Workplace Buzz: Today’s Headlines

Women in Hard Hats
Olga Aguilar walked through a tunnel of scaffolding at 6:30 a.m. on a recent weekday and into the Brompton, a 20-story condominium building going up at 86th Street and Third Avenue in Manhattan. Ms. Aguilar is part of a small but noteworthy shift in the construction industry: since 2005, more women have gone into the building trades in New York City than at any other period in history, according to trade union officials. New York Times

Should Women Lose Rights for Exposing Thighs?
Booze-infused office Christmas parties can be threatening affairs, according to Fox News guest Marc Rudov. But men should be more concerned than their female coworkers. "We live in an era when men have to rely on the sanity and the mood of a woman rather than the U.S. Constitution for his protection," he told the host of Fox's Your World. "Between the EEOC rules and the Violence Against Women Act, the workplace has become a dangerous place for men." Raw Story

Queen Bee Syndrome Passé
Successful female executives used to be seen as loners who shunned helping other women and dutifully stuck to entrenched rules to succeed. No one would make that charge today. A women's network has emerged in the corporate world that is working to counter the old boy's club. Its members, who include a fresh crop of female executives as well as corporate veterans, are helping one another advance and succeed — and on their own terms. The “queen bee syndrome” — the belief that ambitious women strive for the most powerful position in the workplace while excluding all rivals — is outdated, executives say. TheDay.com