Rewards, Workplace Policies and a Record Number of Women in the 113th Congress

In 2010, I wrote a blog post (Where's MY Pay Czar? Why We Need a Total Rewards Audit of Congress!) presenting my case for a (long overdue, to my way of thinking) total rewards audit of our elected representatives.

Today at the Huffington Post, Cara Woodson Welch (WorldatWork's VP of Policy and Public Affairs) opens with a gracious hat tip to my post and takes those thoughts in a new direction, wondering whether the record number of women in the 113th Congress might bring some change to the institution and its "old boys" workplace culture.

With record numbers of women in the 113th Congress, will we see more female chiefs of staff? More women Legislative Directors? Will having more women in leadership positions result in better workplace policies? Could all of that lead to a more functional workplace overall? Could it perhaps lead to less discord and less dysfunction?

No, I am not a Pollyanna, and I do realize that the field of politics lends itself to 24-hour workdays and an emphasis of work over other things in life. I also realize that outside the Beltway there is little sympathy for the workplace lives of those in Congress and congressional staffers. But I also know that the level of frustration with Congress is at an all-time high. Isn't it possible that if we change the "old boys" work culture, we might see it ripple into a more productive workplace? It certainly will be a facet of the 113th Congress that bears watching.

What do you think?

Creative Commons image "U.S. Capitol" by cliff1066

Comments

[Joe]

It brings to mind Jack Welch's "there is no such thing as work-life balance" from his SHRM presentation. Does it get more "old-boy" than that? I don't know where this development will lead, but it will be interesting to see how it plays out. If nothing else, I look forward to the day where we can drop the "old-boy" as the adjective for our current culture. Going forward female leaders will either validate the culture--and therefore take some ownership of it--or play an instrumental role in bringing about change.

[Ann Bares]

Joe:

Really great points. We do indeed need to get to a place where we no longer use gender-based adjectives to describe workplace culture and environment. And it is also good to move into an era where female leaders can increasingly influence, and must therefore increasingly own, the culture of the workplace. Nicely said!