Bending his ear while you grab beers after work, chatting at the Xerox machine, sharing your views over the fate of your favourite hockey team: Schmoozing with the boss is a time-old tradition. Although it is no secret that those who do it well can see it reflected it their pay stubs, a new study suggests that the paybacks to men from schmoozing can be significant, enough to explain a chunk of the earnings differential between men and women.
Studies on the earning gap tend to focus not just on whether there is rank discrimination at work, but also on the decisions men and women make as regards the workplace. Family responsibilities, says a common argument, mean that women cannot devote the same time to work as men so often choose an easier and lower paid path. Women take time off to have children, goes another explanation, and that obviously hurts their earning potential.
globebusiness Women are as good if not better than men at schmoozing to please give them credit. Besides, schmoozing or not doesn’t mean anything immoral or illegal is happening.
globebusiness This study is based on employee data from an Asian commercial bank? It’s well known Asia has a much different work culture than that of the west.