Workplace Shakedown - You Are Your Own Advocate

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Often the fear of standing up, speaking up, and challenging unfair treatment at work is layered in fear, fear of losing our jobs. The reality is very real that often a consequence of challenging poor behaviour and treatment leaves us vulnerable often with a target on our back to be managed out, sacked or made to feel so uncomfortable that you choose to leave.

I will never pretend that speaking up doesn't come with risks but what is the alternative? Remaining silent and accepting oppression, bullying discrimination etc  OR be strategic in how you speak up. I will always champion advocating for yourself and understanding how to do so safely.

Whenever a Black Woman challenges racist structures we make ourselves a target but I put it to you that from the point we enter organisations we are targets and as we acquire experience, learn and grow we then become a moving target. Recently I opted not to speak up simply because I didn't want to deal with the aggro, I am tired.  I didn't want to expend energy in having to deal with someone who has been attempting to bully me through violent passive-aggressive emails. For a few weeks, I regressed back to how my parents had demonstrated I should be in the workplace. My pursuit for peace made me complicit. Silence is often deemed as acceptance of poor behaviour and then we become complicit through our silence we accept poor behaviour that is rooted in racism, stereotype and prejudice.

We spend a lot of time unlearning harmful things we have been taught and raised to believe, I have spent time and years unlearning, but there is no peace in keeping silent and hoping for the best, sometimes situations will call you to advocate for yourself and in doing so you centre yourself in the pursuit of peace.

My burn folder stays ready and last week I had to advocate for myself and I did so strategically knowing that whilst I may be making myself a moving target the reality is my burn folder houses a catalogue of evidence demonstrating patterns of behaviour from those who continue to use privilege in an attempt to oppress, control and bully purely because I am a woman.... a Black Woman.

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Music (Intro and Outro) Written and created by Nomadic Star

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