simple as writing a quick email to your state representative to let him or her know this is an issue you care about.

It could be something as simple as asking for a raise, and telling your boss why you deserve one. Or asking for a raise for your female assistant.

It could be something as simple as re-tweeting a tweet or reposting a Facebook post in support of Equal Pay Day.

It could be something as simple as wearing red today, and telling people why you are wearing red.

I'm sure you can think of lots of other things to do. Just do something and share your thoughts!

 

When your workplace replacement is younger, what's that like? Let's ask Leno.

 

By the time you hit 40, you think every gray hair or new wrinkle is a BIG deal.  But nothing would make me feel older that losing my job to a younger person.

In the case of NBC’s Tonight show, the decision to have Jimmy Fallon take over the job of veteran host Jay Leno has been in the works for months.  Though making headlines, the two hosts and the network maintain the decision was amicable, and that it will further the success of all parties involved.

It must stink to be Jay.

Management will expect a seemless transition. If I were Jay Leno, I would be bitter, wouldn't you?

Like any ousted leader, Jay is supposed to act like he's okay with situation. He is not the first talented guy be replaced by a younger person and he won't be the last. But he does need to leave gracefully, because in TV, like in most industries, you don't want to burn bridges with anyone who might help you down the road.

Clearly, there's a lesson in Jay Leno's situation for all of us.

Today, more than ever, there's value in being young and thinking young. So if we aren't young, we need to appear young. We need to look our best in the workplace, surround ourselves with young people who can guide us how to appeal to a younger customer or audience, and be open to continually doing things differently and better. 

The New York Times said: At 62 years old, Leno represents a more traditional form of hosting, as he's known for his "Las Vegas-style comedy. Fallon, 38, regularly incorporates the Web and social media into his act, offering "a more contemporary and varied brand of entertainment." 

What Jay may not have realized is you're never too old to keep your finger on the pulse of change and go with it. If you don't, someone else will. It's a mistake many business owners and leaders make, too.

It will be interesting to see what Jay does next. At 62, he still has time to make an intriguing career move. I'll be watching and, hopefully, learning a lesson in reinvention.

 

"Don't leave college without a husband": Mom's advice causes a stir

What the heck is going on? The women's movement is in turmoil.

The newest controversial figure to get women's panties in a tightwad is Susan Patton who wrote an open letter published in the school newspaper to the Ivy League school's female students.In the letter, Patton tells female students that they should take the opportunity to find a husband while on campus before they graduate, because they will never again have a deep pool of qualified potential mates once they leave.

"Smart women can't (shouldn't) marry men who aren't at least their intellectual equal. As Princeton women, we have almost priced ourselves out of the market. Simply put, there is a very limited population of men who are as smart or smarter than we are,” she wrote.

“And I say again — you will never again be surrounded by this concentration of men who are worthy of you. Of course, once you graduate, you will meet men who are your intellectual equal — just not that many of them."

Patton, a 1977 graduate, is the mother two boys -- a Princeton alum and a current undergraduate  -- and says if she had daughters, that's the advice she would be giving them.

What craziness!

I did exactly what Patton is telling the female students to do. I met my husband my senior year of college and got engaged shortly after graduation. I'm married 26 years. You won't find me writing a letter like Patton's. As blogger Vivia Chen writes: "Fact is, it's not always easy to make the transition from a college relationship into adulthood. People grow up and grow apart." So true, Vivia, so true....

While my husband and I have grown up together, it hasn't always been easy to work through the what it takes to accommodate two career interests at the same time.

Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, has said, "The most important career choice you'll make is who you marry. I have an awesome husband, and we're 50/50." 

She spoke passionately about how there's a "stalled revolution for women" right now, and how having a supportive spouse — a real partner — will play a huge part in your success.

Don't get me wrong, I can see where Patton is coming from. As a student you're in contact with people your own age, or close to your age most of the time, which makes meeting potential partners much easier. But does that really need to be a graduation goal for young women? Those Princeton guys might be smart, but we've all learned that it is what you do with that knowledge that counts.

