Whites Excel Because They Demand Kudos For Everything They Do!
It can be argued that Whites excel in the workplace, not only because of race-related bias, but because White workers often demand an audience/applause for everything they do in the workplace. It often does not matter whether or not a White person is simply doing a function of their job and has not undertaken any extreme measures to complete an assignment or task. The fact of the matter is that White workers are their own champions. When they do something, they will go tell it from the mountains!
If White workers:
--Stay in the office late to get something done;
--Arrive at work early to get something done;
--Work over the weekend;
--Work at home to get a head start on a project or to get something done;
--Do a little Internet research on a topic;
--Make simple/silly suggestions (such as printing handouts on colored paper);
--Etc…
They will make sure that everyone in their department knows about it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard White coworkers, at formal or informal meetings, announce that they worked over the weekend (there is a big emphasis on this if the weather was nice), added a news aggregator to their computer desktop to have client-related articles brought to their attention, or subscribed to a particular magazine that relates to a client’s area of specialization.
And, what’s more interesting is that these White workers often receive applause and attention for doing their damn jobs. Maybe I’m just not easily impressed. But, none of the things listed above automatically qualifies someone for an employee of the year nod. Sometimes you have to work late or go to the office early. Doing this a couple of times is often not worth mention. However, an extreme commitment in this area (overtime) would be worth noting. But, there is a caveat...if you are coming in early or working late because you procrastinate/can't manage your time, you shouldn't look for applause. But, I've seen White workers allow assignments to sit on the edge of their desks for weeks, and they still got applause when they worked late to make up for the time they intentionally squandered.
Black workers often listen to White workers bragging about themselves and think,” Big freaking deal!”
And, that’s often the problem with Black workers. We are not as desperate for attention as we need to be. This is likely because most of us know that no one on the job truly cares what we do. Or, should I say, they just want our small chunks of work done to their specifications. They don’t give a damn if we work late, show up early, exceed the requirements of what was asked, saved a baby from a fire, etc. Black workers often are still perceived as just another Negro in the workplace. Otherworldly contributions, by African American employees, are an unspoken bonus for the company that will not be redeemable during performance evaluation time or when salary increases are being discussed.
On the flip side, Whites who demand attention will be rewarded with a department or company-wide email detailing their “heroics,” a bonus, a great job review, and/or a special salary increase.
If White workers:
--Stay in the office late to get something done;
--Arrive at work early to get something done;
--Work over the weekend;
--Work at home to get a head start on a project or to get something done;
--Do a little Internet research on a topic;
--Make simple/silly suggestions (such as printing handouts on colored paper);
--Etc…
They will make sure that everyone in their department knows about it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard White coworkers, at formal or informal meetings, announce that they worked over the weekend (there is a big emphasis on this if the weather was nice), added a news aggregator to their computer desktop to have client-related articles brought to their attention, or subscribed to a particular magazine that relates to a client’s area of specialization.
And, what’s more interesting is that these White workers often receive applause and attention for doing their damn jobs. Maybe I’m just not easily impressed. But, none of the things listed above automatically qualifies someone for an employee of the year nod. Sometimes you have to work late or go to the office early. Doing this a couple of times is often not worth mention. However, an extreme commitment in this area (overtime) would be worth noting. But, there is a caveat...if you are coming in early or working late because you procrastinate/can't manage your time, you shouldn't look for applause. But, I've seen White workers allow assignments to sit on the edge of their desks for weeks, and they still got applause when they worked late to make up for the time they intentionally squandered.
Black workers often listen to White workers bragging about themselves and think,” Big freaking deal!”
And, that’s often the problem with Black workers. We are not as desperate for attention as we need to be. This is likely because most of us know that no one on the job truly cares what we do. Or, should I say, they just want our small chunks of work done to their specifications. They don’t give a damn if we work late, show up early, exceed the requirements of what was asked, saved a baby from a fire, etc. Black workers often are still perceived as just another Negro in the workplace. Otherworldly contributions, by African American employees, are an unspoken bonus for the company that will not be redeemable during performance evaluation time or when salary increases are being discussed.
On the flip side, Whites who demand attention will be rewarded with a department or company-wide email detailing their “heroics,” a bonus, a great job review, and/or a special salary increase.
posted by S. Mary Wills at 5:21 PM
3 Comments:
white people certainly like to brag on themselves all day long. They always want to get points for doing their assignments as if they have been doing somebody a favor.
Everyone knows what's going on when a Black person has done something above and beyond their job...they just ignore the hell out of it! NO REWARD!!
One of the realities in today's workplace is that almost no one gets promoted anymore by staying quiet about their accomplishments. Work these days is at more of a fast pace than in the past, which means it's harder for many managers to keep up with who does what. So, yes, everyone, including black workers, have to get used to figuring out ways to promote themselves so that it's informative, without bragging. And that, my friend, is the balance game that most people aren't apt to learn well.
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