Why I Love Having a Female Boss

In my last post, I alluded to some good news at work. Remember how this Friday was supposed to be my last day? Originally I gave my company 3 weeks’ notice of termination because I wanted to allow as much time as possible for them to hire a replacement. I was willing to train that person too. Yeah, well… that ain’t happening anymore. As of right now, I don’t have a last day.

But I’m still moving back home for school in August. What?!

Last week my boss told me that our SVP (he’s our big boss for our Division) told her that corporate is actually laying off a bunch of people, and instead of laying off in our department, they decided that they will just not replace my position. It’s ridiculous because our department is already overworked and every person is swamped. We only have 5 people in our dept and we handle all of the contracts and leases for the whole entire Western Division. That’s 8 states. Two years ago, there were actually 8 people in our department and they had less work because we have added a ton of sites due to acquisitions recently. Makes no sense. But it’s actually good for me.

During this whole process, I’ve just realized that I love having a female boss.

via

Here’s why:

She understands that I need to spend time with my family.

There’s no way for the dept to handle my workload since I’m the only person that does the non-standard agreements and all of the contract negotiation for the West. My boss asked me if I could work contingently until they figured out what to do with my position. She said that it basically means I can work whenever I want, and I can still go on all of my planned vacations.

She knew that I wanted to go to Ohio for my sister’s Junior Olympics, that I had a Disneyland trip scheduled with my cousins in July, and that my parents are coming to Coronado for a beach trip at the end of July. She also knows my sister will be here for a week and she is letting my sister come to work if I decide to come in.

She looks out for me and wants what is best for me, like a friend.

Originally, we had planned for this Friday to be my last day. The problem with that idea is that I would lose my benefits when I switch from full-time to EOC exempt, and I still have to go to the optometrist as well as get my crown done at the dentist. My boss knew that I was trying to get all of my appointments done before my benefits ended, so she suggested extending my full-time employment until July 27^th.

Right now I have 11 days of time off on the books. If I go towards EOC exempt right away, the payroll is funky and I’d have to set a limited amount of hours each week. My boss brought up staying full-time to keep my benefits as well as using my paid time off for those 11 days I will be on vacation.

This way, I can keep my benefits, get paid for 40 hours a week, not have to worry about working while I am on vacation, and also not stress about trying to get on my mom’s company’s benefits before I move.

She is patient, flexible, and accommodating.

Right from the get go, she was devastated that I put in my notice. However, I have been working with her to really figure out what is best for me and the company. At first, I was just ending my employment. Then, she brought up working contingently. After that, she brought up working with me to extend full-time employment. Next, I asked her if I could continue to work here even after school begins. I made sure to tell her that I could only work 10 hours a week (law school rules), and she suggested working only on Saturdays so I could avoid the traffic on weekdays.

She also reached out to our NorCal GM and he happily agreed to find an office for me in our NorCal location. On top of that, they are even checking to see if I can work out of a patient service center in San Jose, which is much closer than our San Leandro lab.

She listens and she is compassionate.

I think this one is most important for me. She identifies with us and she lets us know that she understands what we are going through. I really like that she knows a lot about me and what’s going on in my life. I can talk to her about my work, people in the company that frustrate me, what I’m thinking, and I can go to her for help.

Having a boss like her makes me not want to leave this company, and I am really glad that she is open to new ideas and making different alternatives for me to work out of a different location. I’d still be doing the same job, but of course with much limited hours.

The Plan

We’ll see what happens and if I can handle school and work simultaneously, but I’ve always had a job while going to school full-time. A lot of my friends who went to law school or who are in law school, keep telling me that the first year is the toughest, and that you can’t work at all…because there’s just no time. I really want to prove them wrong though.

Thisjob is zero stress, and that’s at 40-50 hours a week. Imagine 10 hours a week, and I don’t have a micro-manager for a boss… so why wouldn’t I give it a shot? This will also help me in reducing the amount of loans I take out, because I would still be getting paid the same (just on an hourly basis now instead of salary). So getting paid for 10 hours a week would be better than nothing. I could also keep it on my resume. Also, and this is a huge reason, our SVP told me I should come back and work here when I get my degree and pass the bar. That would be my dream job! If I could maintain my relationship with the company, that would be ideal.

via

I’ve had male bosses in the past and most of the time, they were fun to be around because they were always cracking jokes or making conversation, but there is just a different level of intimacy with having a female boss. Maybe it’s because I am a female too, and she just has a way of communicating with me. Maybe she has better senses than a male boss would. This in turn, leads to better performance reviews for me and big raises. We have a great connection so it's a win-win for both of us and the company. Either way, all of those negative connotations with female bosses are not always true!

Obviously not all female bosses are the same though, but I’m glad my boss wasn’t like the one in The Devil Wears Prada. I work in the healthcare industry though, so I’d imagine the fashion industry would be more different.

Do you prefer having a female or male boss? What are the pros and cons of having a female or male boss?