I’ve worked in the life sciences for about 2 years. In 2 different companies. I’m pretty newly graduated into the workforce.
Right now I work for a big pharma company. I’m not sure if I’ve just been unlucky so far, but I’ve come across some of the worst leadership skills I’ve ever seen in real life.
As a person of color, and someone who practices MMA and lifts, I often shrink myself in public emotionally and physically to not intimidate others.
In my current role, at least one of the leaders has a brash way of speaking, often correcting people out loud to their face in front of others, turning it into a joke for the whole lab.
I can’t help but feel that if I brought that same energy to my daily work, I’d be out the door in minutes.
I practice controlling my emotional and physical responses everyday as to not be imposing, out of necessity and politeness and I come to work and this smaller lady is all in everyone’s grill making jokes is outwardly emotional and rude, especially when people are “bothering” her.
I’ve spoken to HR about it and their answer has mostly been. “Everyone has a different way of speaking”.
Freakin frustrating that I feel that have to socially castrate myself to be in the workplace while others just get to steamroll everyone.
I have much more to share and hopefully the next posts won’t be so ranty but I had to get that off my chest.
I know bringing up race here can be controversial but I’m mostly just speaking from my life experience. I think having to shrink yourself is something plenty of people have to deal with, but I feel in the current socio-political climate it may be even more so on anyone considered “physically imposing” on any level.