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What’s worse than when people make assumptions about you? Assumptions people make that affect your paycheck and ability to enjoy your life. Forbes reports on the top three assumptions made in the workplace that still need to be addressed. Take a look at the list and see if you can bring up any of these as talking points in the next office meeting:

Assumption 1) New mothers will only want to work part-time or not at all and she will no longer want to take on additional responsibility in the office or go on business trips. Wrong! Only about 29 percent of children have a stay-at-home parent. Unfortunately an article in the Atlantic reports that male supervisors often unconsciously look over women for promotions because of their assumptions of a woman’s dual role. To avoid confusion, discussions should be held individually with new mothers about work preferences.

Assumption 2) On the flip side, employers often assume men don’t care about work-life issues because they believe this is a women’s issue. As a result men often end up overworked and employers lose out on productivity and engagement due to high stress levels. Employers must keep in mind that all employees experience life transitions and have issues that require formal breaks as well.

Assumption 3) You can’t start a successful business and still have a life. The business world has lost a lot of great ideas from many men and women who chose not to act on their entrepreneurial dreams, fearing that it will take a toll on their personal commitments. The truth is that while there is no perfect work-life balance, it’s possible to have a successful business and still enjoy life outside of the office, and plenty of people are doing so.

The fact of the matter is no one has the exact same goals or outlook on life.  Everyone has different standards and expectations, and assumptions are never effective measures for conducting business.

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