Facing bias
Caitlin R. on November 23, 2019
I'm a 33-year-old public relations professional and in recovery from treatment for early-stage breast cancer. In the three months leading up to my diagnosis, I was in line to receive a promotion. I was having very positive conversations and discussions with both supervisors--initially, they approached me about the promotion. In essence, I had every indication that I would get the promotion. But then, not one day after one of these 'positive conversations,' I was diagnosed. I continued to work through six rounds of chemotherapy, took just two days off work for my surgery, and adjusted my radiation treatments around my work schedule. The only limitation I had was that I could not travel during this time, but I could still conduct most--if not all--of my work remotely. My team and I have excelled this year, and exceeded our goals. Right now, since I'm coming out on the other end of this, I've brought up the topic of the promotion a few times with my supervisors, and the tone has changed. I'm now being fed lines like, "we don't want to be too top-heavy" or "there are many people asking for promotions and we can't grant them all." This smells and feels like discrimination, and I'm at a loss for what to do.
3 Comments
Nicole Franklin, MPH
Dec 2, 2019
Cancer and Careers Staff Comment:
Hi Caitlin,
Thanks for writing to us. It sounds like you’re encountering a really challenging situation, made more so by the fact that you and your team continued to excel after your diagnosis and treatment. Unfortunately, workplace discrimination is a reality and it can be hard to navigate. We can’t provide legal advice, so you might want to reach out to a legal organization to discuss all the specifics of your situation and determine a course of action. A good place to start is the National Cancer Legal Services Network – which provides listings of pro-bono legal services by state. You can find more information at http://www.nclsn.org/.
I’ve reached out to our career coaches for additional advice, but in the meantime here are some resources you might find helpful:
If we can help in any other way or if you’d like to speak with one of our social workers, please don’t hesitate to contact us at cancerandcareers@cew.org or 646-929-8032.
Kind regards,
Nicole Franklin, MPH
Senior Manager of Programs
Cancer and Careers
Julie Jansen
Dec 3, 2019
Career Coach Comment:
Hi Caitlin,
I am so sorry that you are experiencing this. As Nicole mentioned, it would definitely benefit you to learn more about the legal implications of your situation.
My advice is more about the things you can do to continue lobbying for a promotion. I would ask for a year-end career meeting with your manager to talk about your desire to be promoted while consistently mentioning yours and your team's quantified achievements. And it would be beneficial to create a brief document highlighting these even if they were documented in any recent performance review. Ask for new goals for 2020 and for help identifying areas for development so that you feel as if you have done everything you can to position yourself.
I do a lot of coaching in the public relations industry and you are very marketable. Depending on what happens in your current job, you may decide that culturally your agency isn't a fit for you any longer and this is okay. While I can imagine how disappointed and frustrated you feel, you have a great career ahead of you.
Take care and good luck!
Julie
Caitlin R.
Dec 3, 2019
Thank you both, Julie and Nicole, for your responses. I will look into the resources, and make sure I set up year-end career meeting.
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