This post on Instagram got me upset.
It resurfaced my frustrations from my time working at headquarters in corporate America.
I had a couple of roles in my time at headquarters. One of them was Sales Training for the division that produced the most revenue for the company. My 3 colleagues and I trained all new sales reps hired in my division.
As the people that we trained went off to their jobs I started noticing something. In the group that we trained, there were a lot more males getting promoted in comparison to the women.
The women would be in the same roles that they started in for much longer. Some to the point where they left the company. I imagine because they were not getting the pay and promotions they knew they deserved.
On a personal level, I also experienced being underpaid and passed up for promotions. I saw my male counterparts having an easier time getting hired for bigger roles and increasing their pay. Which eventually led me to leave my job.
To this day, my old colleagues keep me up to date on the work tea, and most of the time when I get a message about someone that we trained getting a promotion… it’s a guy.
The discussion around WHY this happens so often is complicated.
We are all just human.
The societal norms that we are surrounded by every day dictate our behaviors. Both on the employee and employer side.
And the reality is we have major blind spots when it comes to our biases and the behaviors that keep us stuck.
Again… both as employers and employees
I don’t know what POTUS plans to do about the wage gap, or if this is just election year fluff.
But one philosophy that I live by is, you are responsible for you.
If there is a problem, I can complain which does nothing.
Or I can find a solution to the problem even if the odds are against me.
So, what would I tell young Charlotte if she were around my way?
First, I am proud of you for seeing something that is not right. And speaking up about it.
That is a very hard thing to do.
Without people like you speaking up, there would never be a chance for change.
In the end…
only hoping and waiting for equal pay and treatment may not be the best move.
A new law against wage discrepancies doesn’t mean that equality will be present overnight. Behavior changes take time.
So if being in control of your future is important to you, look at your decisions with a critical eye when you grow up.
Don’t be the 99% of women who solely rely on their boss to decide if they should get a raise and what that raise should be.
Spend less than you make.
Use the difference to invest or start a business.
Ignore the advice from people that haven’t done what you want to do.
Treat your job like a paid internship.
Use the skills you learn from your job to create a side hustle.
Invest some more.
Have REAL conversations with the people you meet.
Start a business.
Do all this and more so that when your boss decides to give you a raise that you KNOW is an insult, you will have the flexibility, savings, and investments to not have to stay.
Your company doesn’t determine how much you can make in your lifetime or what kind of life you live. Your decisions do.
If POTUS does something to fix the wage gap.
That will be a bonus.
But you, Charlotte, will be fine either way…
Because you now know that you are in charge of you.
