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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Women @ work

201 replies

notstacysmum · 14/01/2022 15:17

Name changed for this in case it becomes a bun fight. I have my hard hat on.

I am a senior manager within a public sector org- I've been in my current role for 4 month and I lead a corporate service; think HR, finance, business improvement etc. I am a massive advocate for women at work and have two daughters... BUT...

I absolutely despair at the vast majority of women at work who don't have basic digital literacy skills and have no enthusiasm for learning them. In the few months I've been in post three members of my team - all female- have failed to grasp basic excel skills needed to manipulate and present reports. They don't have any interest in doing things differently or thinking on their feet. We've implemented a new system they can't get their head around, they give advice on policies from 2 years ago because they "forgot" there was a new one. They leave on the dot every day - which isn't an issue really but they spend the last 15 minutes of every day getting ready to leave and clock watching! I feel like I'm constantly banging my head against a brick wall and I'm at a point where I'd rather replace them all with apprentices because I have to hand hold them on simple tasks. I have two men in my team who take everything in their stride and lead on every project. My department has a long standing reputation of being a bit shit that I've been tasked with turning around- their performance is part of the negative feedback.

These women aren't all menopausal (I accept some are) and this isn't just my team- I hear it from other management colleagues, from friends who don't know how to use even basic office software, I've worked for a long time and it's only ever been female colleagues who behave like this (don't get me wrong- there's been some shit men too but they tend to be over promisers!).

I feel like such a shit feminist to say this but if I could swap them for a team of men I would.

AIBU to think this is probably a gender specific problem (#notallwomen)? WIBU to raise their mediocreness with them?! They haven't done anything differently to the last 15 years and I don't think anyone has ever told them so it's not all their fault but I can't see how else they will change!?

OP posts:
NumberTheory · 15/01/2022 17:21

@Mouseonmychair

Indeed *@Pugroll* I was using c++ and python as example languages use VBA c# or whatever you need to do your task. Eventually most of these admin type jobs will be automated by software engineers then these largely female industries will reduce. I say again look at the output of UK universities on computer science courses then look around the office at a major software development company. There is a massive lack of female representation that isn't misogyny that is a skills shortage amongst a great chunk of the population.
I think there's quite a lot of misogyny and sexist culture involved in creating the environment where women don't go into computer science.
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