Workplace Buzz: Today’s Headlines

A Balancing Act
Writing about life and work means receiving a steady stream of research on how women in the workplace are viewed differently from men. These are academic and professional studies, not whimsical online polls, and each time I read one I feel deflated. What are women supposed to do with this information? Transform overnight? And if so, into what? How are we supposed to be assertive, but not, at the same time? New York Times

Empathizing Employers
It is perhaps equally notable that Deborah Venable is willing to look vulnerable in front of her employees as it is that her male colleagues don't balk at telling her they're stressed out and exhausted. At the same time, a male employee told Venable he was coping with a sick child who was in and out of the hospital, and he was going to be absent whenever his son needed him. "The whole group understands nurturing and empathy," Venable said of her 22-person office. But it's key that everyone continues to pull their weight, she added. "I still have to pay the bills and run a profitable business." Chicago Tribune

A Shift in the Workforce
Why are Gen-X women so vital? According to projections, fifty percent of the workforce will retire within the next 10 years. On top of that, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's "Survey of Consumer Finance" and the Small Business Administration, one in 15 Gen-X women are leaving corporations, either to find a new company to work for or to pursue their own entrepreneurial endeavor. In other words, older workers are set to leave in droves over the next few years, and the younger workers on payroll today, especially the women, see their jobs as temporary. HR.BLR.com