©2022 Alicia Dara
Last month I worked with a new Power Voice client I’ll call Gemma*, who showed up for each of our sessions with a puzzled expression on her face. Gemma is a mid-level Manager at a global tech company. Over the summer she had been included in high-level strategy meetings, in which she was encouraged to present her ideas for scaling the company to her boss and Senior leadership. She came to see me for some help clarifying her messaging, and strengthening her Power Voice so she could speak as confidently as possible when she delivered presentations in these high-pressure meetings. Yet although she made excellent progress over her 6 sessions, Gemma’s brow remained furrowed, as if she was troubled by something deeply puzzling.
During our final session, I asked Gemma if there was anything else she wanted to discuss. She took a deep breath, and told me that although she was flattered to have been invited into Senior leadership’s inner circle, she was taking on more and more work related to their strategies. On top of which, her boss had asked her to take over some of his own work while he focused on putting together the company’s projections for the rest of the year.
All the extra work Gemma had taken on had pushed her very close to burnout. She wasn’t able to take more than a week of vacation this summer, and her boss made it clear that she needed to be on-call for Senior leadership during that time. She ended up working on her laptop 10 hours a day for three of her precious vacation days! When she returned she was greeted with more new tasks and deadlines that she’d been working overtime to keep up with. Yet her boss had just strolled in to work after his 3-week vacation in Mexico, looking deeply tanned and relaxed. He placed a small piece of turquoise on Gemma’s desk, saying, “Thanks for your help, keep up the good work!”
Gemma was honored that he had thought to buy her a gift. She was honored that he loved her work. He even told Senior leadership that her work was as good as his. Yet she couldn’t understand why she remained stuck at the same level in the company.
There is a term for Gemma’s situation: it’s called WAGE THEFT.
Because she is so skilled, and because she is so humble and helpful, Gemma was in the perfect position to be completely taken advantage of by her superiors. They were using her high-value work without promoting and paying her accordingly.
Again: this is wage theft!!
You might have heard about the trend of “quiet quitting” that is starting to catch on everywhere, as employees realize just how much they’re being taken advantage of in the workplace. People are finally starting to understand that they don’t have to sacrifice their mental and physical health to their job. They’re choosing to opt-out of too much extra work, and all the extra blood, sweat and tears that go with it. They're reclaiming a true work/life balance, whereby they can feel guilt-free about things like taking their full vacation days, taking an occasional “mental health day”, and logging off at a reasonable hour every night. The difference these actions can make is staggering, but you might not know that if you’ve been worked by your superiors as hard as Gemma was. She hadn’t been able to rest, relax and recharge, even on her own vacation!!
My observation is that women are more prone to wage theft than any other gender. Generally speaking we are socially conditioned to be humble and minimize our accomplishments (or to perform these things), and to avoid appearing ambitious or even just proud of our work, because those things are considered unattractive or downright repellant in women, a sexist double-standard if ever there was one! But here’s the thing: if you don’t know or can’t recognize your own worth in the marketplace, you won’t get the career you truly deserve. And more to the point: if you can’t confidently articulate your worth and value, you could end up exactly in Gemma’s position.
I worked with Gemma to create strong Power Language around her boundaries, to push back on her boss and anyone else who wanted to take advantage of her hard work and precious time. We wrote a few different scripts that she could use in various situations, and I coached her delivery so she would sound strong, confident and calm. It was hard for her to advocate for herself after giving in to her boss’ demands for so long, but eventually he got the message and backed off. Ultimately Gemma decided to move on to another company, one that has been wanting her for years. She kept the piece of turquoise that her old boss gave her, as a reminder not to fall for the illusion of value without compensation. I’m happy to report that she’s doing great, and has just booked a month-long vacation. Don’t try to reach her: she won’t be bringing her laptop or answering work calls. At long-last, she’s officially OOO.
I’d love to help you find and grow your Power Voice, so you can speak up for your hard work and get the recognition (and compensation!) you deserve. I offer private packages, group workplace trainings, and occasional Zoom seminars. Email me directly for info about my availability and rates.