Which one should get promoted ?

Question

Person A is always there and is always available to get the deadlines completed, but is a single male that never takes time off from work.

Person B has small children, is a great worker when at work, but several times a year will leave to take care of emergencies at home such as a sick child.

In this scenario, A promotion is coming up, which person will get the promotion?

(Just so you know, I believe that gender should not be a factor, but this is one of the reasons why men get further in the corporate ladder than women - by the way, I'm female).

As women, how do we overcome the glass ceiling when we are the ones to always take care of the sick kids? How can we compete against a single person in the quest for the upper rungs of the corporate ladder?

In response to the nasty post about my "loaded question". I brought this up because I'm in a class at college that is talking about the glass ceiling. One of the biggest reasons why women are bypassed is that women take time off for things like pregnancy and are more likely to take time off than men for childcare issues.

I'm also looking for insight as to some ways that women can overcome this issue.

Answer 1

Person A, of course. He spends 100% quality time of his daily life in his work so he deserves the promotion.

Married women who take care of kids should compete in the workplace through the following:

1. Time management - allocation of quality time at home and quality time at work;

2. Delegation of household duties - asking help from spouses, hiring a babysitter/nanny/maid/tutor;

3. Positive work attitude - healthy decision-making skills, crisis resolution, stress management, rapport with officemates, etc.

4. Resiliency, adaptability, and flexibility - ability to face any challenge, roll with the punches, and effectively respond to any situation, in the workplace, at home, and elsewhere.

On a sidenote, I think an employee or aspiring corporate leader must enjoy his work to give it his 100%. Work should be fun!

Answer 2

This is such a loaded question is not even funny.

Person A. should get the promotion hands down every time, independent of the gender of Person A. BTW, if you believe gender should not be a factor, why did you assign a gender to Person A.

Why would I pick person A every time?
Because all you told us of person B is that he or she is a great worker. What does this mean? whose opinion is this? The boss or person B?

This is not really a question about choice, but an opportunity to whine.

Maybe you should stop competing against the single male and concentrate on your actual choices:

a) Kids
b) Always being there and always available to get the deadlines completed

Answer 3

I think your question answered itself..you wrote "person b is a great worker 'when at work'." Gender isn't even the issue here, there are millions of women who are successful and they have families. People are hired to DO A JOB. The employers need people who are reliable and do not miss work on a regular basis. Women should not get a "free pass" to miss a lot of work and expect to be eligible for a promotion over another worker, male or female, because they missed work due to kids. Sorry but that's the way it is, why should a woman who can't arrange care for her family get promoted? There are many many successful women who have families that realize if they miss a lot of work, then they pay a price for it..and they make arrangements so that do not miss a lot of work.

Answer 4

Love promotes Selflessness Jealousy promotes Greed

Answer 5

Unfortunatly the person with no kids will get the promotion most likely. I know it does stink because one might be more capable then the other. But bottom line bosses want the person who takes the job first not the family. Which completely sucks for women. but if the women with kids only misses once in a while it may work the other way. it really comes down to the boss. I wouldnt scrutinize my workers for it.

Answer 6

There are indications that corporations, afraid of losing their female brainpower, are beginning to make it easier for women to have it all -- a family AND a career. There have been several news stories recently describing how not only are corporations offering more flexible scheduling and telecommuting to make work and parenting possible for both mom and dad, but also how men are beginning to share more household chores and parenting tasks. While men, the report said, do not yet share a full 50% of the tasks, they are participating in domestic activities more than they used to -- and their level of participation is expected to continue to increase.

As to the point raised by your question, one would expect, as a logical outcome of the above, that employers will come to realize that women's performance evaluations must take into account the other roles that society expects them to play without penalizing them. So don't worry yourself silly over this -- there is hope, because more egalitarian treatment is beginning to appear on the horizon.

Answer 7

Person B. Because the time they took off is for a good reason. Since B is also a good worker and dependable, must be promoted. B has the loyalty to stay with the same company and not take another job with another company. A looks like the type who wants to move up quickly and leave the company. A is after the money and don't really care about the company. Money talks and bs walks.

Answer 8

It seems like you cant unless you are able to let go of babying your kid or you have a hell of alot of help taking care of it.
I most likely will be a single woman who rarely takes time off. So you will have to do alot to compete agianst me and win hun.

It depends on the company. Do they want a reliable person who will do work, some companies need this, then I would give it to the man. But if its more of a layed back company that doesnt need all the attention or has a strong enought work force then I would give it to the lady.

the guy sounds like he would work himself to death anyway and become a pretty bitter person once the youth wears off. NO company really needs that.

For many people its family or work, choose a dominant one.

Answer 9

I think you dont have any performace appraisal forms or any system that can check the performacne on some standard criteria. Promotion is not given only by means of just hard work, it also involves, regular, punctual, leaves/attendance record, output, organiztional behavior, general attitudes, initiatives, decisions makeing powers and much much more things are observes in performacne appraisal so that we fit criteria to each point and allocate some point and then total the points. The person who stand first in points is suitbale for promotion.

Answer 10

are you asking a question or just stating the fact that as women we are screwed all the way around but yet as multi taskers we rock !!! But in a "man's" word we are still seen as the ones that should be home in the kitchen bare foot and prego.

and the answer can be both depending on where each is working and who has the upper hand in the company.