Teaching Men How to Work With Women - Building Confidence - Episode 171

What if the people in your new workplace aren't rejecting you—they're just figuring out how to work with you?

In this episode of Building Confidence, we're talking about something that doesn't get discussed very often: teaching men how to work with women.

When you enter a male-dominated workplace as a tradeswoman, there's a lot of newness for you. New people, new systems, new expectations and a new workplace culture. But sometimes there's also newness on the other side—because you may genuinely be the first woman some of your coworkers have ever worked alongside.

That uncertainty can sometimes look like people being distant, awkward or standoffish. And while sexism and unconscious bias absolutely exist, sometimes there may be something else happening too.

Drawing on my own experience entering a workshop where the team had previously had a difficult experience with another woman, I talk about why I often give a new workplace a little time before deciding exactly what's happening.

In this episode, we discuss:

Why joining a new workplace can feel uncomfortable for everyone involved

What can happen when your coworkers have never worked with a woman before

Why being standoffish doesn't automatically mean someone doesn't want you there

How previous workplace experiences can influence the way people respond to you

Giving relationships time to develop before putting a label on what's happening

Making the first move when coworkers are nervous about approaching you