by Solange Lopes | Apr 16, 2015 | Career
Photo credit: https://40percentandrising.com
On the heels of Equal Pay Day this week, SheKnows Media hosted an important conversation with no other than President Obama himself around women’s issues, such as wage equality, women in tech, student loans and early childhood care. However, as much as most of us are talking the talk when it comes to equal pay at work, can we really talk about it at work? I mean, in between two sips of your morning coffee, can you just hit your boss up with a quick gender wage gap statistic, and ask how that applies to your office? Or casually take up a bet with your co-worker about how much more he makes than you, doing exactly the same job (except when he has to leave early for the department’s basketball team practice, oh wait, is that still considered work?)? Really, can you even utter the words “Equal Pay” further than your keyboard as you’re reading the announcement the co-worker you trained for months got your promotion?
My $0.05: We’ve come a long way when it comes to equal pay, and there are many ways you can help make it a reality. Yet, discussing it in direct terms with your boss or at the water cooler station may not be one of them (at least not if you want to keep your job). It’s like talking about politics, race, or how hard it is to be a woman working full-time and raising kids. It’s all true, relevant, and important, but no one (or at least very few) seem to believe it even exists.
What you can do though, is join women’s groups at your workplace, or your community, and talk about your own experiences with equal pay. It’s easier to come up with a plan of action as a group than fighting the status quo alone, well, unless you’re Superwoman…(which you kinda are…)
What do you think? Should you keep quiet about equal pay at work?
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Apr 16, 2015 | Career
Print Swing Hem Top – Photo credit: whistles.com
Ooh la la! This Bloomsbury print swing hem top from Whistles “reads” it like it is…It’s bold, springy/summery, attention-catching yet sophisticated. It’s perfect to jazz up any item in your wardrobe, from clean straight-cut slacks to a traditional pencil skirt. You can even take it for a spin on week-ends with your favorite jeans. It’s $180 at Whistles!
For a fashionably “jazzy” day at the office, I’d pair it with these leather two-tone high heel court shoes from Zara. And voila!
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Apr 16, 2015 | Career
Photo credit: bizjournals.com
President Obama met in Charlotte yesterday with working women to chat women’s salaries, women’s advancement and more, courtesy of media company She Knows and Blog Her. The town hall meeting with the President was moderated by Blog Her co-founder Lisa Stone (Blog Her became a part of She Knows back in November 2014). This intimate town hall was a great effort on the part of the White House to reach to women’s audiences through social media. The President took questions from the online community and from Blog Her contributors.
As I listened to parts of the town hall on You Tube, I was inspired to see the progress made in reaching various audiences through diversified platforms about women’s issues. Questions around the wage gap being caused by discrimination or just lifestyle choice, the failure of the Paycheck Fairness Act, women in tech, and early childhood care dominated this seemingly casual, but oh so important conversation. Here are 4 things we gathered from the discussion:
1. Equal Pay: Blog Her co-founder raised the question of pay equality, alluding to the fact the Paycheck Fairness Act has already failed four times. Arguing the Act has been blocked by the Republicans, President Obama insisted: “The whole point of equal pay is people doing the same job and getting paid less”.
2. Early childhood care: President Obama’s remarks on the need for early childhood care to be of “high quality” brought relief to all, as we’re seeing much needed (and much celebrated) improvements at the state level.
3. Women in Tech: In the words of the President, ““Because of the way we structure STEM education, girls get discouraged early from going into those fields. We know from experiments and data, some of it is just making little changes in the way this is taught.” All agreed companies should do more to hire women and girls, and encourage them to pursue these traditionally male-dominated fields in college.
4. College education and student loans: More funds are being distributed to students through Pell grants directly through the government, thus eliminating middlemen banks’ fees. The current administration has also worked to cap student loans’ interest rates, while also helping grads through a program called income-based repayment. Last but not least, Obama’s budget proposal also counts a measure to offer two years of free tuition at community colleges.
All in all, a great conversation between women, President Obama, and the public at large! Now that we’ve talked the talk, let’s walk it…
What did you think about the Obama/SheKnows Media town hall meeting?
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Apr 14, 2015 | Career
Photo credit: http://jobseekersptc.org
We’ve talked about changing careers, and how challenging, yet incredibly motivating that can be. Yet, while you’re planning on making a change in your current situation, would it help or hinder you to share your plans with your boss?
My $0.05: I’ve seen both sides of the coin on this one. I’ve witnessed on one hand, incredibly supportive managers who’ve helped their team members transition to a new career or area of the business. On the other hand, I’ve also seen bosses who did not exactly take the news well.
Know your boss, and know your office environment! At the end of the day, you don’t want to unnecessarily burn bridges (even if you may never cross them again). If your professional environment is one open to growth and supportive of alternative career endeavors, and you have a close relationship with your boss, seek his advice.
However, if your office is more conservative and you are not as comfortable discussing your future with your boss, seek support and mentorship elsewhere.
Would you agree?
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Apr 14, 2015 | Career
Printed Wrap Dress – Photo credit: the limited.com
This printed wrap dress from The Limited had me at “hello gorgeous”! Loving the romantic print of this dress, and most of all, the extra comfort! The elastic waist still cinches in your waist while still allowing you not to miss “Taco Tuesday”! It’s 98$ at The Limited!
I’d probably add a belt to this elegant dress, to up the oomph factor (and shave a few extra pounds too). I like this slimming black exotic leather embossed belt from Ann Taylor, or even this funky (and oh so inexpensive) braided belt from H&M.
Work It!
The Corporate Sis.
