Monday, March 26, 2007

Flirting your way to the top

One of the biggest problems I had with my former employer, that shall now be referred to as HL, was the dysfunctional relationships some of the employees had with the partners. In particular, there was one relationship that I found utterly troublesome.

Before I started at HL, I had heard that “Inga”” (the female manager, and the potential nemesis I mentioned in my previous post) and “Mr. Italiano” (the crazy partner that I also mentioned in the same post) were very close. I had no idea how close they were until I started working there.

The first sign that their relationship was beyond normal was the fact that she was constantly in his office, ALL THE TIME. There would be instances were Inga would be in Mr. I’s office for hours at a time. If Inga wasn’t in Mr. I’s office, Mr. I would be in Inga’s office. In a 10 hour workday, I believe that they spent 7 hours together, everyday!

On top of spending gratuitous amounts of time together “working”, it was obvious to most who worked at HL that they had a very friendly relationship. It was clear that her main tool for bonding with Mr. I was to exploit her sexuality. Around the administrative staff and our subordinates, Inga was a petty bitch. But around Mr. I, Inga suddenly shifted into sweet girl mode, eagerly projecting wide-eyed admiration and awe, hanging adorably onto every word spoken by Mr. I, laughing at all of Mr. I’s jokes, developing a fascination with Mr. I’s recreational interests.

*Puke, Puke, Puke*

Adding insult to injury, Inga isn’t very bright, and as a result, many suspect there are salacious facts behind how and why she was able to climb the corporate ladder and be in the position she is at today.

My disgust is only exacerbated by the fact that, like most professional services firms that function in a manner similar to an apprenticeship system, work is handed out on the basis of personal relationships, thus leaving her with most of the plum assignments. Unfortunately, her intellectual brainpower, or more precisely lack thereof, made her ill-equipped to manage these engagements in a competent manner, leaving a bad taste in the mouths of those who worked under her, which fed into the gossip mill about how she ended up in her position.

After months of carefully observing how things operated at HL, I concluded that I could a) be myself, which is to keep my demeanor office friendly and nonsexualized, hoping that people would develop respect for me because of my strong work product and intelligence or b) start wearing tight, low-cut tops (like the ones Inga donned) and dish out wide-eyed flattery and sexual warmth that the male partners of HL seem to appreciate.

At the end, I decided to be true to who I was. If this is how female managers excel to the top at HL, well, I refuse to be in an environment that functions this way.

posted by: SF Housewife @ 8:39 PM

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