In April 2022, the Punjabi Women’s Forum met to facilitate a discussion on career navigation.
Topics explored included pay, workload, disclosing mental health and more. Self advocacy was a phrase that came up a lot in April’s forum. Self advocacy means to speak up for yourself and things that are important to you. This is crucial when navigating your path in the work place. So, what does self-advocacy look like for Punjabi women?
The Women’s Forum coordinators recognised that career progression (or lack thereof) became apparent for many as a result of lockdown. As Punjabi women, we recognised that we had shared experiences and challenges, including overworking and burnout. For many, it can be difficult to recognise impact of over-working. At first, the lockdown opened up the opportunity to do your job from home, saving money and time. However, it soon became apparent that this extra free time slowly became extra time at work. As one attendee so eloquently put it, with any extra hours you’re doing, you’re taking a pay cut.
So how do you go about negotiating pay? Or a promotion? One attendee shared their experience in negotiating pay and a key lesson was: to understand your worth in the space that you’re in. Once she had grasped this, conversations around pay became easier. There were also some interesting insights into ‘immigrant mentality’, defined in this setting as being grateful for the opportunities you are given and working hard at them. One guest didn’t realise that this mindset had her acting up into a role that she wasn’t being paid for until her mentor pointed it out. Having a mentor allowed her to take the necessary steps to move up in her career.
Guests also shared advice on taking learning and development into your own hands. LinkedIn proved to be a helpful tool for one forum member in her journey towards self-improvement and confidence. Another piece of useful advice was to remember that learning and development is about what you can get from your job, not what your job can get from you. As such, self promotion, self advocacy and asking for more are important tools for your professional growth.
We also discussed the challenges faced as minorities in the workplace. The ability to be yourself at work is so important yet is something that so many, beyond the Punjabi and South Asian communities struggle with. Guests (and coordinators!) expressed frustration at having to fight for themselves in spaces where, for example, their white, male colleagues may not have to. While this can lead to thoughts of lack of worth and importance, one attendee reminded the forum that we must be unapologetic in who we are and own our identities in the workplace rather than hide. Though the ‘fight’ is exhausting, this taught many to seek out groups and environments that allowed them to bloom in their careers and otherwise.
In terms of disclosing mental health issues in the workplace, general consensus was that raising needs with your human resources department, explaining the need for mental health support was imperative. Regardless of industry, a form of support needs to be in place to ensure that employees feel safe and supported. However, without active participation, well-being support in the workplace is futile. Having mentors in and outside of work is a great solution for this
On the other hand forum attendees did acknowledge a fear of being defined by their mental health experiences and issues. Perhaps a result of our intersectionality, there was a shared fear of speaking about it openly. This brings us back to that all-important phrase - self advocacy. Your mental health is important - how you feel impacts your physical health, your relationships as well as your career. Taraki offers space to explore what mental health means to you and how to become comfortable with it. The Women’s Forum continues to hold space for expression and support.