Working with a 90% female-dominated workplace as a man.

Working with a 90% female-dominated workplace as a man.

As a Director at The Harper Recruitment Group, I am one of two men in an office of 15. Our organisation as a whole is and has always been predominantly female orientated. This is not the first time in my career; I have found myself firmly in the minority! Recruitment is a heavily weighted female environment for the most part. For #InternationalWomensDay, I was asked by Siobhan, our Operations Manager, to think about what this has meant to me and what I’ve learned from the experience.

A bit about me, I have over 25 years experience within the Recruitment, Resourcing & Business Development arenas with extensive experience of search and contingency based recruitment at a Regional, National and International level. I have been a Director at Harpers for 10 years and I can say that my business partner Jane and my colleagues have taught me a lot about working in a strong, female environment.

I think, before diving into my points, I want to be relevant to the topic and say that I identify as a feminist, but I realise that even this has a different meaning for different people.

To me, feminism means equality between men and women. With regards to the workplace, my view is that men and women doing the same role with the same experience should be paid and treated the same. As a Director of a Recruitment Agency, I believe we can ensure these beliefs flow through to the companies we work with and can guarantee that equality runs through the veins of our business.

So, getting to the point, I would like to make some observations and tell you the things I’ve learnt from working in a 90% female-orientated workplace as a man.

You learn the importance of body language.

It’s all in the eye contact. You need to be very good at reading body language, as it’s a tremendous tool in a heavily dominated female workplace. When dealing with the opposite sex, words mean little if you can’t back it up with the correct body language.

You learn a lot about being a gentleman.

When dealing with educated, confident ladies, being less than a gentleman doesn’t go down well. You’re required to be confident, respectful, responsible and responsive, providing a sense of security and trust. That’s how you win respect and get it back!

Women are smart, astute and can be a little scary.

Women possess this extreme ability to get what they want; it’s more of a learned skill than a talent. A natural defence mode nurtured. If you think you’ve “got one over” or “have the upper hand” think twice!! as it’s because they want you to think that and the true meaning of the situation is hiding just out of view!!

You learn to care about yourself.

Women speak a lot about men and a lot more about women. They notice every single change in your appearance from clothes and hair, to moods…. They have no mercy when it comes to your appearance, if a female co-worker comes to work without makeup, for example, she’ll be the first to make a joke about herself in order to prevent heavy criticism from female colleagues. When you work with ladies, it’s best not to neglect your overall appearance, trust me; they notice everything.

It’s an empowering life lesson.

One of the best things I discovered while interacting within a strong female environment is how to be truly powerful within that space. Not a loud, overbearing, aggressive voice nor overly strong testosterone-fuelled oaf, I can summarise it with few words: Adaptation, patience and respect.

Generalisations.

Let’s blow a few of the sweeping generalisations out of the water, shall we. There isn’t really any nastiness or gossiping, and they don’t just talk about makeup, shopping and calories, all the time …….. honest.

The men’s toilet.

The men’s toilet is always empty… a fantastic place of solace and sanctuary!!

Women can be very nurturing.

There’s a more nurturing environment. Not to say women aren’t as competitive as men, as that couldn’t be further from the truth, however, the support of female co-workers feels more open and outward.

To conclude, I feel particularly lucky to work with some very inspirational women. I think it would be fairer to say that I work with some very inspirational people. These gifted individuals, who I am fortunate enough to call colleagues, inspire me to be and do better.