The Power of Self-Advocacy for Women in the Workplace
The term self-advocacy can be scary if you’ve never heard it before, but it doesn’t have to be! You’re probably an advocate for other people in your life, whether they be family members, friends, or co-workers who are looking to you for help or guidance. When you advocate for someone else, you speak up on their behalf to solve their problems or talk to them on an equal level in order to get things done.
Why self-advocacy is important
A study found that women who self-advocate, or speak up when they need to, have better relationships and are seen as stronger employees. For example, if you’re working on a project and notice that your co-worker is consistently taking credit for your ideas at meetings, self-advocating means speaking up about it. It’s not easy to do, but you’ll find that people will appreciate hearing about their errors from you than from someone else.
What does self-advocacy mean?
Imagine a workplace that is 100% employee owned. All of your employees think, feel and act in sync with your objectives and goals. Everyone at all levels is making decisions using data from quality project budgeting software or employee monitoring software—taking quick action to resolve problems before they become issues, supporting their counterparts whenever possible, and going above and beyond every day. What does self-advocacy mean? It means you have a workforce that has been taught to make decisions based on facts, not opinions. It means you have a workforce that has been taught how to speak up when they see something wrong happening so it can be fixed quickly. It means you have a workforce who understands what it takes to move your business forward: hard work, dedication and commitment by everyone on staff! And it starts with teaching them how to advocate for themselves in order to get what they need.
Why Is Self-Advocacy Important?
If you're an employee in a corporate environment, there's a good chance that your employer may be using project budgeting software and employee monitoring software to keep tabs on everything you do. However, not all employees are created equal—some have better negotiating power than others. This doesn't mean you have to be a partner at your company or earn millions of dollars every year; it just means that some people have more pull with management than others. Because these folks are listened to more, they typically get paid more. But here's where self-advocacy comes into play: if you want to be one of those employees who has more pull with management, then it’s up to you to advocate for yourself. It might sound intimidating, but as long as you know what you want and how to ask for it without coming across as pushy or entitled, there's no reason why anyone should say no.
Here are three tips to help make sure your voice is heard:
1) Be ready with specifics
2) Know when to speak up
3) Be realistic about what’s possible .
If you don't know what to ask for, how can you expect someone else to? And remember, don't let being afraid of rejection stop you from advocating for yourself. Even if your boss says no (and especially if he or she does), it won't hurt your relationship in any way because ultimately he or she will appreciate knowing exactly where you stand on something. In fact, studies show that people who are willing to be open and honest with their employers tend to earn higher salaries. Think about it: would you rather work with someone who's always telling you what you want to hear or someone who tells it like it is?
Conclusion
While women face some unique obstacles at work, they can arm themselves with self-advocacy strategies and tools to maintain a healthy, happy life. Employees want to feel they are trusted and given a free hand to accomplish tasks on their own—and if you find yourself working with a project budgeting software or employee monitoring software that doesn’t trust you and your colleagues, it might be time to move on. If you aren’t happy with your current situation, start by asking yourself why: What do I like about my job? What don’t I like? What could change? If nothing changes, will I still be satisfied here? These questions can help guide your decision-making process as you search for new opportunities.
