Navigating the Workplace as a Woman of Colour
Women of Colour face unique barriers that impact their professional growth, as well as their psychological well-being.
Research has shown that WOC don’t lack confidence or ambition when it comes to their careers, but rather, they are held back by white and patriarchal systems that prevent them from achieving their goals and thriving in an environment not designed for them.
It’s a no-brainer that we live and work in spaces that are deeply racist and sexist, and only designed to benefit certain people, while excluding the rest of us. But even within these patriarchal structures, all women are not treated the same. Our current and ongoing pandemic is one example where WOC are far more likely to be laid off or furloughed, “stalling their careers and jeopardizing their financial security.”
Illustration by Liu Liu
Coined by Black feminist and activist Frances M. Beal, “double jeopardy” describes how Black women, and other WOC simultaneously face sexism and racism. In her article The Concrete Ceiling, our cofounder Hanieh Khosroshahi argues that “the factors preventing women of color from advancing at work are significantly different from those holding back white women and men of color.”
The good news is that we are having more productive conversations about diversity, inclusion, and equity, which can lead to safer and better working conditions for all. In this piece, we want to explore one fundamental question – is there a way we, as racialized women, can better navigate current workplace structures in order to reach our fullest potential?
Below are some tips that have helped us along the way.
1. Recognize your allies at work
The discourse around allyship is all around us, and everyone is claiming it. But who is your ally beyond just ‘talks’? Who will have your back when you’re not in the room? Who will vouch for you to get promoted? Or lead on a project?
Allow me to get a little personal – I am an academic working on decolonizing the curriculum and our education system, thinking about representation in our films and stories. My research and work really tick the boxes of current buzzwords in academia, and more general conversations around systemic discrimination. Naturally, everyone wants a piece of this cake. My experiences have shown me that when it comes to performative allyship, everyone is in. But when it comes to doing the hard intentional work, allyship suddenly loses its appeal. Instead, what I have faced is the lack of recognition for the labour of precarious academics like myself, and “allies” not giving credit where it’s due.
“The discourse around allyship is all around us, and everyone is claiming it. But who is your ally beyond just ‘talks’? ”
Identifying who your real allies are at work is key. Below are some questions to ask to weed out performative allies. And remember, anything short of this isn’t allyship.
Do they provide you with constructive and tangible feedback?
Do they celebrate you and publicly recognize your contributions?
Do they have your back when you’re not in the room, especially when it comes to sponsorship and promotions?
Do they intervene and speak up when you or someone else is being targeted, interrupted or not given credit?
Are they intentionally working on educating themselves about oppressive systems and staying engaged consistently, rather than at opportune times?
Do they put their money where their mouth is?
2. Put away your humility
Feminist activist and writer Mona Eltahawy critiques the idea of women practicing humility. In her book, The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls, she advocates for defying, disobeying, and disrupting. We think this applies to the workplace too.
When it comes to women’s self-expression, humility is often viewed as a positive trait. We have been conditioned to believe that for women to be considered feminine and acceptable, we must be modest and agreeable, and avoid being assertive and proud. And society demands this of us. Men, on the other hand, claim their space, own their work, talk themselves up, and demand high salaries. And in the end, they are called confident and charismatic and get promoted into leadership roles.
As WOC, we deal with being invisible, undermined, undervalued, and underpaid. In the workplace, humility doesn’t serve us. In fact, it will be a key reason why management will have all the excuses in the world to not recognize our worth.
Below are some actionable steps you can take to keep humility at bay:
Learn how to talk about money and the art of negotiation – stay tuned for more on this in a later post.
Put your needs first and ask for what you deserve, whether it’s a higher salary, a different title, or working on a new project.
Own your work! Practice and get comfortable talking about yourself and your contributions.
Counter social conditioning by unlearning what you were taught about gender norms.
3. Ask for measurable feedback
When it comes to professional growth, constructive feedback is extremely valuable. That said, research shows that women often receive vague feedback, which is detrimental to their career progression. Men on the other hand, are more likely to “receive insightful developmental feedback about their technical skills.” Because of this, women are not selected to lead projects as often as men, and are not equipped with tangible and measurable feedback that will allow them to progress in their role, at their company, or in their career.
While the onus should be on our employers, here are some tips to ensure you receive valuable feedback:
Ensure feedback is measurable and time-based. Request a specific exploratory next step, and attach a timeframe to when you will revisit it.
Establish a structure for receiving feedback, if not already in place at your company. Will it be every 6 months? Ad hoc? Both?
Watch out for feedback that targets personality traits.
If feedback is vague, ask for clarification, specificity, and concrete examples.
Document everything!
4. Prioritize your mental health
The barriers we face at work don’t only affect our professional world. As WOC, our psychological wellbeing and mental health are at risk, resulting in burnout, anxiety, and depression. In many cases, our economic well-being and sense of self-worth and belonging are also affected, making us more vulnerable to long-term mental health issues.
“As WOC, our psychological wellbeing and mental health are at risk and can result in burnout, anxiety, and depression.”
There are many measures we can take to ensure we are mentally and physically healthy, but it’s important to note that each woman’s approach will be different. Below are some tips that have served us along the way:
Surround yourself with a community outside of work. Create a network of people who you can truly connect with, trust, and who understand your experiences as WOC.
Healing is an incredibly important step in our journeys as WOC. Seek professional help and find a therapist who will be able to help you work through workplace trauma.
Rest! Take a step back and pause, before you hit burnout. Give yourself permission to take breaks and time off, often.
Set boundaries. Learn to say no when you don’t have capacity to do something and don’t answer emails or messages when you’re not working.
Establish a self-care method; maybe it’s a spa day, maybe it’s Netflix and takeout. Find what works for you and make it a routine.
Keeping these four strategies in mind can go a long way in ensuring that as a WOC, we are able to grow professionally while taking care of our mental health. They have helped us along the way, and we hope you find them valuable too.
Coming up Next
In our next post, you get to know us, the cofounders a bit better. We will dive into our professional backgrounds and experiences, speaking to projects and work that led us to creating Thousand&One. Tune in next month!