How Attendance-Based Bonuses Discriminate Against Women, Non-Binary and Disabled People
Black Woman in Tech: A Heroica & Cloudflare Event Celebrating Black Women
‘More diverse teams are a better place to work and drive better business results,’ explained Michelle Zatlyn, President and COO of Cloudflare, during her welcome keynote for Cloudflare’s Black Woman In Tech event. The panel, hosted by Cloudflare on the 5th of October in their London office, was held to celebrate, encourage and support black women in their pursuit of successful and fulfilling careers in tech.
‘Black Amongst White, Black Amongst Everyone Else’: The Disconnect Between My Workplace Expectations and Experiences as a Black Woman
As I became acquainted with people who were fully immersed in the working world, I was given an abundance of advice, some encouraging, others full of warnings. I was told that I would ‘hardly see black people at work, let alone black women.’ I was advised to be careful of white women who often ‘preyed’ on younger black people. I was warned that racism in the workplace wasn’t always just white-on-black, but I could fall victim to racism from other ethnic-minority groups…
How Attendance-Based Bonuses Discriminate Against Women, Non-Binary and Disabled People
Recently, my workplace rewarded all their staff with 100% attendance over the last academic term with an Amazon gift card. I did not receive one because I had taken one day off to go to the hospital. One day. For a procedure that couldn’t be delayed. This entirely necessary, urgent hospital trip cost me my ‘perfect’ attendance and my chance of receiving a bonus…
Misogyny, Ageism or Downright Ignorance? Working as a Young Female in Retail
I’ve been working in retail for almost two years now, and honestly, before you join the industry, you don’t really realise how bad it actually is. As a 16-year-old desperately searching for a job so she could learn how to fund her own life, I was happy to take on anything. Of course, I knew from the typical retail stories that I’d have at least a few iffy customers, but little did I know that it would hurt my pride and confidence so much…
‘What’s Next?’: Graduate Prospects and Prioritising Myself Post-Degree
Post-graduation, I’m working in a bar. For how long, I don’t know. I have time to go to the gym every day (which I had to stop doing around easter because the workload got too much). I’ve finished more books in the last month than I have since March. I’m writing for me, not for my degree. I’ve even taken up baking again. While all these things may seem quite trivial and meaningless, I’ve found that my quality of life has improved in spite of my mental health struggles…
‘Less Jobs and an Excess of Applications’: My Experience of the Graduate Job Search Process Post-Pandemic
Picture this: you are a Gen Z who was encouraged to attend university because it would open up career options, but when it came to applying for jobs you’re told that you haven’t got the experience they’re looking for. Sound familiar? I feel as though this surpasses irony and just goes straight to fucking annoying...
The Struggles and Empowerment of the Women-Led Fashion Start-Up: Interviewing Hemsley London, Hazey Daisy London, and Loved Again London
Questions such as what it means to be a female entrepreneur, what the main struggles are and what it takes to run a successful business as a young woman, specifically in the fashion industry, have occupied my thoughts. Three young brands, all women-led, took the time to discuss this topic with me. Here are their stories…
Navigating Leadership with High Functioning Anxiety
Those with high functioning anxiety are often chosen for leadership roles. Many people with anxiety are detail oriented, driven, and seek perfection. However, there’s a dark side to it too. Being a leader with high functioning anxiety comes with sleepless nights, endless guilt and a lot of imposter syndrome. At least, that’s what it was like for me…
Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Social Conditioning: Learning to Sell Yourself in an Interview as a Woman
One thing I feel deep in my soul is how much I hate interviews. It has always felt like mental gymnastics or like trying to unlock some secret code to make those asking the questions choose you. I have so much trouble selling myself. This struggle has been defining to my career experience…
‘The UK Black Music Scene is Thriving’: My Journey to my Dream Job as a Lawyer in the Music Industry
Growing up on US TV throughout the noughties was where I was first introduced to the concept of music executives and music lawyers. When I first set out to become a lawyer, the dream was to move to the US and combine my career as a lawyer with my passion for music. Thanks to hard work, determination and pioneers such as Jamal Edwards, this dream has been possible on my home turf in the UK…
Snide Remarks, Sarcasm and Being Told to be More Submissive: Dealing with the Aftermath of Workplace Racism
Depression, suicidal thoughts, an abusive upbringing and a stint in a psychiatric hospital were all things I’d braved. Still, none of that quite prepared me for being twenty-five and unknowingly losing myself to a job that was insistent on making me, an African American woman, prove my worth in gold. Oddly enough, my white counterparts weren’t subjected to the same insistence…
‘A Strange Process of Trial and Error’: My Journey as a Self-Taught Tattoo Artist
The idea of having art on your body forever, something fixed and permanent in a world where change is the only constant, was something I was fascinated by. Being the one with the power and skill to do it, to use ink and needles and create that fixed thing, was even more mind-blowing to me…
I’ve Graduated; What Next? Establishing Yourself as a Young Professional
As a recent graduate, I have found myself facing a dilemma that anyone who has left education and had to enter the workforce comes up against – what’s next? Establishing yourself as a young professional is no easy task…
‘Flexibility is Here to Stay’: How to Thrive in a Hybrid Work Environment
Despite the difficulty of working from home for the last eighteen months during the pandemic, returning to the office and existing in a hybrid environment may be even harder for most of us to get used to. It appears that the flexibility of working from home and in the office is here to stay…
On Maintaining Integrity: Being a Woman in a Creative Field
In my first formal creative writing class in my second year of university, I was given my first piece of advice on what to do if I wanted to be a ‘woman’ writer. It came from my TA, a sweet young guy who I believe genuinely wanted to help me. In a way, I suppose he did: this was a warning of what lay ahead for me as a woman in a creative field…
Living as a Working Professional with a Mental Illness
The stigma surrounding working professionals with mental health problems stems from years of internalised language about how we get to choose how we feel. Chemical imbalances are a myth, and we all need to grow up and do our jobs. Stop being so selfish. Stop being a child…
The Rabbit and The Bear: My Experience of Training to be a Creative Arts Therapist
Dramatherapy uses storytelling, play, art, and movement to facilitate healing and growth. Training to be a dramatherapist involves a rigorous process of academic and experiential learning. But before you can sit with others’ pain, you first have to learn to sit with your own.
Salt and Sister Studio: How My Sister and I Started a Brown-Owned Business to Escape Toxic Workplaces
The main driving force behind starting our own business, above the flexible working hours and the creative autonomy, was that we would never have to shrink ourselves for a Managing Director’s ego again. We could finally escape the pitfalls of toxic work environments, something we both have a lot of experience with…
‘Pandemic or Not, I’m Terribly Confused’: My Thoughts on Choosing a Career Path After Graduation
I never imagined that I would have to fit a backup plan around a pandemic. If I’m being honest, I didn’t have very much hope for my future before this economy-crushing catastrophe. I have even less now, and this is why…
