Equal Pay

I am going to get serious tonight. I have been reading and hearing a lot about the pay differentials between men and women in the work place and I want to get up on my soup box and throw my experience and opinion into the mix. For those of you who don't know, I worked for several years as a Human Resources Manager/Director. The two companies I worked for were extremely different from each other. One had a great pay structure for employees, the other was definitely lacking. Just as a note of interest, I am not going to discuss management pay tonight, as that is a different ball game all together!

The first company I worked in HR for was a factory in Cleveland, OH. There were approximately 125 employees I was in charge of for the day to day Human Resources duties, including setting and approving raises. Out of these 125 employees, there were 6 female employees who were considered hourly employees. The average rate for these 6 women was $7.50 per hour. Out of the 119 men, the average hourly pay was about $8.25 per hour. I certainly picked up on this point while going over the numbers and I went to the accounting department to inquire about the difference in average hourly pay. The Accounting Manager, though not extremely helpful, said It was due to the positions these people worked in, i.e. the women were primarily welders, the men were actually operating heavy machinery and building tools and dies for these machines. I asked, however, why aren't the women running the machines, the answer was, "Well, one or two do sometimes, but they don't want to run the machines. They are afraid of getting dirty". (Insert guffaw from him here) Taking it as I was getting dismissed from this exchange, I spent the next week or so asking around, talking to the women to see what they thought. Each one of those 6 women had asked at one time or another to work at one of the presses and each time, another man was chosen over them. Another interesting fact I found was the men who did welding as well, just like the women, were making between $0.50 and $0.75 more, doing the same job! Why??? Again, when I went to solve this mystery, I was simply given a lame excuse and dismissed. The bad thing was, and I didn't even realize this until I had been laid off and was looking for a new job, even my own pay was much lower than others in my profession and $40,000 less per year than my predecessor, who was a man. I didn't even realize! I felt so taken advantage of and even sick to my stomach about it. Long story short, this was a real situation, a true story, and the exact same tricks are being played across this nation. There are, however, fairer ways of doing this...

After moving and settling to New York, I took a job at a hotel who was managed by a national brand. The pay structure of this employer was based on seniority and position. Every employee who did the same position was paid the same rate, which was based on the rates of our competitors who based their rates on us. (Does that make sense to you? It's complicated, I know) There were no random raises, no manager "favorites" getting a quarter here or there and every single increase had to be approved by the Supervisor up to the President of the company who was in Houston, TX and ran 40 hotels nationwide. In this case, even the management team of the hotel was paid on a scale that again, was competitive with hotels around us.

What I want to do with this tonight is to make people realize that these news stories and reports which have come out recently are absolutely true and may even be happening in your company or job. Stand up and talk about it. Share your ideas on how to make it fair. Did you know in most cases women pay more for health insurance than men? Did you know that on average women who don't smoke pay more than men who do? You know now. Is this fair? How does that make you feel? It makes me feel sad and angry. It makes me want to write a blog post about it and most importantly, it makes me want to work for change.

The 50 Sexiest Women and Me.

Interested in seeing what Google would spit back at me so I could get inspired to write something serious tonight, I just did a search on "latest news on women". I was expecting something about "The Pill", Equal Pay or a new women's health initiative. The number one result? "The Top 50 Sexiest Women". Really Google? Is the the most important news about women today? I don't see that the "Top 50 Sexiest Women" is really more important than equal salaries for men and women, but perhaps that's just me. Let's talk about it for a moment.

I am going to talk about the sexiness of other women. Guys that read this blog, don't get too excited thinking I am going to reveal a lesbian fantasy or talk about some long ago drunken night back in college. It's not happening tonight. As a woman, I really think I can appreciate the sexiness of other women. I am confident enough in my own sexuality that I can say "Wow, That woman is very pretty." or "She is gorgeous!" and not mean I want to jump in the sack with a woman. I can really say that I appreciate another woman's beauty like a work of art. I understand why men may think it is cliche, but its true. If I look at a piece of art, I am certainly not attracted to that art, but I may stare and study it, memorizing the strokes of the brush or the color contrasts on the canvas. It is simply appreciating beauty and I am sure many women do this. Actually, I wouldn't even say I am comparing myself to other women, just appreciating her physique or looks. I admit I do it with men as well, but my mind tends to wander to the dark side if you know what I mean.

Back to Google's search results..."The 50 Sexiest Women". I won't say which list I am looking at, as their seems to be 100's of "sexiest women" lists, but I just don't see it! The women on the list are not my definition of sexy in any way. Perhaps it is my female mind looking at them versus the male mind, but really, a nice rack and round ass don't denote sexy to me, which made me think, what is sexy then? Can we come up with a unisex definition of sexiness? I don't know if it's possible.

