Being the only black woman in the office: Your survival guide

I don’t see it written or talked about a lot and I can’t believe I’m the only black woman in the corporate world who can feel it sometimes- being the only black face in the office, in the whole department or even the whole company.

I have to start by saying it’s a great thing that black women today can work in an office, building careers in professional roles. Our mothers were never this blessed – it didn’t matter how hardworking or intelligent they were; without the qualifications, education or even just knowing how-  they did not have a place in the office or corporate world.

When you start to notice it in the office

So here we are today and I know with my post-Graduate educated and professional career path, I belong there but still there are times I ‘notice it’ more than others.

There will always be the person who sidelines you or acts surprised that you’re not just there to make the tea or clean the toilets – but you’re there to work alongside your white counterparts, managing and at times leading on projects.

Or perhaps there’s  an ‘air’ of expectation or competition that your white colleagues don’t seem to be up against but somehow the boss treats you that way.

Coping strategies for today’s black woman

Well I can’t give you a full guide here on how to avoid it all but I do know some coping strategies that worked for me and here they are:

• Remember your value, your skills and your professionalism and why you deserve to be there – yes you are good enough!
• Ensure that any of your projects you keep audit trails of your progress, any issues – especially when you have resolved problems, led projects and created opportunities.
• Always look for opportunities to upskill yourself. I love this term ‘upskill’ – (perhaps I made it up!) but always making sure you have the best skills and knowledge will take you a long way.
• Don’t allow them to attach the angry black woman label to you -I’m not saying you should be so quiet that no-one knows you are there, but be aware of how you express strong opinions or raise difficult issues. Perhaps you need to have these conversations when certain people are present or putting something in writing to support your point might help. Give it some thought.

I’d love to hear how you manage being the only black woman in the office. Or are thinking of making a career change to the corporate world? Leave your comments below and I look forward to catching up with you 🙂

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