{"id":31341,"date":"2022-05-24T23:17:41","date_gmt":"2022-05-24T23:17:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2022\/05\/24\/i-change-how-i-look-and-talk-to-fit-in-at-work\/"},"modified":"2022-05-24T23:17:41","modified_gmt":"2022-05-24T23:17:41","slug":"i-change-how-i-look-and-talk-to-fit-in-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2022\/05\/24\/i-change-how-i-look-and-talk-to-fit-in-at-work\/","title":{"rendered":"I change how I look and talk to fit in at work"},"content":{"rendered":"
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“I realize that I’m not myself at work,” says Hilda Kwoffie. “I’m trying to tone it down a bit. You always have to smooth your hair down just to fit in.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The 24-year-old from Ghana says she has transformed the way she looks and the way she speaks since moving to the UK in 2016.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Two-thirds of women of color in the UK workplace say they are changing to adapt, according to a new report.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The government said it takes the issue of racism very seriously.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The changes Ms. Kwoffie makes are experienced by some women of color and are known as “code-switching.” <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It’s a term often used to describe how Black, Asian and other people from minority ethnic backgrounds feel the need to conceal their cultural identity in white-majority spaces, such as workplaces.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“We were programmed this way: this is how you should act, this is how you should speak, this is how you should walk and this is how you should look,” Ms. Kwoffie said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“I talk to my family and friends very differently than I do at work,” added the London-based paralegal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
    \n
  • Code switch or no code switch?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    Ms Kwoffie’s experience reflects the results of a survey conducted by the Runnymede Trust, a racial equality think tank, and the Fawcett Society, a gender equality organization.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Their report found that 61% of women of color said they changed their language, subjects, hair, foods they eat, or even their name by “a lot” or “quite a bit” to fit work. This compares to 44% of white women.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    The Broken Ladders report is based on a survey of 2,000 women of color in UK workplaces, which the groups said was the largest representative survey of women of color to date.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Three-quarters of these women said they had experienced racism in the workplace, which in some cases has resulted in them leaving their jobs, being denied promotions and having their careers abandoned.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    dr Halima Begum, chief executive of Runnymede Trust, said employers risked losing talent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    \u201cWomen of color face a double threat. From school to the workplace, structural barriers stand between them and the opportunities they deserve,” she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    While Jemima Olchawksi, executive director of the Fawcett Society, said the society must not condone totally unacceptable racism in the workplace.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    “This evidence and the stories women have shared with us must be a call to government, to employers and to our educational institutions to drive real change,” she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    A trainee lawyer told the BBC she quit a previous job because a colleague gave her a sense of her success at work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n

    \u201cI had a manager who was a bit patronizing. I didn’t put up with that and actually just left,” said Sophia \u2013 not her real name.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    “I found out later that she had mentioned to a colleague that she was quite surprised at how well I was doing. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    “She gave me the job. I think the only thing that could have really given her that idea was seeing an African last name on a resume and then also seeing the fact that I didn’t go to private school.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    “It made me question myself about how good I could be at this job.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Polls show that blacks, Asians and other people from minority ethnic backgrounds remain underrepresented in leadership positions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    The Broken Ladders report makes a number of recommendations for employers, including clear, transparent procedures for reporting racism, intersectional anti-racism training and ‘on-site interviews’ rather than ‘exit interviews’ to provide feedback on career experiences.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    She also calls on the government to introduce a company-led plan to tackle racial and gender pay gaps and publish salaries in job advertisements. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n

    A spokesman for the Economy Ministry said the government believes all workplaces should be safe environments where people of all backgrounds can work together and thrive without discrimination.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n

    “That’s why we recently announced our Inclusive Britain Action Plan, which includes plans to build a fairer and more inclusive society, including promoting fairness in the workplace and taking action to tackle the ethnic pay gap,” they said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    “I realize that I’m not myself at work,” says Hilda Kwoffie. “I’m trying to tone it down a bit. You always have to smooth your hair down just to fit in.\u201d The 24-year-old from Ghana says she has transformed the way she looks and the way she speaks since moving to the UK in 2016. 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