Race preferences at work
Hi guys:
I work at a fund, where the top guy seems to really prefer white people ( the location I’m at is predominantly white, especially in finance; I’m not) - he is white, and during my diligence before joining, an ex employee had hinted that to me, and shortly after I joined, a few at the fund have hinted about the in-groups/out-groups dynamics (based on race and family prestige /ties in our region) too.
My reviews are good, but I consistently get worse or less opportunities. I’m wondering if anyone else on this forum has encountered similar things. Would be curious on your thoughts.(I’ve already done the offer to help/check in with seniors on develop opportunities path); Has anyone dealt with this and can share insights on how I can make my experience better? There is a limited number of funds where I live , and I don’t want to uproot my family (have a young family) and move elsewhere unless absolutely necessary. Thanks for your help.
this is terrible advice. getting HR involved with no concrete evidence is the fastest way to make your team hate you
Not sure if you actually read my comment but there was a strong implication of "don't go to HR". "It's not like they can fire a partner" as in nothing will happen and "he'll know you complained." Not sure where you get the idea that I recommended going to HR from
Get over it man, it probably lives inside your head- take this as an opportunity to start something of your own
Are you really gonna make that assumption with no inside information knowing how white and privileged high finance tends to be?
I’m going to tell you what good looks like so you stop questioning your situation. When I was in operations, in a leadership meeting, someone made a comment to the extent that “x ethnic group just isn’t capable of understanding complex analytics.” The CEO - former finance and PE guy, also white American - went Old Testament on this person. Called them after the meeting, told them they were an inch away from being fired, and required a phone apology to every member of the ethnic group that was on the call. Instituted a PIP for the person too. This was an irreplaceable SME... and the CEO told me later that the only reason he didn’t fire them out of hand was labor laws in the location the person was based. Needless to say the person was scrutinized daily for appropriate behavior for the next THREE YEARS.
OK. Read that. Look at your situation. Racism is real, career-limiting, and utter bullshit. If the person at the top isn’t willing to come down HARD, it will flourish and pervade the organization. Look for your next opportunity.
I am a minority too( and a woman). I found a person who has the same story as me(coming from a foreign country and worked really hard etc), I asked to speak with one of MDs of another group after seeing her in a talk and asked her for advice (she knew my group heads so she gave me advice). I followed it and things are getting better. another thing that may not be out of racism but completely unfair is that white people share almost same interests, men or women. Say it is super easy for other analysts to ask MDs about his fav team or game, ask a vp to go for a beer etc it happens spontaneously. if I ever try to do it, it is not as smooth. even when they say good morning how was your weekend and they both played golf or whatever. It might make you feel left out. do not try to be someone you are not but prove yourself. prove yourself to be kind, hardworking, indispensable and also approachable. once you try to blend in, you will have the courage to go to your manager and be like:” I have much capacity and I want to contribute to your team”. do not leave unless you face racism explicitly, because this field is full of white people, you have to know how to stand up for yourself and earn your respect. that’s it.
Sorry that you have this situation happen to you. That's a real pity and terribly unfair. I'll play a bit of devils' advocate - and it's hard to contradict your thought-out decision as it's a very personal choice. However 1 year somewhere is not ideal. You're going to have to answer for people why you left. "The boss was racist" is going to be an awkward and potentially dangerous thing to say. In a sense you may be punishing yourself for the boss' crime. I'd wait out 2 years, painful though it is, and try to find a good place to transition to.
I'll devil's advocate the devil's advocate :-)
I think the 2-year-rule is something that was old when millennials entered the workforce and is - in this current era of job-hopping and gig economy workers - pretty outdated now. Especially with the timing and COVID-19, I think you could easily come up with a reasonable story about how the location, the role, or the expectations did not match well with what you needed. Plus, people tend to know what's up at other firms, and if this firm has a history of minorities leaving rapidly, believe me that will be quietly understood by all and sundry.
Definitely agree though - YOU should never be the one to utter one peep about racism. As you can see above, plenty of folks are victim-blamers when it comes to these things (also misogyny etc.). Just remember - as one minority to another - 50 years ago no one would have even employed us.