December 2022 – The Office Black Girl

Office Black Girl Moments: Gifting Games

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It is a true skill to convince people that your backward way of thinking is acceptable. Yesterday, I got to witness this skill at my own expense.

I have read stories of servers having their tips taken by owners of restaurants. While that is a terrible practice, I was surprised to find myself in a similar situation working in an office setting.

At the beginning of the holiday season, my coworker informed me that if I received a gift as a worker for the company, I was supposed to turn it over to the owner. I didn’t think much of it because I had just started working for the company and didn’t think anyone would be gifting me anything.

But I did find the thought process behind it ridiculous. I was told that I was receiving that gift because I work for the company, and it is only because of my connection to the boss that I am getting that gift.

In an “I’m too lazy to argue back” kind of way, I could see how people would accept this control freak logic. I mean, it is true the person sending me this gift would not have likely crossed my path if not for this job. However, I find it problematic that that seems to be a justification to claim a gift that was not intended for you.

While I may have received my little gift card because I work at the company, it is one less gift card that this company would have received if someone was not working in my position. It wasn’t as if I received the gift without doing any work. I sat in meetings with this person and had multiple interactions with them just to reach a mutual agreement over a proposal.

So it baffles me that a business owner would think it was a good idea to undermine a positive interaction between their employee and a sales rep by claiming their Christmas gift.

But here is the kicker? In the middle of typing this post, I was in a bit of a mood when the owner swung by my desk. Because he was sorting through the gifts and I thought how crazy it was that a wealthy man would withhold a measly gift card from his employees (and a few other gifts from others). I texted my husband about my feelings at the moment, and 5 seconds later, the gift card was dropped off on my desk.

Caesar (that is what they call him for this gift-taking practice) dropped the card off and proceeded to tell me how he usually holds on to this stuff but not this one. I told my husband, and he said that Caesar probably felt my energy. I wonder if he thought the Office Black Girl would be the one to call him out on this shit practice.

Who knows. But now I am one $25 gift card richer and one more blog post closer to being a consistent writer.

Until the next time (which will be soon due to the amount of material I just got today)…

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Crossing the Line

December 21, 2022by The Office Black GirlLeave a Comment

I remember years ago trying to be a blogger/vlogger. Times were different. I was different. Like so many kids today, I overshared and had an unfiltered approach to being a content creator. Well, maybe there was some filter. Because when I reflect back on my early 20s, I had some sense not to share every foolish decision I made.

But creating content is so much easier when there is no line to worry about. The line is what I struggle with constantly. I find myself being served with a great idea, but I wonder what would happen if this blog suddenly blew up (laughable now….but it could happen)? What would be the end result?

I am a black woman in an almost all-white company. While I grew up in a predominately white environment, I don’t know if I have ever been faced with so many conversations pertaining to race in the workspace. I share stories with my friends, and the question always lingers: are these moments blatantly racist, or are these white people who don’t have enough exposure to black people to know better.

Don’t get me wrong, my fingers itch to post every time race is brought up at work, but it is a struggle because I know these people and, for the most part, genuinely like most of them. However, I feel like the line stops me. A line that I don’t know how far over I am willing to cross just yet.

Most black people have put up with their share of foolishness at the office. But in this age of social media and the climate of racial discussions, I wonder if black people would be my greatest obstacle in sharing my story as I continue to stay the office black girl beyond the keyboard.

Only time will tell….

365 Days of Posts, Office Stories, The Ebony Alpha

Let’s Try This Again

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This weekend, I wrote about posting every day, and the second day I already failed.

In my defense, I did start to post but was distracted. In the past, I would have easily thrown the whole idea away; I refuse to do that again now. The whole purpose of this “experiment” is to push myself and see where I will be at the end of it.

It is Monday, and I am already drowning in a to-do list that I can never complete. But my goal this week is to complete a couple of chapters for The Ebony Alpha and to organize my life a bit to get 2023 off to a smoother, more productive start.

There are also a couple of office stories I plan to share this week, but I am working on giving them a proper delivery.

Until tomorrow….

365 Days of Posts, Office Stories

Office Black Girl Moments: Vol. 1

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When I started this blog a few years ago, I intended to talk about my experiences as the only black woman in my department. If you know, you know.

But it was also for those who didn’t know. Being a black woman in the corporate world, especially the only woman of color in a department or even a whole company, is an experience, to say the least.

However, since the creation of this blog, I have since been laid off from that job, and I have found myself in several other work environments where the color of my skin has provoked awkward conversations. While I plan to share those stories here, I decided to mark this point as my day of change.

I recently saw a TikToker post about their one-year anniversary since they decided to start posting every day and how their life changed since then. And it made me think about how different my life might be if I had been consistent in the projects I pursued (and enjoyed) or if I didn’t just prioritize things to help dig myself out of debt.

So today is day one of me posting every day and seeing where my life will be in a year. I won’t lie, the content will probably be random, but I feel like that is appropriate. The black woman in your office has more going on than what you see every day, so here is a sneak peek into my thoughts, life, and the awkward moments of being The Office Black Girl