My advice to my daughter is make your education and career a priority while you are young and you will find the right guy at the right time who supports your choices.That right time might be in college or it might be a decade later.

What do you think about Patton's advice to young women? What would your advice be?

 

(Princeton grad Susan Patton unintentionally launched a media storm with her open letter to young women.)

 

 

Network, exercise and have work life balance? Start Running.

A few years ago, a friend at work asked me if I wanted to join her on our newspaper's team for the local Corporate Run. At the time, it had been a decade since I ran. But she asked me enough in advance that I figured I could train -- so I agreed to do it. I loved the comraderie of running alongside my co-workers and mingled with people in departments I wouldn't have met.

Running, I have learned, is exercise that can fit into anyone's work life balance. If there's a desire, it's possible to fit 30 minutes somewhere in your day or night to head out the front door and run. After the Corporate Run was over, I was in good running shape and didn't want to lose the momentum. I invited my children to run with me. My daughter often jogs with me and she's found it a great stress reliever from the mountains of homework she confronts after school. For me, running now serves multiple purposes. 

Recently, I began to notice running has taken off. Wherever I go, I hear people talking about the 5Ks they are entering or the half marathons just finished. I also noticed it's become a great way to network.

Today, I wrote about running in my Miami Herald column. If you haven't explored running as a stress reliever or way to network, I recommend it. If you sit on the sidelines watching your child practice a sport, get up and start running. There are apps to get you started as well as local running clubs. Start small and build up. You might even consider an initial run/walk method. I think you'll be amazed at all the advantages.

Bond with your boss on the run

 

(Motorola's running team runs past company sign during their midday run in Plantation on April 1, 2013. Joe Rimkus Jr. / Miami Herald Staff)

By Cindy Krischer Goodman

Want to network with the CEO of public company or the president of a university?

Start running.

Adam Goldstein, CEO of Royal Caribbean International, says his running workouts and passion for the sport build rapport with staffers at all levels. “There is no doubt I have running friends in the company who I might otherwise not have formed as strong relationships.”

Running just may be the 21st Century version of golf. It’s a chance to polish office relationships, impress the boss, and “bond with colleagues outside the hierarchy,” Goldstein says.

Across the country, companies are forming running clubs, co-workers are pairing up to train for marathons and businesses are sponsoring employee teams in charity events. It’s hard to beat running as a low-cost-barrier-to-entry sport. All it takes is a pair of sneakers and comfortable clothes. And it can be done anywhere on your own schedule.

Often, the initial draw is workplace camaraderie. Corporate runs such as the Mercedes-Benz Corporate Run in Fort Lauderdale, Miami and West Palm Beach this month, introduce newbies to the sport, often with company-wide training programs to prepare for the 5-kilometer run. That’s what hooked Ed Suarez-Rivero, a software manager at Motorola in Plantation, who now jogs at lunchtime with the running group at his company.

Suarez-Rivero says exercising with co-workers builds relationships across departments and opens the door to more personal conversation than what would typically take place among desks and computers. “You get really comfortable with people you sweat with. You joke around. If you’re having a problem with your son you might vent with them. It’s different.”

Laurie Huseby, president of TeamFootWorks, producer of the Mercedes-Benz Corporate Run Series, says running used to be dominated by competitive athletes. Now it’s popular with people who want to lose weight, run for a cause, meet new people, challenge themselves to reach a goal, improve energy level or relieve stress. As the sport has taken off, running clubs are popping up in cities across the country and the number of marathons has topped 500 a year. In many parts of the country, there’s a run for charity or competition every month, year round. Running USA estimates there were 1.85 million finishers at U.S. half-marathons in 2012, which is nearly 15 percent more than the previous record of 1.6 million in 2011.

In South Florida, participation in corporate runs has jumped 30 percent from 2012 to 2013. “People have realized that even if you’re not the most fit, you can enjoy running and better your health,” Huseby says. Moreover, she says, the tent parties after a race are more fun than company holiday parties. “It’s a much less intimidating environment to hang out with the CEO.”

