You're returning to work from a 3-day weekend. You had a great time visiting with your friends, and you're ready to get back to work -- rested and refreshed. You walk in the door to your desk and see -- papers are strewn, files are scattered, lots of Post-It notes -- your stomach lurches.
The light on your phone is blinking. You have one message. You pick up the phone to retrieve the message and you hear your supervisor's shrill voice. "I hope you had a good weekend, because I did not. I had to work. I'll be in later and when I get in, we can talk about what you need to work on today. I'm sure you'll have questions -- as usual."
You sigh. You know it's going to be a long day.
You're one of twelve clerks in a busy office. You're way down in the pecking order. The supervisor comes into the office and says in a loud voice to the group, "We need to have a staff meeting. Right now!" She marches off to the conference room and the clerks follow.
Everyone sits down but the supervisor. She slams the door, stands in front of the room with her hands on her hips, and you can see her face is getting red. "I'm telling you right here and now that if any of you don't like what's going on here, there are ten people out there who are waiting in line for your job! There will be no further discussion. Now, get back to work!" You leave the room with the rest of the staff, and walk back to the main office -- quietly.
Your head starts to pound. You know it's going to be a long day.
I'm going to take a wild guess here. I think 99% of those of us who function as support staff don't need reminding of our place in the work hierarchy. We know. It's a particularly nasty pill to swallow when women who are "in charge" think they have to tell you they have the power, and you have none.
A study conducted by researchers at the University of Toronto, published in the September issue of The Journal of Health and Social Behavior, suggests that one's gender in a leadership role is associated with their subordinate's mental and physical health.
A little tidbit in that study finds that: Women who work for a female supervisor report more distress and physical symptoms than did women who work for a male supervisor.
Those of us who have had the "pleasure" of working for someone who suffers from The Queen Bee Syndrome already know that. That's just a validation.
If you think you've been stung by a Queen Bee -- hang in there! Next time, we'll talk about some coping skills.
