Comments on: Cupcakes go far at work

By: Jeremy Pepper

Jeremy Pepper — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 01:13:11 +0000

Wait - isn’t this a McDonald’s commercial?

By: Heather

Heather — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 13:54:50 +0000

Late reply on this, but I have to admit I’m pretty shocked by the reactions too. I agree that there are still many sexists out there, but um, a power suit and stone heart won’t change their minds about what you are or aren’t. Neither will cupcakes.

Your actions, attitude, and overall approach to life define you as a person. If you are someone who likes to bake, bring cupcakes to the office if you want to. If you don’t like to bake, bring your coworkers a coffee now and again.

The point of the article wasn’t, “Turn into June Cleaver and your coworkers will totally like, love you,” it was, “Hey, do something nice for your coworkers every once in a while that has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with business.”

We’re still human at work. We’re still men, and women at work. And sometimes, a random cupcake is just what everyone needs to lighten up.

By: Linda

Linda — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 13:51:06 +0000

I originally operated on the ‘no bake’ policy. After all, you have to be tough to be taken seriously as a woman in a man’s world. On top of the old boy companies I’ve worked for, I also work in IT, so tough has to go to a new level or they’ll think I’m stupid (pre-internet world). Then I met a manager on one of my assignments who baked. Yes, she was feminine, but she was also not to be messed with. I discovered people appreciated the baking and her for doing it, and no one called her competence into question. It also made the dungeon a bit more civil. My initial attitude of “why should I bribe people to like me” changed to “everyone likes to be appreciated,” and that became the spirit with which I baked when I chose to do so. To bake or not to bake, that’s a personal preference, but I think putting some effort behind a ‘thank you’ tells someone you mean it, and there are always people to be recognized if you think about it that way. If you don’t think about it that way, you probably shouldn’t be baking cupcakes.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Tue, 15 May 2007 01:31:40 +0000

Ok, so here’s another thought about the food thing. For women (overall) if they bake or cook something really fantastic with great skill, people regard it as a nuturing act, not as a demonstration of skill. However, men (overall) when they cook or bake something, they aren’t regarded as doing it for love, but as a demonstration of skill. Think restaurant chefs (mostly men) vs the home cook (still mainly women). Also think of prepackaged baked goods, which are largely female branded like Sara Lee and Marie Callendar, or the general statement of “just like mom/grandma” used to make. Why? because females cooking=nuturing. Geez, I should change my thesis topic to this. :D

By: Jessica

Jessica — Tue, 15 May 2007 01:24:57 +0000

I think you are sorely mistaken about the disappearing gender divide. It may not be as apparent, but it is still there. Take Greg’s comment for example about his wife being the “Room Mother”. That’s just weird. Using your wife and her skills/labor for social capital is very much a boomer thing, not a “huzzah all gender disparity is gone because it’s 2007!-read “Men and Women of the Corporation” by Rossabeth Moss Kanter (circa 1975?) to see what I mean.

That being said my spouse and I have occassionally brought food to our offices, but we always make it ourselves. I can’t really see my husband asking me to make his office-mates cookies, because he’s a completely capable baker (makes awesome pies!). And honestly, I’m not into playing a mother role to anyone but potential offspring of my own. You can’t have equality among adults if someone is playing mommy/daddy/child roles in the workplace (or in relationships for that matter.)

By: CR

CR — Thu, 03 May 2007 17:04:31 +0000

My choice at my new job is going to be to have chocolate on my desk. Everyone loves chocolate. ANd it will get people I don’t even know to come over and take chocolate, and if I am there, they will have to at least say “hi” or “thank you” and then I have a chance to connect with them.

By: Cupcake Queen

Cupcake Queen — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 16:01:21 +0000

I brought a dozen homemade cupcakes to my colleagues every week for 52 weeks at the Univrsity of Maryland…they were my testing ground!

And, almost everyone wanted to eat the cupcakes and were more than happy to see them. An email would go out that the cupcakes had arrived. Folks began hovering around the front office every Monday morning at 9:00 so they would be one of the 12 lucky cupcake eaters! And, so much disappointment if they didn’t get one!

It was funny…some people would gobble theirs right away and other would save it for lunch! All in all, the weekly cupcakes became a positive gathering point on Monday mornings, and the event took on a life of its own. Soon, I was making 2 dozen cupcakes a week and delivering the extras to our vice president’s office…and occasionally to the president’s office! It was a blast!

By: A friend

A friend — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 22:17:56 +0000

I’d like to think that one can take this advice liberally–not literally. Baking cupcakes could seem very contrived for some people, and the action would backfire. Better to do something authentic.

By: Sheila at Family Travel

Sheila at Family Travel — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 04:23:18 +0000

This is an amazing thread, with such contrasting opinions about….cupcakes.

A few years back, there’s no way you’d have caught me doing something so girly/fluffy as bringing baked goods into the office, as though I have to play Mommy to be liked.

Now, my attitude is, what the hell; if I wanna bring in cupcakes or whatever to share, and someone then wants to impugn my ability to lead or whatever, I really don’t care anymore and I’m bringin’ in the cake. They can eat it. Or not.

I must confess that I like being an independent entrepreneur these days, and not giving a rat’s patootie about whether some guy in a cube in an office thinks I’m a wuss because of cupcakes.

By: Daily itzblogging big Links 2007-04-27 - itzblogging big - Serving the Unserved – Recruiters, Job Seekers, Quiet Working Professionals

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 16:09:20 +0000

[…] Brazen Careerist: Cupcakes go far at work “You need to be nice at work. This doesn’t mean holding the door. Well, it does, but you need to do more than that. You need to do high-profile, from-the-heart niceness. People who are popular at work do better at work.” […]