Yet, it seems to be the competitive aspect of running that attracts the high-level executives who once spent the day on the golf course. More than 100 CEOs will race in their own category in the Mercedes-Benz Corporate Run Series in South Florida this month, including the top brass at Sheridan Healthcare and the president of St. Thomas University. Goldstein at Royal Caribbean International takes the challenge seriously. He’s training with a coach and believes his passion for fitness and running has filtered down, galvanizing more than 300 participants on the cruise line’s team in the Miami corporate run. Goldstein also has formed company teams to compete in national running events with him. “Being able to compete as colleagues is important to me. I have bent my schedule to make races.”

At a time when stress levels are high and working hours longer, busy professionals say running fits easily into their work life balance. Heather Geronemus runs 40 miles a week. Even while traveling often for her job as events marketing director at Ultimate Software, Geronemus sticks to her running routine.

“All you need is sneakers. It’s a nice way to explore a community. I just ran the Vegas strip last week.” said Geronemus, chair of the MADD Dash Fort Lauderdale, who also travels for marathons and uses running as common ground with people she wants to meet for business. “It is the newest way to network.”

Running can also be a productivity booster. Every weekday morning, Rebecca Laracuente-Hernandez and eight other women meet at a nearby university to run for an hour as the sun rises. “It has become like a support group. We run. We talk and then we shower and head to our jobs.” By 9 a.m., when she arrives at her office at Wells Fargo Bank, Laracuente-Hernandez says she’s ready to do her best work. “I’m relaxed, and feel I can tackle anything.”

All it may take is one runner at a workplace to change the vibe. Jim Halley, a competitive runner who works at the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, says he’s that guy. “I’m not pushy about it. I just let my co-workers know if they are interested, I can help them out.” Halley says he always rallies a team for the local corporate run, encouraging colleagues to get past hesitation or the awkwardness of sweating alongside co-workers. “Once they make it across the finish line the first time, they’re hooked.”

Teens plan to rely on parents: Fitting money lessons into your work life balance

 

Have you ever been so busy and distracted that your teen asks you for money and you hand over a few bucks just to get them out of your hair?

I'm 100 percent guilty of this.

But that's about to change. I just saw a statistic that startled me: Nearly 60 percent of teens said they don't expect to be ready to financially support themselves by age 24 -- a far cry from the same survey by Junior Achievement two years ago, when 75 percent of teens felt the same.

Am I one of those parents who hasn't been making enough time to teach my kids to be financially responsible? Are you?

 

"Parents continue to be the No.1 influence on teens when it comes to money, so helping their teens set financial goals and take steps to meet them should pay off financially for both teens and their parents," said Don Civgin, president and chief executive officer of Allstate Financial.

AOL poses this question: Whose job is it to teach kids how to manage money -- teachers or parents?

 

For a while now, I've been on a rampage, arguing that high schools should require a mandatory class on personal finance. It may be the most important skill a teen learns and I can't understand why schools aren't teaching it. But the reality is, they aren't teaching it and even if they did, it likely will take both teachers and parents to put budgeting and managing money on our teens radars. 

 

April is financial literacy month and it is a good time for you and me to make time for money lessons. 

Here are the five financial lessons experts suggest we take the time to teach our teens before they head off into the world on their own. 

 

 

1. Credit. Teens need to know what it is, what responsibilities come with it, and how credit can increase cash flow but has to be paid back … with interest. (click here for more on how to teach your children about credit)

2. Credit Score. You will need to explain what it is and how the car you drive, the house you live in and the job  you have can all be affected by your credit score

3.  Loans. Explain good versus bad credit by pointing out important entries that have helped you establish a financial identity, such as your  mortgage or car loan.

4. Spending habits. Your kids “are going to be learning by watching you,”  says Sarah, founder of RaisingCEOKids.com and co-author of “The Parents’ Guide to Raising CEO Kids. Use teachable moments to explain why you make certain spending decisions and the consequences of your spending mistakes.

