Is A Pig Blocking Your Business Pipeline?
April 14, 2008
I’ve encountered way too many chauvinistic pigs in business. And I believe that as business owners it’s our responsibility to crush chauvinism.
Why Chauvinism Is Bad For Your Business
There are heaps of reasons why chauvinism is bad for your business:
You’ll Lose Talent: Regardless of sex, talented workers thrive in organisations where they’re rewarded for what they can do, not which bathroom they use.
It Encourages Laziness: Chauvinistic businesses tend to operate on the premise that you get promoted dependent on the length of time you’ve been there - and your sex, as opposed to talent. So you wind up with a management team who simply turn up.
You’ll Lose Customers: A few years ago, chauvinistic businesses survived because there was less choice available. But, now customers don’t have to put up with chauvinism - they can and will vote with their feet.
So How Can We Wipe Out Chauvinism In Business?
The simple solution is not to tolerate chauvinism at all, from colleagues, employers, customers or suppliers. And let them know you won’t put up with it. Here’s a few examples.
Chauvinistic Suppliers: We refuse to use chauvinistic suppliers - period. When we first started Kwik Fix, we purchased van signage from a business which also provides various other marketing materials. A few days after our initial purchase, they called to see if we’d be interested in buying anything else. But, the guy who called refused to speak to me - he insisted that he had to speak to Stuart (my business partner and also my husband).
We called the manager to complain but we didn’t even receive an apology. So we told them we wouldn’t be dealing with them again.
Chauvinistic Customers: We’ve sometimes had customers in the past who have insisted on speaking to a man in the past. When this happens, they usually get put through to me. I always explain that if they want to speak to a man, they can later in the day, but if he can’t help them, they’ll still get put back to me. This always does the trick.
Women can often be as chauvenistic as men, the key is to give them what they want, but make sure it’s done by a woman. If that’s not good enough, you don’t really want them as a customer.
Chauvinistic Staff: It’s best to avoid employing chauvinistic staff in your business. Apart from being a pain in the ass, you could lose good members of staff because of their behaviour.
It’s usually fairly easy to spot a chauvinist at an interview. If you can, have a man and woman conduct the interview. If you’re interviewing a chauvinist, they’ll look at the man virtually all the time when responding to questions (and yes, some women do this too - some women can be just as chauvinistic as men).
Chauvinistic Colleagues: I’ve worked with some terribly chauvinistic people. And I won’t stay working in a company which is highly tolerant of chauvinistic people.
In my early working years, one of the worst chauvinists of the bunch had an office next door to me. He was a complete a..hole and he was always bursting into my office, because our offices were adjoining.
One day, I’d had enough and whilst he was at lunch, I had shelving fitted across the adjoining door. It was hilarious listening to him struggle to open the door. He tried for ages - even though it was pretty obvious to the average person that he was locked out. But my shelves were too strong for him and I didn’t see him half as much after that.
Obviously, renovating your office without permission is not always a smart idea. But, I knew I could get away with it, because everyone else in the company knew the guy was a chauvinistic prick.
How do you deal with chauvinists at work, or in business? Would you go out of your way to avoid employing chauvinists?
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17 Responses to “Is A Pig Blocking Your Business Pipeline?”
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The Freelancers Bible
you better BELIEVE it’ll get in the way of business!
A year ago I bought a brand new car.. I was not myself.. very sad and I really wasn’t looking to haggle the price down. that’s how much I didn’t care
but the pig of a finance manager (sorry.. I’m a little bitter) took advantage and then some.. something to the tune of trying to get away with adding 15,000 on the price of my car as well as speak to me as though I was a little lady who knew nothing about what I’m buying
Unfortunately for him, I’m one of those people who like to research what she’s going to buy for the fun of it. I love learning about specs. I like getting the best that I can get. I may not have known car BEFORE the fact but trust me - after the research I put in, I was the wrong one to try to swivel real facts by.
