Male Coworkers.. WE all have them and have to deal with them... here are some tips.
They "understand" but they don’t want to hear about it
You have cramps, and can’t find your way out of bed?
You had to rush to your friend’s house and stay up late to help her move out of her cheating bf’s place…… annnnnd therefore, you got into bed at 6 am?
Your teenager had a breakdown at school because a group of kids were tormenting her, and now you need to leave early and pick her up and take her home?
In general men understand things – They have women in their lives too (i.e. girlfriends, a wife, sisters, mom). Trust me, they get it, BUT, at the same time, they aren’t always very sensitive regarding the fact, and at times it will come off as insensitive and cold, or in some cases like assholes but honestly, they just want to know that you are okay, and when you will be back.
Suggestion: As a general rule, try not to take their questions or lack of, personal, try to remember men can't process on emotional level the toll this takes on women. If he’s really being a jerk, then maybe address it with a straight forward conversation, although, personally I try to avoid the “you made me feel this way conversation" at work —But in certain situations that may work and maybe a conversation worth having
Power Struggles
...Are VERY real, and they can be difficult for women to spot. ( Self Explanatory)
Suggestions
Learn how power hungry your boss / closest co-workers are compared to the rest of the males in your area, this way you can spot out their tantrums
Once you spot them, STAY OUT OF IT!
Final Option – If you absolutely can’t avoid being stuck in the middle of a work “male power struggle” then play “neutral”, if you cant beat them, join them? No, just play your cards as you seem fit.
Lastly, Sports and Golf
Golf is HUUUGGEE (I’m pretty sure it always has) however, with the hour’s people work now, and he ability of phone emails, which allows for more time away from the desk while still working. Something like 48% of Executives see the Golf Course as an ideal biz environment!
IDK about you, but golf, to me, is probably one of THE most boring sports ever invented and it's PRICEY! Which means can't just take it up or fake it, without coming out of pocket at least a couple grand! However even if you do like it and are good at it, if your male counterparts decide to go to an “all exclusive golf course”, see “…history of “No Women Allowed” and considers how clubhouse doors are (reluctantly) opening ”You may still be, SOL. You maybe excluded from valuable time with executives, and/ or networking opportunities but maybe you get to hear all about what a great time they had, and try to catch up on the decisions they made over a long game and a few beers …. The following Monday.
Suggestion (kind of)
There’s not very much I can suggest if this happens. Maybe just take advantage of any other networking opportunities available even if you’re tired, and would rather be binging on OITNB As pathetic as this might sound, when golf is popular among your male counterparts, you will have to make up for missed time.
These are just a few things I’ve noticed, I am sure there’s LOTS more we can go over, but I’ve bashed men enough for one blog post lol.
Sources: http://www.mgtopen.com/pdf/trivia/business-golf-statistics.pdf / http://womensgolfjournal.com/golf/sexism-in-golf-no-women-allowed/