5. Savings. Now that your child is a teenager, you will want to show them how to open a savings account. While your teen may be enthused about earning money from work, you also have to teach him or her not to spend it all, an important lesson in financial management. This will take a bank visit together. You will need to consider fees and requirements, location of the bank, and amount of interest paid on a savings account.

 

I often hear parents say it's  hard to choose between financial security and a decent work life balance. If we teach our kids good money management at an early age, I'm hoping some of those choices we parents confront will be less of an issue for our kids in the future.   

Readers, do you think parents are taking enough time to teach our kids about personal finance? If not, do you think the schools should step in and do it?

Would you wear a tracking sensor in the workplace?

Imagine if all of a sudden, your company was able to track your every move during the work day by sticking a sensor in your ID badge. How much would you hate that? I sure would.

Well, it's happening in a big way and many employees are going along with it. Companies are squeezing sensors into everything from lanyards to office furniture to record how staffers navigate through their day and use office space.

Bank of America asked 90 workers to wear badges for a few weeks with tiny sensors to record their movements and tone of conversations. The results were fascinating: the most productive workers belonged to teams and spoke frequently to co-workers. The bank used the data it collected on human behavior and made some changes such as scheduling workers for group breaks instead of solo ones.

In addition to the bank, other employers also are using the data they collect from tracking their workers to make changes that make the workplace better for employees. Another company that tracked employees learned they retreat to their desks at lunchtime. It used the information and made the lunchroom more inviting.

But the sensors might just be the beginning of a broader trend. Researchers told the WSJ that as companies rethink their offices, many are looking into smart building wired with technologies that show workers' location in real time and suggest meetings with colleagues nearby. That's kind of cool, right?

Of course, as the journal article points out, "There's a fine line between Big Data and Big Brother, at least in the eyes of some employees, who might shudder at the idea of the boss tracking their every move." 

So, would you be willing to have your every move tracked in the workplace if it meant that the findings could lead to workplace improvements?

Groupon CEO Tweets Firing. Is this the new direction of departures?

(Andrew Mason)

 

 

If you got fired, would you tweet about it? 

Yesterday afternoon, Andrew Mason, founder and CEO of Groupon, tweeted a letter to his employees that he was fired as the head of the company. Groupon has been under scrutiny lately due to falling stock prices and meager results, and just yesterday released a quarterly statement outlining its poor performance.

Mason has publicly discussed the possibility of his removal, and his letter indicates that he was not surprised about being let go. Until now, CEO departures at public companies have been announced through a canned statement that gives little insight into the back story.

“This is likely the first Twitter response from a CEO regarding his removal,” said John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. “Most CEOs leave their posts quietly without revealing the true nature of the departure. However, Mason was known for being outspoken leader and not one to shy away from the spotlight.”

To me, this the latest example of the new reality. As individuals we can't expect privacy and companies can't expect it either. Look how quickly Yahoo's internal HR memo about recalling its remote workers went public last week. 

"Today, we’re in a public era," Challenger  "Internal memos are not private anymore, nothing much is private anymore, everything is fair game."

Challenger believes that Mason, a tech savvy guy, saw an opportunity to use a public platform to tell his side of the story in his own words. The key is his letter wasn't bitter or emotional and he used it to accept responsibility for what had gone wrong. He controlled the message. Challenger believes others may follow his lead: "I think we may see them putting out something simple or minimal." He urges caution to anyone thinking of putting details of workplace happenings out on social media:  "You don't want your dirty laundry aired or to come across in way you will regret later."

Will other CEOs turn to social media to discuss succession changes? Should they?  Last year, 45 CEOs were removed/ousted. You can bet there are plenty more removals to come. I think this is just the beginning of graceful and not-so-graceful exits aired over social media. 

How do you think the new era of viral information sharing is affecting corporate and individual behavior? Do you think Mason handled his departure well?