My guest blogger this week is Cathy-Ann Paige — Vice President and General Manager for Manpower’s Northeast Staffing Division.  As you read her blog, you’ll notice that she’s been with Manpower a bit longer than I have so I’ve known her for nearly 28 years.  She’s a good friend (and fellow dog lover).  To learn more about Cathy, read her professional bio.

From Cathy…

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Change is growth… That was the poster in the Manpower office when I first applied for a position with the company in Springfield, Massachusetts over 28 years ago. 

It’s all the rage these days to change companies every three to five years.  Statistics tell us that the average student graduating today will work at seven to ten companies over the course of a career.  I see evidence of this every day when I get invited to join someone’s LinkedIn network or I get “Facebooked” by someone (when did that word become a verb?).

Have I changed jobs that often?  I must admit that I have.  By changing jobs every three to five years I’ve learned new skills, met different people and developed my career.  It has been a very rewarding experience and I regret nothing.  And I’ve always been lucky enough to do work that is meaningful and has value.

The most important thing I always look for at work is getting the balance right for me.  Am I challenged enough?  Learning new things?  Meeting people I enjoy spending my time with?  And most of all, does the way I spend my time earning a living matter in the world?  If work is not meaningful, it isn’t the right company for me.  

So back to the day I walked into that office in Springfield.  I was a newly minted college grad looking for my opportunity to change the world.  Here I am 28 years later, older and somewhat jaded, but still having fun every day.  Yes, I changed jobs often — but I always stayed at Manpower.

My point is this, you don’t have to leave where you are to find what you are looking for.  I found a lifetime of meaningful work and challenges at one company. When you search for a career think about the right company and explore your options to stay and grow. Change may mean growth, but it doesn’t always have to mean a new company — if you pick well.

I have always been happy that I was born female and have very seldom felt discriminated against or treated unfairly.  Lucky for me!

But read this article from the Wall St. Journal — Guys Left Behind.  Seems the tables are turning (or have already turned) when it comes to men being ahead of women.  Not so lucky for the men!

In a recent Forbes.com article called Resilient to Recession, Jenna Goudreau writes about a recession impact survey from Bain & Company.  The results are positive and some even feel there is an upside for women in this economy.  According to one respondent, “The recession is not having an impact on the progress of women in business.  To the contrary, talent is now valued more than ever….”

As you all probably know, I love hearing good news and I love to repeat it as often as I can.  So, read the article.  But as you’re reading, please consider these:

• Do the results mean anything?  Or is optimism something that more women than men possess?
• I see a bit of an inconsistency — if there is rising demand for “typical female strengths” such as flexibility, why is the potential obstacle of declining flexible work arrangements mentioned?
• And even though in my first bullet, I am talking about differences between the genders, I’m wondering if there really are such big differences between the way men and women are being treated.

But bottom line, I wholeheartedly agree — Women should feel their power!

I am currently doing some research on tapping into female talent in Latin America.  The document I’ve found most helpful and interesting is The Global Gender Gap Report 2008 from the World Economic Forum.  Each year over 100 countries — both developed and developing — throughout the world are ranked by gender-based gaps in access to resources and opportunities.  The report looks at issues including:

• Economic participation and opportunity
• Education attainment
• Political empowerment
• Health and survival

The 172-page report makes for interesting, and in some cases disturbing, reading.  The United States ranks a surprising 27 with an index of 0.718 (out of 1).  We are behind countries such as Sri Lanka, Lesotho, Mozambique and Cuba.  That’s the bad news.  The good news is we’ve improved over 2007.  Norway is number one with an index of 0.824 while Yemen is last at 0.466.

The U.S. is particularly strong in Educational Attainment (we’re number one!), but we’re 56 on the list for Political Empowerment, 12 in Economic Prosperity and Opportunity and 37 in Health and Survival.  Other interesting facts in the report:

• 99.3% of births in the U.S. are attended by skilled health staff while in Yemen it is a frighteningly low 26.8%.
• Infant mortality per 1,000 live births is seven here at home and three in Norway.  In Yemen, 75 babies die in infancy.
• Maternal mortality per 100,000 live births is 11 in the U.S. and seven in Norway.  In Yemen, 430 women out of 100,000 die in childbirth.
• The number of adolescent mothers aged 15 to 19 (per 1,000) is an astonishing and disturbing 42.66 in the U.S., while in Norway it is 8.61.  In Yemen, 72.55 out of 1,000 women who give birth are between 15 and 19.

Most of this makes me glad I’m a woman in the United States.  But the report also points out that we’ve got a long way to go to reach true gender parity.

Rhymer Rigby wrote in the Financial Times recently about the death of the briefcase in An open and shut case.  Interesting article with some valid points.  The business casual office and the ever-shrinking size of the technology we have to carry makes the traditional black leather briefcase a thing of the past.

Please read the article.  Is it just me, or have women been entirely omitted from this particular discussion?  Lots of talk of man-bags, but no mention of the savvy business woman who knows to buy a purse large enough to hold whatever technology she needs to climb the corporate ladder.

It’s my opinion that when it comes to briefcases, women finally have the advantage!

Recall that last week I blogged about generational issues and how they cross borders — we’re all the same no matter our color, gender or national origin.

Well I had a similar experience recently and that lesson was reinforced.  I was honored to host a group of very talented women from South Africa for a discussion about trade and doing business in each other’s countries.  I should tell you that I have a soft spot in my heart for South Africa because of two fabulous trips there that included exciting bush drives, scenery that took my breath away and people who were physically beautiful, open, friendly and very smart.

But whether or not I love South Africa, my point is the same.  People — and in this case women — are the same the world over.  We want success, we want to raise our families and we want to make contributions to society.

Again — diversity lesson.  No matter our gender, color or national origin, we are all human beings who have the same dreams and goals.

According to The Alliance for Board Diversity in their study Women and Minorities on Fortune 100 Boards:

• Men, and white men in particular, occupy the vast majority of the 1,219 board seats, at 82.94% and 71.53% respectively.
• In contrast, all women — and, in particular, white women — hold 17.06% and 13.04% respectively.
• All women and minority men constitute 28.47% of board member seats.

Their conclusion:  Corporate directors remain predominately white and male.

What’s up with that?

The Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963 — 45 years ago!  So I’m disappointed, but not surprised that we’re still writing about the fact that women consistently earn less than men — for the same work. 

The Business Journal did some research and reported the results in a recent article Pay gap between men, women varies strikingly by occupation.  Take a look at the article and let me know if it is as frustrating for you as it is for me to read.

According to the research, gaps exist in virtually all occupations but they vary considerably.  The top twenty occupations that have the smallest gaps are listed — I’ll give you the top five:

1. Dining room, cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
2. Food preparation workers
3. Secondary school teachers
4. Cooks
5. Stock clerks and order fillers

Those occupations with the widest gap include jobs such as bus and truck mechanics, diesel-engine specialists, auto mechanics, operating engineers, plumbers and electricians.  Women account for a small percent of the employees in these occupations, but that shouldn’t be an excuse for paying us less.

What do you think?