Women are all sexy in their own ways. What makes you sexy, ladies? Come on! Pick one thing that you feel is sexy about yourself. For me? I say it is my eyes. I can totally manipulate situations with my eyes. Don't pick a part your man would say is sexy. Don't choose your boobs or your legs, find something else. A fingernail? Your ear? What about the elbow? No...not the elbow. Elbows can be gross to me. What about your hand? Looking at my hands on my laptop right now in the dim light of my apartment, I am thinking "Yeah! My hand looks gooooood!" Actually, I do feel better about myself right now after I had that thought. Is that the key to self-esteem? Find something sexy? Try it! You may feel the same way and we can all use a dose of self esteem at times. My hand is sexy! Is yours? What about your curves? I think curvy women are really sexy. Embrace those curves. Men I talk to actually love curves, which is why I am perplexed about the skinny-ness/curve-less women on the "Top 50 Sexiest Women" list.

Let's do ourselves a favor tonight. Ladies, here is your homework. Find something sexy about yourself tonight. Tomorrow, celebrate that sexiness. Men? Your homework is to find something sexy about your lady and complement her on it tomorrow. You may even "get some" if you play your cards right! No excuses. You are all gorgeous, beautiful women, you just need to find it and prove it to yourself. You are like a great piece of art, a sculpture made with care and a beautiful flower in a magical garden. Try saying that to yourself tomorrow. I guarantee you will feel great about yourself. I feel great about all of you!

Hurrah for "The Pill"!

I would like to take some time tonight to wish a Happy 50th Birthday to "The Pill"! I am a huge fan of the pill for many reasons. How cool is it that a birth control pill of any make, brand, model, etc, is just collectively known as "The Pill"! There have to be millions of other medications, but only one can stand strong and just be known as: "The Pill".

I am 31, so it was out a long time before I was born, but I am a happy and satisfied user of this type of contraception and have collected my thoughts about how utterly useful it can be. No, I am not just talking about sex here ladies and gents, though that is a definite bonus if you don't want to have a baby at this particular time in your life, but talking about the other effects of the pill...then, of course, I will discuss the sex part.

I went on "The Pill" about 10 years ago after some particularly painful weeks around my uterine area. After x-rays, scans and an internal ultrasound (Yes...they stick a wand "you know where" and the nurse moves it around inside you.) I was diagnosed with a fairly serious case of ovarian cysts. The doctor I was seeing at the time was talking surgery...I was talking about how no one was about to cut into my ovaries. I went and got a second opinion and the new doctor wanted to try "The Pill" first to see if it would help. I was very thankful for her insight.

The first month I was on "The Pill" I felt amazing! I almost immediately stopped having the pain in my "ovarian region", within a month my skin looked amazingly beautiful and I even lost some weight! I was so excited to get my period just to see how that would feel! It was the best period I ever had. Here and gone in 3 days, very light and almost no cramps. It was a miracle and the miracle still happens every month. I almost don't even remember what cramps feel like anymore and of course, I am still very beautiful.

The next thing the pill did for me was to put me on a strict schedule, that I still follow 10 years later. (Unless I sleep in, of course) Every morning I take "The Pill" at 7:30am. I credit "The Pill" for making me semi-responsible in my life when it comes to schedules and times. Since I started taking it, I get disappointed with myself if I am late for a meeting or other scheduled event.

The third thing the pill did for me, and for many women, is to give sexual freedom and not have to worry about getting pregnant, though the fear of an STD is strong with me. That could be the one downfall of "The Pill". I am not saying that I went crazy with 1000's of partners or anything, but with the few gentleman I have chosen to be intimate with, it was comforting to know I was in control of my fertile-self and didn't have to worry about a condom or if the idiot put it on right, etc. It gave women freedom and control of themselves and their bodies and that is just as important today as it was 50 years ago.

Tonight, I raise my glass of Pinot Grigio to those pioneers who brought the pill into fruition and gave millions of women the power, choice and freedom over our bodies and our wombs.

Next up? Someone should create a birth control/Anti - STD pill! If only I hadn't gotten a C in college chemistry, it might have been me...

Blood, broken nails and greasy fingers.

Let me start by reminding you that I will be writing here from now on. I didn't like the other blog very much, so I am moving it back here. One of these days I will move those posts from the "other site" here.

I was very proud of myself today. I did something that many women fear and loathe...I did a repair to my car. I know what you're thinking...Christa is a klutz, spills things, gets bruises all the time from walking into solid objects, etc. HOW is she going to do car work? Well, she will tell you!

I was on my way home from Sabrina's yesterday and my old man neighbor was taking his trash out and politely told me that my left headlight was burned out. I told him thank you and my first thought was "What do I do! Is it too late to call my dad?" I then pulled myself together. I am a woman and if my own personal car needs a small repair, why can't I just do it? I don't need my Dad or another man to talk me through it! I can do it! I am fantastic and can fix my car! I am a genius! Now...where to start...

Owner's manual, of course! I open the owners manual and skim through the "Replacing Head Lamp" section, then off to my local, friendly AutoZone.

$15.35 later, I am standing in front of my car, hood up, owners manual in hand. The instructions say to remove the rubber stopper looking thing. Easy Peasy. I stick my hand in to feel around, because of course, I hadn't thought about bringing a flashlight out and couldn't see a thing. I pull slightly...hmmm. Not working. I can feel the "rubber thing" and try pushing it...hmmm. Nada. I then decide maybe I need to pull harder...and it works. Unfortunately as I pulled, my hand smashed into a large metal box-like mechanism and when I looked, there was a large scratch across my hand. No surprise, right? At least I got the "rubber thing" out! Moving on...

Step 2. Move the guide wire to the side - Now I would just like to preface this my saying my owners manual had a very informative diagram of how to pull the wire aside, with arrows showing the direction to slide it! Of course, since I am a college educated woman, I follow the words, sliding the wire out of its home and what do you know? It comes off in my hand. I am thinking it wasn't supposed to be detached though...I set it aside.

Step 3. Remove old bulb - Easiest step. It slid right out!

Step 4. Grease the new bulb - The friendly cashier at AutoZone gave me a small packet of some sort of grease. I didn't ask her about it because I am a college-educated woman who is fantastic and I don't need instructions on grease, but the truth is, of course, is I had no idea what this grease was for. Do you put it on the bulb? The "rubber thing"? Maybe it goes on the wire that is now sitting in the grass? None of the above, my friends! Referring to my owners manual, I found that the grease goes right on the bottom of the bulb where it fits in the "rubber thing"! I greased it up well, wiping my hands on my jeans of course, without thinking and readied myself to insert the bulb. It was then I noticed my thumb...and the lack of long nail that was there last night when I spent $30 on my manicure. In place of the long nail was a jagged, rough fingernail piece. Swearing under my breath and rethinking my mechanical ability, I slide the bulb into the hole.

Step 5. Slide guide wire into place. Moving on...it is still laying in the grass.

Step 6. Push "rubber thing" back into place. I reach for the "rubber thing" which I had placed on the metal box-like mechanism and notice it missing. Damn. I start looking all over for it and after a few minutes of looking at wires, greasy metal pieces and hoses, I bend down to pick up the owner's manual and notice a black blob under my car. Hurrah! The "rubber thing"! I pushed that sucker back in like it was my job!

Step 7. Bask in the thrill of victory. - I did it! I changed my headlight! I am just as good as any man!

I was so proud of myself, in fact, that I called my sister and updated my Facebook page with the good news. The call to my sister set me back a bit though...she said AutoZone does it for free if you buy the bulb and it only takes a minute.

Here is the damage - 1 bloody cut on my hand, 2 broken finger nails, $15.35 for the bulb, $30 for the manicure I have to get redone, panic when I lost the "rubber thing", an hour wasted of my day, but the pride I felt was worth it all! So ladies, if you need a boost in the self esteem department, change your headlight!

PS...If anyone knows what I should do with the random wire, please let me know! :)

Update:Job

I haven't been keeping this up like I had wanted to...but I am going to catch everyone up. I got word at work that the hotel I work at is going to be sold. What does this mean exactly? Well, it means that the management company I work for will no longer be managing this hotel, which means I may not have a job. That is really scary in these rough economic times, right? My boss says she thinks I will be ok, but this new company who has come in hasn't said or mentioned anything about if they are going to keep us. I think the hourly employees will be fine, but the managers...all is up in the air.

I have been busy with work, because there is a lot of paperwork, filing, packing boxes, etc, because I have to send all of this stuff back to our corporate office. I will keep this all updated...or try to anyway.

There is a boil on my....

I got into HR by accident. I was one of those people who had a degree but had no idea what I wanted to do career-wise. I tried a few things, but nothing ever really stuck well with me. I was working as a reporter in a radio station and one day, I decided, I hated it. I went to a temp agency and started working temp jobs for a few months. The last temp job I had was as a receptionist for a metal stamping factory. About 3 weeks after I started, the company hired me on full-time as the HR Assistant and I just fell in love with it. The manager I worked for, John, was a 100% total SLOB. He would have just pile after pile of papers stacked all around his office. When the "powers that be" of the company would come by, the President of the company would make sure we kept John's office closed it was so bad. Five months after I started there, John was terminated and I was made the Human Resources Manager.

The thing about HR is you have to have a certain combination of compassion and sterness. Not only are you the disciplinarian, but you are also the company counselor. Everyday is different too, which is why I like it. I can walk in the door in the morning and never know what my day might bring. Sure...I might have a plan written down on paper, but 75% of the time that plan changes. Things happen all the time and you are the one responsible for the recruiting, the hiring, the terminations, the discipline, the settling people down, bringing people up...it never ends, its always different, and it is exciting. There are days where, as any HR Manager/HR Director would agree, you walk in and think...I have nothing to do today....and there are others where you think, HOW IN THE HELL AM I GOING TO GET ALL OF THIS DONE!!!

The other thing I like about HR is you get the "dirt" before the gossip starts, so you are always a good source for people to go to to get the "real" story. Unfortunately there is that "ethics" and "confidentiality" thing that makes it difficult to TELL the real story.

People tell you a lot too. More than you want to hear most times. Here are a few examples:

"FMLA"

An employee walks into my office and asks for FMLA paperwork for a medical condition he has. I get the paperwork together, NOT asking at that point the reason, hand it to him and say "I hope everything is OK" He looks at me, straight in the face and says..."Well, my balls are the size of melons, so no, everything is not ok."

"Pro-Life or Pro-Choice"

I had a visit with an Executive Human Resources Director from our corporate office to go over some paperwork before an audit we were having. I hear a knock on my office door and said "Come in!" Two employees walked in, both young women, one at 20, one at 24. The 24 year old looks at me and says...."Does our health insurance cover abortions?"

"Boils"

On of our overnighters came into my office in the middle of the afternoon. I was kind of surprised to see him because, well...he works overnight. I greet him, ask how he is doing and he said "I can't work tonight." I ask him why. He says " I have a boil on my ass. I have a doctor's note."

I SWEAR this JUST happened as I am typing this....

Knock on the door.

"Come in"

Door opens.

One of our Sales Managers...."Um, the hallway smells like cat piss. Im goinng out on a call, but can you tell housekeeping?"

Closes door.

Sleeplessness

I have never been much of a sleeper. I was always the kind of person who would stay up late and wake up early. Even as a child I didn't sleep a lot. I rarely took a nap, even now, in fact, I rarely take naps.

My first bouts of sleeplessness came in April of 2007. I lost my job and I think that was a big part of it, because in reality, I could stay up until 3 or 4 am and not have to wake up early so I wouldn't. My whole sleep cycle was out of sync. I was on unemployment, had gotten a nice severance package and didn't have to worry about finding a job that quickly, so I spent my days watching Lifetime and Oxygen, did a little consulting in HR and that was about it. For some reason, that is when I started to lose a lot of weight too. I trained myself to not really need the sleep. Seriously, how much energy can one use up sitting on their ass watching tv all day?

The problem is, once I tried to get myself back on a normal sleeping schedule, I couldn't fall asleep at a decent time. I would force myself to wake up early, but then I still couldn't fall asleep at night. There were some things going on in my life at that time too, which is generally called "stress", so a lot of nights I would just lay in my bed and think about that stuff too. No job, problems with my long distance boyfriend, wanting to move out of Cleveland, no money...the normal things that keep people up at night I guess. I was just getting plain frustrated after about 3 weeks of being out of work. I was trying to find a job locally, but also trying to find a job in New York, the place I always wanted to be, but I was running out of money going back and forth for interviews and was not finding anything at home. I just felt stuck, so I am positive that had a big impact on my sleep.

This was also the time where I got into the on-line psychic scene. More on that coming soon.

Sleep...one of the worst feelings is not being able to sleep. Laying in bed, waiting for the daylight so you at least have a reason to get out of bed. There were nights where I didn't sleep all night. This lasted about 4 months, then all of a sudden, I was able to sleep again.

My present "sleep issues" have been going on since March. I was in a new place, new state, new city. Everything was falling into place. I had a great job, was close to my boyfriend now, living on my own, waiting for that moment where I would be engaged to him and planning our lives in my head.

Something happened on March 17, 2008, which again, I will get into later, but since then, I haven't been able to sleep. Again, I have had nights where I didn't sleep all night. The problem now was, as opposed to before when I had this problem, is I had to go to work all day. So there have been days where I have been awake for 30-40 hours with no sleep whatsoever. This is the time I started taking the sleep medications.

I started out with the simple OTC unisom and that type of stuff. It did nothing for me, so then I got a suggestion from a friend to try melatonin, which is an herbal sleep aide. That worked better for me and even now, I switch on and off with my generic tylenol PM. I tried herbal teas, relaxation, meditation...I would take any advice anyone could give me....I still will, because I still have the issue, though with my pills, I can sleep now.

I did finally go to the doctor and was given Lunesta, which is a God send, unfortunately it is too expensive for me to take all the time. That was the best sleep I had gotten in a long time. I fell asleep quickly and woke up without that "hung over" feeling that I get often with the melatonin or generic tylenol PM.

I just think back to the nights I would be awake all night long and crying because I couldn't fall asleep. That can just be a terrible feeling. Silence...darkness...wide-eyes...the only sound being the hum of the fan on my laptop. Willing the night to be over and praying for the first light of morning.