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Working under a female boss a tight-rope walk

Working under a woman is not only intimidating but also a bit of a tight-rope walk for many people. Balancing workplace professionalism with a personal relationship under a female superior seems far more difficult for men as compared to working under a male boss. Surprisingly enough though, when it comes to playing favourites, women bosses seem to prefer men over their own 'sisters' as revealed by a recent finding.

Research undertaken by a university in Holland has shown that women bosses are tougher on their female staff than senior male colleagues as they view them with greater skepticism and insecurity. The so-called 'Queen Bee' syndrome reveals that women bosses have had to use masculine attitudes to fight their way to the top, leading them to protect their hard won position from other female competition.

Khaleej Times spoke to a cross-section of residents — both men and women — to determine what kind of experiences they have had with a female boss which may have been different from working with a male superior.

Nagham Yazbek, a Syrian expatriate, said: "It is really nice to have a female boss. She is sweet, nice and more considerate than a male boss. She would treat us like her children or sisters. On the other hand, I would prefer to have a male boss. I believe that males are more systematic and less bossy than females, especially when it is related to personal issues. Another issue would be the professionalism: men are more professional than women because they are not affected by emotions."

Zamin Ali, who hails from a small town in India, opined: Females, unlike males, are a bunch of emotions, and it is this characteristic that makes them a good and bad boss all at the same time."

"My immediate superior is a female, who is good not only at her work but also in handling her subordinates. But a boss is always a boss, the gender irrespective. There is a hierarchy... a chain of command and everyone in this set-up in any organisation is accountable to someone over him or her. Accountability and self-promotion are the only two reasons I see that can make a monster out of boss, male or female,” he said. “Women bosses who are not up to their neck in feminism and can handle problems without bringing in the gender-bender are better than their male counterparts. People talk about ego at the mention of a female boss, but I don't know of anyone who would be glad to be shouted at by a male boss. In the end it's all about how you get along with him or her that matters,” he added.

Sudarshan Raman, Durex Marketing Manager in AGCC, said: “Female bosses are capable and very professional. They are connected to what business really needs, without being partial. Female bosses could be very successful in their careers. In fact both sexes are capable, but it is very challenging for females to perform many tasks in their jobs and fulfill their personal responsibilities at the same time.”

Anand Raj, Sales Executive at a three-star hotel in Dubai, believes it is better working under a woman boss than man. "At least she is considerate and understanding and empathises with situations, both official and personal. Since, the hotel industry is a very competitive field today, women do better than men in varied fields, particularly sales and housekeeping. My boss is a thorough professional and it is amazing to see her at work. She has the patience both with the clients and her sales staff," he said.

But Shoaib Siddiqui, working for a PR and advertising agency in the UAE, believes that work efficiency suffers due to the mood swings of a woman boss.

"Most women are vulnerable to pressure and stress, specially those who run an office and home together, are under complete stress, juggling time between their home and office. This often results in erratic mood swings of a woman boss, which gets transmitted to their working environment in the office. Although a woman boss is compassionate and understanding, her moods are a bit difficult to handle for men, and ultimately affects the overall work efficiency," Siddiqui pointed out.

• UAE