Greater Milwaukee Jobs

Workplaces are awash in statistics. Surveys and studies pop up weekly on every issue imaginable – diversi- ty, health, engagement and job satis- faction, to name a few. I approach such data with reason- able suspicion, not because I doubt the validity of the reports but because they are, to paraphrase Shakespeare, full of words and numbers, diagnosing nothing. Workplaces tend to be reactive, not proactive. Toss a startling data point or two into a manager's inbox, and that manager is likely to form an executive committee that will prepare a 10-point plan that will be revised 17 times. And in the end, the plan won't actually address the problem because nobody really understood the problem in the first place. Much of the workplace data that gets dispersed is information with- out context, red flags that fail to point us in any particular direction. That's not the case with a new study called "Women in the Work- place 2015," a joint effort by LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Com- pany. Using data from a survey of 118 companies and nearly 30,000 work- ers, the report shows that women are underrepresented "at every level in the corporate pipeline." That, in and of itself, isn't revela- tory, though it does give us a cur- rent snapshot of the situation. What the study does well is explain why companies continue to struggle with gender diversity. It looks at the ways women and men perceive the work- place and the career paths in front of them and, most importantly, it offers advice for moving forward. I imagine, even before I get to any numbers or recommendations, that some folks are rolling their eyes and saying, "Women have plenty of opportunities, everybody's on the same footing now. I'm sick of hear- ing about this." First off, you're wrong, women still face considerable obstacles on the path to senior leadership posi- tions. Second, even if you think you're right and I'm wrong, you should read a report like this, because you'll learn something and it will put this issue in a broader context. You can still disagree, but at least it will be an informed dis- agreement. Find the full report at wom- enintheworkplace.com. Women are underrepresented at work, and yes, there are ways to fix it see WOMEN . . . page 6 2 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS • November 19, 2015 By Rex Huppke Chicago Tribune (TNS) patient care. The job category is growing because of documentation demands in the world of electronic health records. Competition for medical scribe jobs is fairly tough in some loca- tions, partly because some medical school candidates are using the position as a steppingstone to aug- ment their applications. But it's also a stand-alone career in itself. If you're into courtroom drama, consider the timeless discipline of court reporting. The field contin- ues to reinvent itself as technology creates new ways to take and tran- scribe what occurs in court pro- ceedings as well as other instances in which verbatim records must be kept. "Many out-of-work college graduates would do well to look into this field, as we have more openings nationwide than we can fill," said Donna Cascio, a court reporter in Pennsylvania, who wrote to me with an overview of that profession. "My profession has morphed from a type- writer/carbon paper career into a high-tech one, employing comput- er-aided transcription and real- time viewing, bringing the spoken word instantaneously into view on a computer screen or iPad in a courtroom, a lawyer's deposition suite or on a TV screen with closed captioning." Take note of the last option. The job isn't just about legal work. It's also about improving communica- tion for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Opportunities in these two jobs remind me of another field that's open to many "word" graduates – translation and interpretation. For bilingual people or people who did a fine job majoring (or maybe even minoring) in a foreign language, there are multiple ways to earn money. Translation needs cross all professions, including education, health care, business services and the highest level of sciences. liberal arts . . . from page 1 A publication of Conley Media Distributed by: Conley Distribution 262-513-2646 ©2004 by Conley Media, LLC Waukesha County Independent and Locally Owned GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS is published weekly by Conley Media – Waukesha County, 801 N. Barstow St., Waukesha, WI 53186. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher. GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS assumes no liability for any error in copy or content. It is the advertiser's responsibility to be aware of the laws pertaining to employment advertising. Call 262-306-5008 for information. Call Center Director: Cindy Shaske 262-306-5016 cshaske@conleynet.com Account Executive: Julie Sears 262-306-5008 jsears@conleynet.com Story Coordinator: Dan Muckelbauer 262-513-2626 dmuck@conleynet.com Production: Patricia Scheel 262-513-2690 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS Volume 18 • Number 11 November 19, 2015 To place an ad: Call us at 262-306-5008 or fax us at 262-338-5271 deadline: Noon on Wednesdays Explore the roots of your dislike for co-worker & A Q A. First of all, ouch! It's hard enough to lose your job, but even worse when it is handled in a callous manner. Keep in mind, though, that people vary a lot in how well they communicate, especially when making hard decisions. If I'm not mistaken, your challenge is less about the practical impact on your life, as you've found another posi- tion. However, if you've had to accept a lesser position and if you think you're being pushed out unfairly, you might want to consider whether you want to take legal steps. Given that I am neither an HR expert nor an attorney, I'll leave it at that. Returning to the personal aspect, you may find it helpful to try to think about the motivation underlying the lack of compassion. First, they may just not be very nice people. If there were changes in leader- ship, for example, the new people may have no sense of personal connection to you. And they just might not care. There's really nothing you can do there, except to accept that it truly has nothing to do with you. On the other hand, they may be extremely uncomfortable about the decision they've made, and have poor skills for handling it. Think about all of the people who are uncom- fortable with dealing with other people's personal losses, like a death in the family. They don't know what to say, and often just say noth- ing at all. This actually feels likely to me, given that it's a smaller firm and you have a long history with them.While it doesn't change the outcome for you, it may help you expe- rience the emotions in a dif- ferent way. Let's assume that they're being clueless, not indifferent or malicious. Can you relate to this in some way, thinking back on times when you may have fallen short with some- one else? Note that I'm not trying to say that you should- n't feel hurt, but just trying to help you find a way to under- stand how someone could let you down. It may be beneficial for you to find compassion for them, strange as that may seem. As far as moving forward, try some activities that help you express your emotions.Writ- ing would be a great way; for example, writing farewell let- ters that can help you process the experience. These would be for you, not to be sent; a personal ritual of writing and then burning or tearing up the letters can be very liberating. You could decide, of course, that sending a brief note to your old firm would feel good, but make sure you sleep on anything you'd send. Most important, make sure you really understand that you're launching a one-way commu- nication so that you're not disappointed again. It's really a matter of moving on. Time will help, and embracing your new reality will speed it along. Q. I recently was told that my job was going to be eliminated after nearly 20 years. While I found a new position and am moving on, the whole process was very impersonal and felt unfair. What would have been fair to expect, and what can I do? By Liz Reyer Tribune News Service (TNS) Liz Reyer is a credentialed coach with more than 20 years of business experience. Her company, Reyer Coaching & Consulting, offers services for organizations of all sizes. Submit questions or comments about this column at www.deliverchange.com/coachscorner or email her at lizdeliverchange.com.

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