Gender and the operator

I am writing this post not quite sure what my opinion on the matter is, though I feel like I need to have a strong one. I have gotten accustomed to reading in the wanted ads of Arabic language papers calling for an operator or secretary, always female. In fact, yesterday, I called Byblos Bank in Beirut and got the automated answering system which asks to hold for the operator. In Arabic, it's the female operator (عاملة الهاتف).

I even encountered a situation at work when I caught our HR making the same generalization. When I asked them why they are assuming that this person has to be female, the response was, "Isn't that usually the case? Aren't office secretaries and receptionists generally women?" That is the reality of the situation. But my issue is why does it have to be spelled out as if it's a requirement? Doesn't that deter good male candidates from applying? And is that why these positions are mostly filled by women? Most importantly, why does this seems like a wrong that needs to be made right?

To motivate or not to motivate

This is not a blog post but I wanted to share this with you. It's a video debunking the myths on what really motivates us. It's a relatively old theory that I've encountered many times in the past few years, but this video is to the point and extremely entertaining (who doesn't like things explained to them in cartoons?). It also forced me to think more about my work and helped me set clearer objectives for myself. This is a must watch for anyone whose career is an essential part of their life. Here it is:

Let's talk about sex

I want to share with you a story that I heard recently from a 23-year-old woman, let's call her Rana, who comes from a well-off middle class family and has just returned to Amman after obtaining her degree from a university abroad. As Rana enthusiastically started work at a well-respected Jordanian firm, she soon found herself face to face with what I believe is one of the biggest issues facing working women today. Rana's 40 something-year-old superior, let's call him Ra'id, turned out to be, to put it mildly, a flirt. Of course this is a problem that can easily be handled, just don't encourage him, and if needed politely push him away.

Independent and happy women: A myth?

I have been rattled. I'm confused. And I'm not sure what to believe anymore. All my life, I've been brought up to trust in one thing: My career is a continuous strive towards perfection marked by never ending successes. Of course family comes first, but work is pretty damn close. This is the only way to get respect and be treated as an equal. I work 9-10 hours a day and come into the office on weekends more often than not. Sure I've had my setbacks but I've always tried to remain focused. If I am not happy with my job, it's because I need to change it. I never considered an alternative.

Career development?

I want to share an experience that I recently had while sitting in for a few job interviews conducted by our HR Manager. Mind you, these were well-paid, long-term positions, at a time of supposed recession and high unemployment. Here is a transcript of some of these eye-opening interviews (I wrote them as one interview with "Imad" for the purpose of brevity):

HR: Good morning Imad. You are aware that your interview is at 9.30 and that you are 30 minutes late. Right?

Imad: I'm not late. There was a lot of traffic.

Better off doing...

I have a problem that I wanna bug you with. I'm not in my 20s anymore but I still think as if I am. How? By obsessing with who I want to be when I grow up. I still take courses in different subjects insisting that I can steer my career the way it should be so that I can fulfill my destiny, or whatever it is I'm meant to do. It's a little sad but I guess it keeps me going. And that's why I want to write about this. I've always wanted to and now I have the perfect medium for it.

If they still had their careers ahead of them, what would they have been better off doing? And for that, I stick to what I know best. Actors and performers. And I'm going for singers who I would definitely have loved to see at the cinema more often: