Flexability’s Post

The insights shared in the #WomenInTheWorkplace2023 report serve as a powerful reminder of the disparities that Black women face and the importance of ensuring equity and inclusion in all aspects of life, including the workplace. At MamaZen, we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to thrive and find happiness, regardless of their background. As advocates for mental and emotional well-being, our mission is rooted in personalized support and empowerment for all individuals. Join us in amplifying these important conversations and learn about transforming your company culture with MamaZen. #womenintheworkplace #diversityandinclusion

We know from our #WomenInTheWorkplace2023 report that Black women tend to receive less support from their managers. Here are specific steps managers should take — #BlackHistoryMonth and beyond — to make sure Black women are treated fairly and given equal opportunities to learn, grow, and lead.⁠ ⁠ Share this with a manager who has the power to improve the workplace for Black women.

According to a 2020 Lean In report, 54% of Black women say that they are "Onlys," typically one of the only Black people in the room at work. The corporate commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion should not achieve an opposite, singling-out effect for Black women trying to advance their careers. Strength in numbers is an important part of empowering individuals, especially women in business, to achieve what they want in their careers. How can we better include Black businesswomen in our conversations about women in business? Read more: https://lnkd.in/dP83DWY #SuccessShared #C200 #BlackHistoryMonth #BlackBusinesswomen #BlackWomenInBusiness #WomenInBusiness #Equity #WomenEmpowerment #WomenLeaders #Diversity

This sentiment by Ruth Abban MBACP is just one of the reasons why I developed a corporate coaching program called, "Relationship Rehab". It's not for everyone. Like Ruth says, some systems and the people who support them are unwilling to change. And I truly believe we can't "make" people change. People will only change when they are ready. So... if you're ready to effect real radical, positive, lasting change in your organization, If you want to remediate your toxic workplace so that your human resources will be happier and healthier and more committed to the vision and mission at work, If you are ready to make bold moves so that you can see increased engagement resulting in higher profits and increased team/customer loyalty, Reach out to me to ask about "Relationship Rehab". Send me a DM and let's start creating the change you desire! #ToxicWorkplaces #RelationshipRehab #relationshipsmatter #communication #HRSolutions #everyproblemisarelationshipproblem #employeeengagement

To all my colleagues in the social impact space: We are losing talent. We are burning out. This is not about us taking better care of ourselves — it is about fixing the environments in which we work. Hiring more staff isn't necessarily the answer. That may be like adding people to a sinking ship, they’ll go down too. Turn your attention instead to organizational health, governance, and team building.

Self care has become increasingly weaponised in workplaces as it places responsibility soley on the individual employee rather than addressing systemic issues, such as poor governance/ leadership, racism and violence. No amount of exercise, eating healthy, massages, supervision etc has the capacity to change structural issues which are outside most employees influence or control. Addressing toxic work environments needs to be a tiered process, where responsibility sits at an organisational, team and individual level. This is possible if an organisation is truly trauma informed and has reflective capacity, not just gammin lip service.

Lessons I learned working at Bitwise Industries: At someone point, the best self-care is removing yourself from a toxic environment at all costs. No paycheck is going to be worth the healing you’ll need from toxicity, so your best option is to leave. Even if you don’t have a backup plan. Once you give yourself the space…it becomes the ultimate care of self to rebuild. Ask me how I know: I spent the last 2 years healing from the most toxic environment I’ve ever experienced in my 30 years of working. And it was a company that everyone believed was the next big thing. A company that was slated to be the biggest DEI tech company south of Silicon Valley. But no one knew of the secrets. The lies, the empty promises covered up by social media and DEI.

This right here

This is truer than we may want to admit to ourselves. I had a role at a large company that I initially found amazing. However, when I switched teams, I ended up working with a toxic manager, and their behavior infected the entire team. Unfortunately, no one was brave enough to speak out or stand up. I did all that I could to change the environment, be a positive influence, and show that I was an asset to her and the team. She told me that I was a threat to her position, and they made my life hell--no matter what I did. Sometimes, people prefer to be jealous and remain in the fear they create in their minds about you. Some companies maintain or support insecure leadership with bad behavior. When I finally advocated for myself, she made things even worse. Yes, it was reported to Employee Affairs, and I hired an attorney. No matter how hard you try, you can't always change the environment you are in. The situation ended up impacting my health so badly that I had to take medical leave. It took almost 6 months to recover. And I implemented self-care before taking leave. That experience---while traumatic, taught me a valuable lesson: I did all that I could do, so leave and be successful somewhere else! I negotiated my departure and I have not looked back since. This lesson also taught me to value my voice, and my worth, and that I own my success. So, if you can't change your environment, then change your environment. IYKYK.

I appreciate this post on so many levels. I rarely enter conversations about toxic workplaces. But as a professional, with more than 20 years in the game, I do unfortunately have experience here. Once upon a time, I found myself in a toxic work environment. (It wasn’t the first or the last time during my career that this was the case.) I was treated so terribly, lied to and on, and gaslit that in order to ground myself, I would write messages on Post-it notes on my desk about my life responsibilities so I could stomach the mistreatment. Working harder won’t get you through a toxic work situation. Being a model employee won’t get you through a toxic work situation. Never taking vacation won’t get you through a toxic work situation. Being a team player won’t get you through a toxic work situation. And while self-care is lovely, it won’t get you through a toxic work situation. My advice to those who find themselves in a toxic workplace is to ground yourself and develop an exit strategy. It won’t get better (and stay better). In fact, it will get worse.