Workplace WhatsApp groups for ‘the lads’…
What’s the harm? Quite a lot, actually. Even now, in 2022, with all our movements, new understanding & widening acceptance, a ‘lad’ culture still exists in some corners of the workplace. Don’t believe me? It’s amongst the top reasons why women leave their jobs & I really would know!I It can 100% lead to talented females discovering their actual value elsewhere…
It may start with inappropriate comments about female colleagues, becoming accepted as a ‘bit of banter’. “She’s fit”, “I’d give her one”, you know the kind…
It then progresses with the sharing of sexist & misogynistic images or videos on ‘boys only’ WhatsApp groups, porn, crude memes, in-jokes etc, etc. It ends with an unconscious (or conscious) bias against women in the workplace, resulting in a leveling down of women at all stages of their career & that, is a big problem. It also leads to ‘cliques’.
Even in predominantly female environments & fields, such as the NHS, higher management & board level is still an arena dominated by men. So, is the so called ‘harmless banter’ & lad culture at lower levels to blame for this? Probably not on its own, no. It’s a small part of a bigger puzzle, including things like maternity leave & the gender pay gap, that all add up to women feeling as though their chances for career progression & general equality are limited in comparison to their male counterparts. They don’t just feel this way, it’s actually true, their chances really are limited in comparison. What can we do about it?
Well, not all men in the workplace are sexist dinosaurs, thankfully. As I said at the start of this piece, this culture is now limited to dark corners of certain industries, clung on to by people with no personality or purpose. When it rears its ugly head, we must challenge it & root it out.
Don’t ignore it, report it, call it out.
I can hear people shouting at their screens, telling me that men can be objectified or ridiculed in the workplace at times too & that’s definitely true, but not on the same scale & anyway, it’s not right, whichever way it happens & it should be challenged in all its forms, but if we’re to get to the point where women have the same chances & choices as men in the workplace & in the world, as soon as possible, then we need to be united in our efforts against sexism, all sexism, all division……& that starts with throwing lad culture in the bin…
Many men, do not like being lumped into a ‘lad’s Whatsapp group & don’t like the ‘lad culture’ but struggle to communicate that with other males, as they then feel immediately judged, usually negatively, too… The culture becomes toxic to them too…
Whatever your gender, do you need to find your value & find the right company culture for you, before targeting your next career move? Book in for a call…
Empowering people is Career Garage’s mission…