Needless to say that ..didnt go down to lovely and it took a whole lot of appeasing for me to not have them put on the 6 oclck news here in NY
Stores for elecronics - they lose my business when they do that too.. My husband knew a lot less about gadgets than I did - notably so.. yet a serious question couldnt be answered to me
..til I started my JEMi Spec talk lol
(clearly I had something to get off my chest)
chauvenistic customers, co workers - what have you.. its grates my nerves in the most unpleasant of ways though I try to find my peace (you know - find the better me in me)
this post is well served Cath
oh and the pic is too cute
JEMi @ InMyHeels’s last blog post..Half-Assed: Becoming Half Your Size
Chauvinism certainly has little to offer. In the IT support industry, at least where we’re situated, I suspect it prevents females entering the profession to a degree.
In 10 years and more than 20 engineers, we only got 2 applications out of hundreds from women. And we searched and advertised several times over the years.
Both were offered the job, only one took it.
To even consider there is any difference is as ridiculous as only taking on left-handed people.
But then again…no, better no go there.
Ian Denny’s last blog post..New, Aspiring, Failed Or Successful Businesses - Share Your Business Story -
Hi Catherine,
Like JEMi, I love the photo. That’s priceless, as is your sentence “You’ll Lose Talent: Regardless of sex,……, not which bathroom they use.”
I’ve dealt with chauvinists most of my life, and recently in our business I get it even more. Being in the construction industry, many don’t think a woman knows what she’s talking about.
If a potential new client calls and won’t give me the information (because they want to “talk to a man”), my husband won’t even call them back. He’s run into these “types” before, and their chauvinism usually manifests in other negative ways as well.
We have hired a couple of chauvinistic employees, but they didn’t last, and undoubtedly hated seeing who was signing their paychecks (me).
With there being more women in power now, anyone in business would be wise to check their chauvinistic ways at door.
Barbara Swafford’s last blog post..Blogging - Year One - Lesson One
Trying to add 15k to the price of a car is disgusting. They must think we’re as stupid as they are ignorant.
Hi Ian - that is a shame. We’ve also tried to target females in traditionally male roles but like you we don’t get much response. i wonder if they just assume that businesses target women for those jobs too look good, rather than because they want to recruit them?
Hi Barbara - it sounds as though you deal with them pretty much the way I do. And as u say - chauvinistic staff don’t last long with a female boss - they seem to hate the fact that we make money through their labour.
There are few if any roles where the requirement is a specific gender. I suppose in the medical world, a customer may prefer to be treated by someone of a specific gender for some conditions.
I’m not even sure the brute force/physical strength argument holds any sway. In heavy industries, the kind of effort a specific task requires would probably go against health and safety legislation. And cost you more if an employee sues you for an injury where they were required to use some amazing physical feat of strength.
Tools and mechanical equipment provide the strength.
Ian Denny’s last blog post..New, Aspiring, Failed Or Successful Businesses - Share Your Business Story -
Hi Ian - that is true - mind you, you don’t always get the choice - especially in hospital. But, my GP lets us choose to have our smear tests done with the nurse. In fact, I’m pretty sure she does them all now, which is better. It’s bad enough getting them done as it is.
As for lifting, I think there’s so many restrictions on what people are allowed to lift nowadays that it doesn’t make much difference. Some chauvinistic dick when I was at Rainbow said he didn’t think I’d be able to lift a carpet cleaning machine myself if all my staff left. I bet he couldn’t have either and he obviously hadn’t heard of ramps!
Cath Lawson’s last blog post..Is A Pig Blocking Your Business Pipeline?
Hi Cath,
I’m glad you’re speaking about this.
What I find is that many men don’t even see this as a problem, that it’s socially acceptable.
I’ve encountered this quite a bit at work, and have had horribly sexist bosses. One boss quite frequently stole my best ideas for his own.
It really hurts. It’s demeaning, and it steals all your energy.
Hi Cath - Nicely done! If we could erase chauvinism and racism the world just might be a better place…
mark @ mytropicalescape’s last blog post..Make Money Challenge - The Ideas Are Hatching
I sometimes get this at work, not from the male staff but from the customers. But it’s a public library and I’ve been working in public libraries for 6 years. So I know what I’m in for, you can’t pick and choose.
