Mean Girls

Girls are mean.  They even made a movie about it.  There is most likely a Regina George in us all who rears her ugly head only when confronted with another female peer. Girl Wars: Compared to men we fight sneakier, dirtier, and to the point where time doesn’t necessarily heal all wounds.

Unfortunately this behavior exists outside the confines of high school walls. Welcome to the office sandbox.  Studies show that of the “bully population” at work, 40% are women and pick on their fellow female employees 70% of the time.  We have seen it time and time again─ “Accidentally” forwarding a female peer’s email to the wrong eyes, purposely excluding a female peer from a meeting, embarrassing a female peer in front of office colleagues for not being able to work this weekend because she is visiting her boyfriend (*Gasp)…..

So how can we cope? 

• Stay Confident: Lose your cool and risk letting Regina compromise your career and office reputation. 
• Watch the Body Language: Nix the eye rolling, heavy sighing, and other signs of frustration. It’s ugly and you are trying to take the high road here.
• Know Your Setting: Don’t ever retaliate over email (forwarding) or in front of senior management.
• Answer with a Question: It's quick, easy and tosses the ball back into their court.
• Last Resort: Fight back with a tasteful amount of wit and poise.   

All in all, the days of the male dominated financial world are slowly eroding and female office colleagues are everywhere.  Let’s be nice, professional, and leave it up to Lindsey Lo to really battle with our dear friend Regina George.