Happy Monday!
On the subject of productivity, we all know that meetings and emails take precious hours away from actually getting work done. There was a great article in the WSJ on the most effective use of email. “Stop Wasting Everyone’s Time” details seven concrete steps we can all take to give us some time back at the end of the day. The full article can be found here:http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-stop-wasting-colleagues-time-1417562658
There was also a great piece in the NY Times – “When Talking About Bias Backfires.” In a study, a Wharton School professor noted that when stereotypes were presented to people as widely held beliefs, those people actually felt comfortable continuing to hold those biases because they felt part of a larger group. To get people to understand that the bias was a bad thing and harmful to the group that was being discriminated against, the researchers actually had to draw that conclusion for people. The article makes for fascinating reading: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/07/opinion/sunday/adam-grant-and-sheryl-sandberg-on-discrimination-at-work.html?_r=0
And lastly, I am sure you have all seen the article about the pregnant UPS worker’s case that is being heard by the Supreme Court last week. In an opinion piece, Gail Collins notes that in the US, 2/3rds of mothers work, most of them full time, and the majority have no option to opt out because they cannot afford to not work, and a great many US employers don’t even make modest accommodations for pregnant workers: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/06/opinion/gail-collins-the-woes-of-working-women.html
We have our last event of the year next week – please join us for the Houston Holiday luncheon on December 17th. Huge thank you to all our committee members for doing a fabulous job in programming our events for this year. We all owe them a debt of gratitude for their hard work and creativity in arranging and executing events for us all to enjoy.
In January, we are thrilled to have Heidi Lawson, Esq. in all 4 cities talking about recent case law that explores the liability issue many firms and funds face. She will share concrete steps to take to protect both yourself and your firm. This event is a must-attend for CFOs, Compliance Officers, General Counsels and anyone serving on a board. We look forward to seeing you all at an event soon!
Kind regards
Christine