I like having a female GP and I don’t mind if Micah wants a male GP (hence, finding a practice to visit instead of just one doctor). A friend and I had the same issue which took us to our obgyns. Hers was male and did something without consulting her. Mine was female and actually thought to ask, which was probably a good thing. It’s kind of graphic, but I think it’s a place where sharing the same body parts helps with empathy in the situation. But then maybe her obgyn would have done the same to a guy (if it was possible) and just assumed that as a doctor he knew best.
Hi Ellen, you are quite right and as a male myself, it is annoying to find so many men out there that are chauvanist’s, having worked alongside cath in her previous business i was annoyed at the way she was treated just because she was a woman.
Hi Mark, you are so right the world would be a much better place if we could get rid of chauvanism and racism.
Hi Mrs Micah, its bad enough chauvanists outside of work ,but to have to put up with it while at work is out of order, lets face it why should’nt a woman be able to do what is a so called man’s job, its about time all those chauvanistic men out there woke up and realised times have changed.
I hope my replies are ok as cath does’nt have access to the internet at the moment, so she has asked me to help with replying.
Hi Stuart,
You’re doing a great job answering the comments. You’ll make Catherine proud.
Barbara Swafford’s last blog post..NBOTW Credits Energizers For His Success
Thanks Barbara, I will do my best, she is a hard act to follow.
Stuart,
Well said. I hate it when blokes get all macho and cliquey and try and stick to the stereotypes.
I suspect plumbing and IT infrastructure are very similar.
This may be offensive to blokes, but sometimes we lack empathy when it comes to IT support. And another gender, let’s call it female for the sake of this argument, could be more often have better empathy skills.
Personally, none of the stereotypical arguments hold much weight. And speaking of weight, If you’ve ever tried to be macho and carry a UPS up a flight of stairs, you’re a complete idiot.
We’ve had macho people attempt this and you do your back in. Strength has nothing to do with it.
Why don’t we all wake up and just admit that we’re as good as each other?
Some blokes are girly and some girlies are blokey.
It matters very little. It’s all about results. And I’ve had challenging experiences of both genders.
I’m in an industry where it is very easy to build male cliques who are just as gossipy and back-chatting about the females.
If I ever see any sign of that, the bad egg will be rooted out.
I’m actually in danger of positive discrimination. If I get a CV from a female engineer, I am naturally more inclined to employ than not.
But I can’t do that. They are scored on their ability to do the job. The fact that 100% of female applicants have been offered the job is irrelevant. Doh! I’ve just said that on the Internet.
Ian Denny’s last blog post..New, Aspiring, Failed Or Successful Businesses - Share Your Business Story -
Just recently, my husband & I inquired about solar panels for our roof and had a salesman come over to give us a quote. While he was explaing how they work, I asked a question. He said to me ‘Little lady, if you would wait until I’m done, all your questions will be answered”. Needless to say, we didn’t buy from him.
Joanne’s last blog post..Adoption Lifebook Supplies
Hi Ian, I could’nt agree more, if i tried to carry a UPS up a flight of stairs never mind my back, i would probably die of heart failure, the problem is that a lot of employers don’t give women the credit they deserve.
Hi Joanne, I don’t blame you for not buying the solar panels, i tell you what if that had happened with catherine, she would probably have shoved his solar panels somewhere nasty, i guess if your partner had asked the question it would have been a totally different story.
The last UPS we got needed a trolley to get it to the car. To cover 4 file servers, it’s as heavy as a wahing machine.
Just lifting it into the car was a challenge for two of us.
Then at the other end, Steve just lifted it like a paper-weight and ran up the stairs.
2 years ago he was off for 4 months with back problems. I appreciate what he did for the client, but I don’t want him off for another 4 months!
Ian Denny’s last blog post..New, Aspiring, Failed Or Successful Businesses - Share Your Business Story -
@ Ellen, Mark, MM, Barbara, Ian, Joanne. Thank you and sorry I wasn’t around to respond to your comments. And thank you to Stuart for doing it for me.
I’ve been away for a week and had no access to the Internet, but I didn’t want to make this public knowledge, as I’ve been getting some hostile comments on here recently.