Deadly sins

Researching topics for this week, I couldn't help but smirk when I happened upon this gem from Canada entitled 5 Workplace Faux Pas.

I couldn't help but smile because the article was targeted towards the ladies in the workplace and I figured that it was going to address every stereotype that men have promoted - and some of women have fulfilled - much to the detriment of feminists and their work worldwide.

As one might imagine, the article did not disappoint.

Let's take a closer look, shall we? In order, the deadly sins are: dressing inappropriately, being the gossip queen/target; getting emotional; shying away from accomplishments; and taking things personally.

Oddly enough, I know quite a few men who share some or all of these five qualities, but that's not the point of this article.

Some points seem fair - such as not taking things personally – although most of us do that at some point or another. But lets face it, some things are personal – that's just the way of the work world.

However I don't believe that any professional woman in the workplace needs to be told not to dress like a tart. In fact, in my entire career as a cube dweller, I don't ever recall seeing provocatively dressed women - at least not to the point where their intelligence or qualifications were ever called into question.

Unfortunately, it seems that much of the advice in the aforementioned article is misguided as some are either overblown stereotypes or apply to people of both sexes. Perhaps better faux pas for women would be "accepting less pay for equal work, allowing work to come before family, tolerating hostile work environments, etc."

In the meantime, I will certainly try harder not to shy away from my accomplishments or to be the gossip queen.