Thursday Buzz: How Not To Discuss Workplace Gender Issues

If you’re going to close the gender gap at your organization, don’t do it like this.

This month, Australian startup founder Evan Thornley explained how his company, LookSmart, ended up hiring more women than did other firms in the sector. But his reasons for doing so raised eyebrows.

“There’s a great arbitrage there: We would give them more responsibility and a greater share of the rewards than they were likely to get anywhere else, and that was still often relatively cheap to someone less good of a different gender,” Thornley said during the Sunrise startup conference  (opens in a new tab) last week.

He compounded matters by running this slide  (opens in a new tab) during the presentation:

Thornley has since apologized for the comments, but he nonetheless started a good debate, the highlights of which are discussed at Bloomberg Businessweek  (opens in a new tab).

“That’s not how this conversation should go at all,” the magazine’s Claire Suddath writes. “Realizing that women are undervalued and then paying them less [than] men because you know you can is not the solution that any company should adopt—and not just because it’s illegal.”

And next time, skip the graphic.

(By the way, for a look at the latest data on the CEO salary gender gap in the nonprofit sector, read our coverage of the new GuideStar report.)

A Post-Laptop World?

Samsung exits laptop market in Europe “for now” after decline in PC market http://t.co/4ZQLvYRppI  (opens in a new tab) http://t.co/ipjgFCbXnv  (opens in a new tab)

— Techmeme (@Techmeme) September 23, 2014  (opens in a new tab)

Is it a harbinger? On Wednesday, PC Advisor scored a scoop  (opens in a new tab) about one of the world’s largest technology companies, Samsung, quitting the laptop market in Europe, a significant announcement considering the size of the company and the buying power of the continent.

It’s not just Windows PCs, either.

“We quickly adapt to market needs and demands,” a company representative told the news outlet. “In Europe, we will be discontinuing sales of laptops, including Chromebooks, for now. This is specific to the region—and is not necessarily reflective of conditions in other markets.”

The company promised that it might someday return, adding that it would “continue to thoroughly evaluate market conditions.”

For what it’s worth, a recent study suggests that people are learning to love their desktops  (opens in a new tab) more these days. (ht @Techmeme  (opens in a new tab))

Other good reads

You may have to cut a few corners to trim costs, but that doesn’t mean your attendees have to notice. Event Manager Blog suggests a few ways to save money on events  (opens in a new tab) without drawing a lot of attention.

Don’t let your connections fade: You need to keep your network strong, notes Velvet Chainsaw Consulting  (opens in a new tab).

“A lot of people think Google is their friend. That may be true, but it’s a friendship with conditions.” At the Association Media and Publishing blog  (opens in a new tab), author Jeff Korhan suggests ways to boost your presence without leaning too hard on Google.

(iStock/Thinkstock)