So I was recently working for an “equal opportunity” corporate firm, and I honestly enjoyed my brief time working there in the beginning, despite the hourly commute during 4 out of 5 days of the week. As a cancer survivor who had not yet finished their treatment, I spoke to a career counselor who was very familiar with the company that I was working for. They told me that because of this, I should be safe to tell them about my cancer and that I needed one week to work from home so that I don't spread radiation across the office. Well after my cancer treatment, the room temperature quickly changed and soon I was placed on a PIP and of course, I got fired.
I went to two other companies that were offering a similar role to mine. The second company was not as charismatic as the first company I interviewed with. I was being interviewed by this gentleman who was a lead in one of the company's departments, and he told me how he was so proud of his company for being an “equal opportunity” employer and how they're an “employee owned” firm. Now I do like that they're employee owned, and they told me there are some opportunities for mentorship for employees who are more entry level. But I guess because of past experience, I will always be skeptical.
The lead at the interview told me how much he praised the company for having a lot of “minorities” and “women” in the company in this monotone voice, and that there aren't many companies like that who have this number of minorities. As a POC, I've been with many companies large and small, where it is a majority “non-white” so I cannot help but call him bluff on his statement. Maybe it is because I live in SoCal, most companies are naturally diverse, so from my perspective it is kind of strange to put a lot of emphasis on this when it's already the norm. There wasn't enough focus or statements about how the company offers a lot of opportunities for growth, raises, promotions, or how the firm makes life easier for employees besides the hybrid schedule or mentorship opportunities.
The reason I made this post is because I want to look for another company where I was given a red flag and miss it. As a cancer survivor with multiple ongoing conditions, and is still considered “entry level”, I want to be decisive and strategic in what kind of company I want to work for so I can have job security. I've been hopping a lot, mostly because of my cancer or I bumped into the wrong ego, which is actually very prevalent in my industry, regardless of company size.
**TL;DR**
As a person of a marginalized group, women, POC, disabled, etc, does “equal opportunity” mean anything to you, and have you found that these statements have always been genuine or not?