We often spend more time in the workplace than with our own families, and yet it can be very challenging to navigate. Workplaces are riddled with office politics, pecking orders, ambitious maneuverings, and people with individual ideas about what they will contribute and take from that environment. I’ve rarely been a part of, seen or even heard others share about working in the ideal workplace. Most workplaces leave lots to be desired.
We are living in turbulent but exciting times as we witness a reckoning happen in our country. With advocates and activists alike fighting on the front lines in the movement to demand government release asylum seekers and refugees from private prisons and cages, as well as our Native American’s fight for environmental protections, the Black Lives Matter and MeToo movements, our country is being forced to look itself in the mirror and admit its historical and current atrocities, requiring it dismantle its racist and patriarchal systems of oppression. But activists aren’t just taking to the streets in protest, they are taking their fight to the workplace as well, demanding pay equity, safe working conditions, access to professional development, promotion opportunities, an end to harassment, and fair recognition for the work we do.
ELLA has little doubt that there are countless Latinas who would like to take part in creating equitable change in their workplaces, even if it is just to address their own workplace barriers, but aren’t sure where to start or are afraid of the possible repercussions of speaking up. We all know many other Latinas who are also struggling to deal with serious workplace matters. Latinas are often left to chose between silent compliance in hopes of promising advancement in the organization, or advocating for herself in the face of unfairness at the expense of risking upward mobility, or losing her job altogether.
ELLA helps Latinas to understand workplace dynamics. Our workshops cover just about every scenario that so many of us have been or will be confronted with and there are several ways to deal with any one situation. We do not have to sit in silence. Are there risks to dealing with inequities? Yes. But is it worth the stress of dealing with those inequities, silently? NO!
Latinas are often left to choose between silent compliance in hopes of promising advancement in the organization, or advocating for herself in the face of unfairness at the expense of risking upward mobility, or losing her job altogether.
ELLA Workshops
Introduction to Organizational Culture
- Doing your research first
- Understanding organizational demographics
- Organizational hierarchy and office politics
- Understanding the organizations basic structure and its systems
- Evaluating if the organization is proactive in its hiring, promotion and retention of employees of color
- How our own culture affects our perceptions and behaviors in the workplace
- Understanding the wage gap, and ensuring that you do not start at the bottom
Creating Your Own Path in the Workplace
- Creating a game plan for yourself
- Finding and working with mentors of color
- Understanding how far you can take “being yourself” in the workplace as a woman of color
- Understanding what “Lean In” and “Taking a Seat at the Table” means for Latinas in the workplace
- Learning how to identify and work with allies in the workplace
- Identifying when other Latin@s in the workplace aren’t allies
- Negotiating your salary and benefits
- Establishing boundaries and self-care
- Supporting other employees of color
Dealing with Serious Unjust Workplace Matters
- Picking and choosing your battles
- Documentation, documentation, documentation!
- Dealing with microaggressions and harassment
- Understanding the role of the Human Resource department
- Understanding progressive discipline
- Understanding what an “at-will” state is
- EEOC and the Human Rights Commission
- Working with your union
- How to identify when your termination is inevitable
- Unlawful termination
Come take part in our workshops to share your experiences and learn from others what they’ve done to successfully navigate their workplace.