Managing Sticky Situations at Work

150 Managing Sticky Situations at Workarrange my schedule to meet the needs of my family without sacrificingmy professional goals. I went to graduate school late; Iwas 35 when I started. At nearly 40, I now feel I’m more maturethan the typical student and that’s helped me deal with thestresses at home and at work.’’‘‘So you believe your age helps you deal with the pressures yourhome and work put on you?’’‘‘Now I wouldn’t go that far,’’ Wanda says. ‘‘It’s hard jugglingeverything. But I love both my role as a parent and mywork. At work I love the creative challenge that research offers,and when something exciting happens, well ...that makes it allworthwhile. The constant interruptions either at work fromresearch assistants or at home from the kids do sometimes wearme down.’’ She pauses. ‘‘I wonder if I could talk a few momentsabout my work in the lab?’’Janice nods. ‘‘I was coming to that. But first, you said yourchildren come first. What would you do if you had a crisis witha child but we needed you here at work?’’ (This is an illegal questionbecause it is probing child care. It is also a nonstrategic questionbecause it focuses on a hypothetical situation in the futureinstead of behaviors in the past.)‘‘That’s a hard question to answer because it depends on whatthe crisis might be and what arrangements could be made atwork. As I said, my husband travels, but he’s not gone all thetime. I could call on him if I had to be at the lab.’’‘‘Let’s say you had to deliver an important presentation to theCEO that day.’’‘‘Again, this is hypothetical,’’ Wanda says. ‘‘But, I’m sure if Ihad such an important presentation, I’d make certain the kidswere dealt with. In fact, when I had to defend my dissertation,I arranged schedules so my husband was available to managethe kids if anything came up. I tend to take care of everything Ican ahead of time.’’APPLYING THE SAY IT JUST RIGHT MODELDECISION POINTSWanda weighs the costs. This interview is making Wanda uncomfortable.Janice is asking many questions related to Wanda’s role as amom. Wanda knows these questions cross the line with regard to their