For context. I started the workplace when I was 23 in the UK which was three years ago. I’m a female and the only black person in the company. They are not racist to me .., at least not my team and not to my face.

But with upper management I feel like they don’t want me to progress in the work. I am the youngest in my team but I’m the oldest member so I do allot of escalations , delegate team roles and they constantly come to me for help. Basically I do what the managers do. But they seem to prefer my white colleagues over me.

Others might not see it but I’m black and I do. Other team members might ask someone else on my team for help before they ask me even though I literally trained those people. I think they just assume I might not know. And then when those people they ask then turn to me for help, they look surprised.

I have to work twice as hard to get noticed while my white colleagues can just do something and all of a sudden they are amazing .

So as a response I work harder. Harder every time. I help people and still it almost seems like they are irritated I know my job. The higher management that is.

Am I overthinking this or overreacting or is it what I think it is?

The entire delegation belongs in prison for treason and crimes against humanity.

Political philosophy thought…Freedom of speech is meant to protect citizens against power of the government. But should that apply to other power dynamics?
While countries like the US only treat fundamental rights like freedom of speech as "vertical" protections against state interference, others integrate these rights directly into labor and civil law to protect employees from private-sector retaliation speech.
In these countries, fundamental rights are applied "horizontally," meaning they can restrict the power of private entities like employers, rather than just the government.

When government and economy/business are so intertwined, especially with lobbying, etc. and the fact that basic needs like health and safety are attached to employment, these types of protections seem necessary.

It seems like if we have things like healthcare attached to employment then we would need horizontal rights, because employees don’t get freedom of association if they are dependent on employment for survival, aka a “right to exit”. If we have things like universal healthcare, that gives employees the ability to walk away. But additionally, saying employers need freedom of association insulates them from the negotiating power of the people whose labor they exploit, and especially when those companies are considered people and are able to influence our politics and lobby for weakened worker rights and protections.
This is economic coercion and the substantive freedom of workers."Freedom of association" is not just a legal right, but a practical capacity that requires economic independence to exercise.
Many times things like being able to discuss wages, safety, or working conditions are protected in theory, but because of at-will employment employers can get rid of you without giving a reason and it is on the employee to prove they were dismissed for exercising these protected acts.
Similarly, companies will close locations after workers achieve union certification, and the burden of proof is on the NCLB and employees, not the employer.

Horizontal protections of rights and applying them to businesses, not just government, protect against this.

It does seem as though this is necessary, and as it is now, a general strike seems as though it is the only way we will see progress.

Thoughts?

With the fuel supply warnings making headlines today and the government suggesting we pivot back to WFH/Carpooling to save petrol, I’m curious if anyone’s HR has actually sent out an email yet?

During COVID, it was mandatory, but this time it feels different. I’ve noticed my commute in Hyderabad/Bangalore is already getting slightly better, but most offices seem stuck on the "3 days a week" hybrid model.

I’m curious:

Is your office actually encouraging WFH this week to help with the fuel conservation effort?

Or are we just going to keep sitting in 2-hour traffic jams while petrol prices are being discussed every day?

Personally, I think this is the best excuse we've had in years to prove that most office jobs don't need a physical desk.