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>I mean I can't think of many things that would hurt team morale and hiring reputation more than treating a young female employee like shit just because she got

by xenihn 7y ago

>I mean I can't think of many things that would hurt team morale and hiring reputation more than treating a young female employee like shit just because she got pregnant Anecdote time based on my experience in SV and tech, and second-hand anecdotes from friends in NYC finance: Curiousgal's viewpoint isn't uncommon. The harshest judgment in these situations comes from other women. Men are generally more sympathetic, and if they're not, they're too scared to say anything. Women in competitive & high-paying fields like tech and finance can be brutal, especially if they feel like holding off on having children was a sacrifice that they had to make in order to establish themselves in their career. I would not be surprised if this decision came all the way down from a female manager, with men lower on the chain voicing opposition and being overruled.

jacquesm 7y ago
> I would not be surprised if this decision came all the way down from a female manager, with men lower on the chain voicing opposition and being overruled. That's very speculative and likely not true.
- marcoseliziario 7y ago
  Unfortunately, I've seen this too many times to believe it is "likely not true".
- lawnchair_larry 7y ago
  You’re lucky you didn’t bet him, because you’d have lost. I’d have bet against you as well. The SVP and Chief Human Resources Officer at Informatica when this incident happened was Maureen Brennan. She’s also a former VP and BoD Trustee of the Women's Health and Counseling Center in New Jersey, which focuses on reproductive healthcare services.
  - jacquesm 7y ago
    And how do you know that she was the one to make this decision? And that men below her tried to stop this but were overruled? It all looks highly speculative to me.
    - lawnchair_larry 7y ago
      Well, she owned the policy in question, and there’s no way that the head of HR didn’t get wind of an escalation like this. I don’t know about the bit regarding a man below her getting their decision overturned, but ultimately she would have approved it. If a policy interpretation decision was “mistakenly” made before it got to her, she would have been able to overturn it, and evidently that never happened. But yes, of course it’s speculation :)
- xenihn 7y ago
  >That's very speculative and likely not true. It is obviously speculation since I don't work there or know anyone who does, but it is based on what I've personally seen and heard. It's kind of funny that you find it so hard to believe, though. I don't expect to get an actual answer from you in regards to why that is, but I'd still like to ask you why you think it's unlikely. This was a decision made by an HR manager. If you are not familiar with the gender imbalance for HR in the United States, it is overwhelmingly women (both in and out of tech). You can form a rough and incomplete org chart by glancing through LinkedIn, if you want some actual data that will assist you in forming an educated guess in regards to who was potentially involved with this decision. If we are assuming that all of the people involved were acting rationally and in their best interests (and there is no reason not to), then I think it is naive to think that this did not make it all the way to the CHRO.
lemmsjid 7y ago
You’ve been lucky in your career. I have, especially early in my career before I could afford to be choosy, encountered multiple managers, business owners and others who are basically cold and calculating about exploiting others. They see maternity through the lens of lost productivity and that’s it. They consider a woman’s age and relationship status and consider not hiring or promoting because pregnancy might get in the way. When you’re a contractor you see these true colors come out more often. Clients who are more than happy to manipulate a situation to avoid paying you. Ethical lapses that they can rationalize to themselves as good business.

by xenihn 7y ago

jacquesm 7y ago

> I would not be surprised if this decision came all the way down from a female manager, with men lower on the chain voicing opposition and being overruled. That's very speculative and likely not true.

marcoseliziario 7y ago
Unfortunately, I've seen this too many times to believe it is "likely not true".
lawnchair_larry 7y ago
You’re lucky you didn’t bet him, because you’d have lost. I’d have bet against you as well. The SVP and Chief Human Resources Officer at Informatica when this incident happened was Maureen Brennan. She’s also a former VP and BoD Trustee of the Women's Health and Counseling Center in New Jersey, which focuses on reproductive healthcare services.
- jacquesm 7y ago
  And how do you know that she was the one to make this decision? And that men below her tried to stop this but were overruled? It all looks highly speculative to me.
  - lawnchair_larry 7y ago
    Well, she owned the policy in question, and there’s no way that the head of HR didn’t get wind of an escalation like this. I don’t know about the bit regarding a man below her getting their decision overturned, but ultimately she would have approved it. If a policy interpretation decision was “mistakenly” made before it got to her, she would have been able to overturn it, and evidently that never happened. But yes, of course it’s speculation :)
xenihn 7y ago
>That's very speculative and likely not true. It is obviously speculation since I don't work there or know anyone who does, but it is based on what I've personally seen and heard. It's kind of funny that you find it so hard to believe, though. I don't expect to get an actual answer from you in regards to why that is, but I'd still like to ask you why you think it's unlikely. This was a decision made by an HR manager. If you are not familiar with the gender imbalance for HR in the United States, it is overwhelmingly women (both in and out of tech). You can form a rough and incomplete org chart by glancing through LinkedIn, if you want some actual data that will assist you in forming an educated guess in regards to who was potentially involved with this decision. If we are assuming that all of the people involved were acting rationally and in their best interests (and there is no reason not to), then I think it is naive to think that this did not make it all the way to the CHRO.

lemmsjid 7y ago

You’ve been lucky in your career. I have, especially early in my career before I could afford to be choosy, encountered multiple managers, business owners and others who are basically cold and calculating about exploiting others. They see maternity through the lens of lost productivity and that’s it. They consider a woman’s age and relationship status and consider not hiring or promoting because pregnancy might get in the way. When you’re a contractor you see these true colors come out more often. Clients who are more than happy to manipulate a situation to avoid paying you. Ethical lapses that they can rationalize to themselves as good business.