Lean In Panel Summary

The Lean In Panel discussed how women can succeed and overcome the adversities of sexism in the workplace. The Lean in Panel consisted of four women who have found success in the workplace as a woman. This discussion relates to both chapter 3 and chapter 9, which discusses human resources management, workplace diversity, and employee development. One topic that I found to be very interesting was in regards to compensation. Dean McTiernan discussed the issue of wage inequality, stating that statistically women make 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. Chapter 9 mentions federal laws related to human resources management, in which one law specifically relates to this issue. In 1963, the Equal Pay Act was enacted that required men and women to be paid the same for equal work, so this law must not be that effective if women are making 77 cents per dollar a man makes. Another topic in regards to compensation is about salary negotiations. Erin McCarthy, an alumna of RWU, discussed the importance of salary negotiations, as employers will typically offer a potential employee a lower salary. Women are typically less vocal and less confrontational, so potential women employees may fear to negotiate their salary with their employer. This topic relates to chapter 9 because there is an entire section on compensation.
Michelle Hughes discussed this issue by sharing that she was the first woman accountant at the accounting firm that she previously worked at. As she was the only woman at the firm during that time, the diversity within that firm seems to be lacking. Michelle Hughes also brought up that when she moved to another firm, which was located in Boston, that the workplace seemed to be far more diverse than a suburban firm. Chapter 3 mentions how diversity is a very important aspect to the workplace and how it can make a company more