Any thoughts...?

[SarahYoung1977]

I work in a male dominated office for an engineering firm where of the 300 or so employees only 25-30 of us are women, that said, its a great place to work where I feel like there are no gender stereotypes or agendas etc.

3 years ago a young graduate started straight from uni and immediately set herself up as the bubbly office flirt, pushing the boundaries of the office dress code by wearing very low cut tops, figure hugging little black dresses etc.

At the time, it was obvious that the predominantly male staff had no problem with this as a bit of fresh eye-candy and the majority of the female staff I spoke to generally felt a little sorry that she felt she had to try so hard to please the male workforce.

However, more recently its become apparent that shes somewhat played the long game and is now capitalising on years of investment in flirting and leaving little to the imagination by getting a variety of promotions and pay rises way above her ability and way above the norm for other members of staff (both male and female) of a similar age and experience.
Obviously this reeks of sour grapes but its not, Im in my late 30s and shes still got quite a bit of catching up to get me worried but theres definitely an air of frustration among her peers in terms of their efforts exceeding hers and not receiving the same rewards.

Its annual review season at work soon and Im wondering if I should say anything or if I should let someone else broach the subject. Theres no doubt that shes the favourite of several of the senior management and while the situation is beginning to irritate me as a point of principal I dont want to come across as having sour grapes.

Any thoughts.?

Hmmm...I think women being promoted in male dominated environment can only be a good thing. Support her...it is easier than being annoyed by her.

You wont come out of this looking good at all if you choose to raise your concerns with management.

If she is being promoted above her abilities, she will soon be found out. Don't worry about it.

Is this like the fifth time you have asked this?

As long as you are not her line manager then its simply none of your business. Could she be better than you think she is? It is entirely possible that this is just how she likes to dress and that is her character. I'd keep out of it if I were you.

It would be hard to say anything without it coming across as jealousy.

That's a tough one!

Are you 100% sure it's because of how she acts/ dresses? Maybe she's just better at the job?

If you don't want to come across as having sour grapes then don't mention this at your annual review. Concentrate on your immediate work and do not engage in 'office politics'. As whootwhoot said she will be found out if she lacks the ability to perform her role effectively.

Do you seriously think she made a decision 3 years ago that she would dress differently from you to ensure future promotion??

Really??

If women's appearance is a factor in promotion in your company, then your beef is with the company, not your female colleague.

Grr. Just replied on your other thread.

Who would you say something to? Isn't an annual review for reflecting on your own performance rather than worrying about anyone else's?

It sounds like she's a good employee - she knows how to get what she wants, and she has managed it which is a great asset to have in a worker. You may not approve of the way she has gone about it, but it's results that count in many industries and being able to flirt your way into getting someone else to do something for you is as valid a method as grafting away yourself if you end up with the same result IMO.

When you say "annual review" time do you mean should you say something in your personal review meeting or are you talking about a general review meeting where senior employees and/or line managers meet to discuss the junior employees?

If the former I would think it not the appropriate place to mention it.

If the latter, then it depends. Are there specific criteria that people are graded against? If so then you would surely have the chance to see how and why she is being graded so highly. It might be that she really is that good. If she isn't then this is presumably the opportunity to question why she is being marked so highly provided you have sound examples of why, say, you think another employee of a similar grade should be marked as least as well if not better than her.

I love it when other women say they feel sorry, or have pity of the sexier girl at the office.
Some girls, and women, actually like to dress up, even for work. It's not always to please the men, but for themselves. Do not presume of their motivations!!

On your competency problem, are you sure your perception of this coworker is not tainted by the disdain you obviously feel for her? Be careful about bringing this up with management, this is the best way to appear bitter and unprofessional yourself, even if you are not!