There is just ONE step you can take TODAY that will almost certainly guarantee the successful implementation of an EHR in your IDD service business. This way is to the fastest and broadest rollout possible. Read our blog to find out what it is!
THE OFFICE HOUSEWORK DILEMMA
by Chelsea Egu
When the pandemic erupted in 2020, business leaders navigated uncharted waters and attempted to keep themselves and their teams afloat through a global health crisis and economic upset.
More than two years later, “the pandemic continues to take a toll, as women leaders are now significantly more burned out––and increasingly more so than male leaders.” But, how did this happen? The evidence points to the seemingly innocuous but deeply sexist phenomenon of “office housework” which has normalized a culture of sacrifice amongst women in the workplace, compounding the current exhaustion experienced by many.
Joan C. Williams and Marina Multhaup, legal scholars and co-authors of What Works for Women at Work, define “office housework” as everything from “administrative work that keeps things moving forward, like taking notes or finding a time everyone can meet” to “work that’s important but undervalued, like initiating new processes or keeping track of contracts.” In other words, it is the “thankless-but-necessary tasks that keep organizations humming.”
Even if a woman’s job description is far up the ladder from such administrative tasks, they are still expected to do office housework. Unrecognized, unrewarded, and under-appreciated, such work holds women leaders back, by undercutting their authority and devouring time they could spend on more valued projects.
If you recognize yourself or other female colleagues in the description above then Karen Caitlin, in her great article “5 Ways Allies Can Disrupt Office Housework,” can help. She provides easy ways to get others involved in office housework without stoking antagonism. [I have combined 2 of her suggestions into one below so there are only four (4) bullet points.]
- Set up rotations for ongoing chores or any administrative tasks that aren’t part of someone’s job description, such as note taking, coffee making/coffee mug-clearing, ordering food and making restaurant reservations. If one of your (possibly male) colleagues gives an excuse like “I’m really no good at making coffee, or taking notes…etc.” simply reply with, “Practice makes perfect, and this is the perfect place to practice.” Even if they do a horrible job encourage them and do NOT let them get a pass. Teenagers use this trick to get out of household chores but there are only adults at the office, so no excuses. Consider also holding a meeting about office housework. You could facilitate a brainstorming session about which tasks qualify, discuss why it’s detrimental to foist them on women and other marginalized employees, and identify approaches for disrupting how your team handles office housework.
- Coach frequent volunteers to step back – Talk to them in private. Let them know you’re concerned that the office housework they’re taking on will affect their career growth. Encourage them to look for more impactful tasks to get involved with, and offer a few examples to nudge them in the right direction.
- Don’t assume coworkers find it enjoyable – Women are also often perceived as “enjoying” this work simply because they are more likely to do it. However, frequently, they may do these tasks only because they hate the consequences of the tasks going undone more than they mind doing the task. For example, a person may hate the resulting unclear expectations/team confusion that results from not taking notes more than the effort to actually take the notes. Or they may be stressed by a sink full of dirty mugs more than the effort to wash them. It doesn’t matter, regardless of whether someone enjoys doing these tasks or not, there is a negative impact on how they are perceived and therefore their careers and on the work they need to deliver.
- Men: volunteer yourself – If you’re a man, model better behavior yourself by clearing the lunch leftovers, messaging people who are late for a meeting, or planning the next virtual team-building event. If you don’t, chances are someone will ask a woman. Or a woman will feel compelled to roll up her sleeves and get the task done.
However, women don’t just feel the negative impact of office housework professionally, but mentally as well. Because they do the heavy lifting, women leaders are more likely to be exhausted and chronically stressed at work than their male counterparts. Additionally, more than half of women leaders who manage teams say that over the last few months, they have felt burned out at work “often” or “almost always.” In their quest to care for others, women often sacrifice themselves, and this takes a psychological toll and impacts their health.
Women must shift their mind-set: If you want to care for others, you also need to take care of yourselves. Because if you put self-concern on par with concern for others, you sustain more energy. This same mentality of change should be applied on a macro-level, too. For example, stop concerning yourselves with paperwork as opposed to projects that really matter, to you and your company, by adopting an efficient, e-documentation system. Now is the time for women leaders to curb the pervasiveness of “office housework”, eradicate a culture of unnecessary sacrifice, and bolster every employee’s energy in one fell swoop.
In these unprecedented times, all leaders must embrace experimentation, explore creative solutions and try something different! The disruption of the last two years is driving fundamental change in the way we work. It is imperative that companies establish new norms and systems to improve employees’ everyday work experiences.
Since everyone benefits from essential office housework –
everyone should help with office housework.
Okay, so let’s talk about the other kind of office work, that is the kind you pay your team to do! With the ever-increasing and complex regulatory demands in long term care, optimal staff work cannot be efficiently achieved with archaic paper charts or rudimentary Excel sheet or Access-based desktop-bound documentation. The value proposition of an EHR or practice management software system is undeniable! They are cheaper than adding new personnel and never need benefits, sick time or rest! Implementing Focused EHR is much easier than you think and we’ll guide you every step of the way! Let your software do the heavy lifting for you – that’s what it’s designed to do! Automation helps you work smarter and is the most efficient and affordable answer! Call FOCUSED SOFTWARE TODAY!
Remember: success begins from the grassroots, your direct care staff – get them using Focused Software
Secure, Quick To Implement and User-friendly –
that’s the Focused Software Difference!
