Daily Kennebec journal., 1902-03-18
BUSINESS WOMEN.


Some Of Their Most Common Errors.
So many young women, and some
old ones, of my acquaintance are be-
coming cashiers, stenOgraphers, book
keepers, agents, saleswOmen, ETC.,
that a word inspired by my own ex-
perience and observation may not be
amisS.
It matters not whether a woman be
| a confidential clerk, the head of a de-
partment or a typewriter girl, the
| same general rules apply to any Wo-
man holding business position; If she
will be honest with herself she will
find in disobedience of these rules the
cause of her requested resignation"
when it finally comes.
| If she loses her place she may ask
herself these questions: Have l been
loyal to the office; have I valued my
employers time; have I obliterated
personality from my work.
| Her loyalty to the Office should COM
pei her to refrain from talking about
the business transacted there. A
trifling word to some companion in a
street car or elsewhere overheard by
just the right party may be the germ
of business discord and failure. It
may never be traced to her, but she
should always remember that the
least of office employees may work
great wrong through heedlessness.
She is quite likely to hear or know
something of her employers family or
home affairs, of his financial stringen-
cies. or Of his lucky deals, but none
of these should tempt her to gossip,
for she really knows very little about
them after all. 1t is an oft-nOted fact
that the employe is least able of any,
| one to judge of his or her employers
success or standing in business. Few
business men stop to explain why they
are moving everything to raise a cer-
tain sum; and the fact that bills are
being sent out as if in dire distress
for money or that a thousand dollars
is borrowed, is no indication of nom
success: it may be just the reverse
and the woman in the office who al
lows herself to gossip about these
things is dangerous to the welface of
the business.
Don't talk of Office affairs at home
except in the most general way for
what you would not make a matter
4 OI cOtuIItCul SOIIlC OtutI AuCuu-
Der of the family may speak Of
Ithoughtlessly.
The next important thing for an Of
flee girl to remember Is the value Of
the time for which she receives
wages. For instance you agree to be
in the office 4S or 54 hours a week. 1t
Is to be generally understood that
those hours should conform to the
rules of the office, whether the open
ing hour be 8, $50. or A. NJ. The
best work is that done with regularity
and any departure from this rule
should be reserved for the emergency
of ill health or the accident of an un-
usual event. This is point wherein
more women fail to give satisfaction
than perhaps all other things togeth-
er. Possibly this is due to inherited
habits owing to the elasticity of do
mestic work in which nothing but the
preparation of three meals ever forces
a woman to have a special hour for
any particular task "as long as Satur-
day night brings up the weeks work"
az hOusekeeper's day. Women's time
formerly had no commercial value and
they are still prone to. undervalue it.
Remember, however, that when You
60 into an office you leave domestic
environment, and the rules of busi-
ness. not of the indulgent home, apply
to your work.
A prominent editor once said that
out Of his extensive experience he was
ready to believe, that "the average
newspaper woman in the average news
paper office tried to see how few hours
: she could work and escape being dis
, charged" 1t is difficult to believe that
|, this statement applies peculiarly to wo-
. men in that special kind of work. for
many of these, notably the better paid
have work to which much thought
must be given in season and out, and
il may chance that half the night was
spent in study or planning. But Of the
more mechanical workers, those who
sit at a desk or typewriter. it is some
times true. Is it deceit or a love OF
mischief that tempts the Office girl to
come little later morning after morn
|: ing, growing bolder as she appears to
) escape reproof? Does the same mo.
!; tive allure her to chat longer over hei
luncheon, or take little shopping triI
during the noon hour? Why is she sc
: exultant in being able to drop into hel
chair three minutes before her employ
er returns, and in looking as innocent
as If she had not taken an extra hall
{ or three-quarters of an hour?
II 1t is not uncommon to hear a woman
, say, well. I'm supposed to be at the
ONCE now. but I'll get there before Mr.
+ does. and he'll think it's al
! fright" Just there is a mistake. Il