Image description: a screenshot of a tweet. The tweet says, "A portal to hell could open tomorrow, and financial publications would still run an article like 'Thinking about skipping work because a crow is eating your entrails? Here's why that's a bad call.'"

"A portal to hell could open tomorrow, and financial publications would still run an article like 'Thinking about skipping work because a crow is eating your entrails? Here's why that's a bad call.'"

Whew, chile. I'm trying to detect the lies with my handheld lie detector, but it keeps coming back with a "no lies detected" message.

[Image description: a screenshot of a tweet. The tweet says, "A portal to hell could open tomorrow, and financial publications would still run an article like 'Thinking about skipping work because a crow is eating your entrails? Here's why that's a bad call.'"]

This Week's Opening Thought: August 15, 2022

This week’s opening thought: I don’t know who needs to hear this, but it is more than OK to just go to work, do your job, and go home. Don’t let white supremacist patriarchal workplace culture tell you otherwise.

You don’t need “family.” You’ve got family at home. Work ain’t the Olive Garden unless you work at the Olive Garden. And even then? When you’re there, you ain’t family. It’s a job, yo.

You don’t need to participate in workplace gossip and be privy to John in Accounting not liking Cheryl from the Development team. That sh—ain’t got nothing to do with you, and contrary to popular belief, knowing all the goings-on in the office doesn’t build team chemistry or camaraderie. It creates animosity and a lack of trust and faith in others.

You don’t need to attend every after-work extracurricular activity, like the happy hours, company picnics, and holiday “celebrations.” I can tell you from experience that going to those things won’t give you an extra step up over someone for a promotion or pay raise, especially if you’re Black, Brown, or Indigenous. I can also tell you from experience that hanging out with work acquaintances while they drink and say and do the same ignorant things they do at work is not fun. And besides, they ain’t paying you.

Some of y’all probably read the above and thought, “That’s pretty antisocial Pharoah.” Is it, though? I’m not saying not to build working relationships that allow you to complete your workload in a cohesive and timely manner. I’m not saying you shouldn’t care about the people you work with 40 hours a week. I’m saying that the “social norms” of white supremacist patriarchal workplace culture isn’t being sociable – it’s a culture of enmeshment that causes short and long-term harm. What most workplaces consider a “family culture” is, in actuality, a busted rickety toxic family system that has only ever worked for a select few.

White supremacist workplace cultures breed a particular “we’re a team of soloists” mentality that echoes the collective heteronormative society. Most workplace cultures thrive on divisiveness and pettiness. They thrive on belittlement and scapegoating. Their lifeblood is using others to get ahead and supporting a lack of empathy and care from the top down. And real talk?

Nobody needs to spend more time in those environments than they already do.

It is OK to go to work, do your job, and go home. The people at your job are not your “family.”

You’ve got family at home, whether “conventional” or chosen.

Your allegiance is to you and yours, first and foremost. Your allegiance is not to the toxic environment that pays your bills. Your allegiance is to your joy, happiness, and harnessing the energy you want to have to be present in your life outside work.

Clock out on time and throw up dem deuces on the way out the door.

On Clout, Copy-and-Paste, and "Taking a Chance on Him"

"I hired someone with zero experience. He had never worked in this specific role. I thought he would be a great fit with our culture, so we took a chance on him. He ended up being my top performer. Sometimes all people need is a chance. Agree?"

To the 8,500+ "recruiters" and "hiring managers" out there on LinkedIn who think it's a good idea to copy and paste that above paragraph for visibility? Two things:

  1. We don't believe you. You don't think we believe you, do you? Do you honestly think posting this paragraph for clout looks good when 82 other people post it on the same day at the same time? Don't you think people scroll through their feed and see at least eight of these posts a week? You have no credibility. Stop it.

  2. I've legitimately pushed for and hired people with little to no experience in a position because I could see their transferable and intangible skills and had faith they could find success in their way on their terms. I've been doing this for years. I was doing this well before my career in Human Resources and recruiting. And I've never felt the need to brag about it. Why? Because I don't do what I do for clout, likes, follows, or reshares. If you were advocating for folx the way your copy-and-paste post says you do, you'd know that it's not about clout or pats on the back. It's about doing work you can be proud of and impacting lives without expecting gold stars and cookies.

    Real G's move in silence like lasagna.

Some of y'all ain't G's, but y'all sure as hell need to be quiet. These posts are literally becoming a meme. You're a meme now.

I guess you're getting the visibility you were looking for! Bully for you!

[Image description: nine screenshots of various LinkedIn influencers posting the exact same words: "I hired someone with zero experience. He had never worked in this specific role. I thought he would be a great fit with our culture, so we took a chance on him. He ended up being my top performer. Sometimes all people need is a chance. Agree?"]

Image description: nine screenshots of various LinkedIn influencers posting the exact same words: "I hired someone with zero experience. He had never worked in this specific role. I thought he would be a great fit with our culture, so we took a chance on him. He ended up being my top performer. Sometimes all people need is a chance. Agree?"

On OMC and How Everyone's an HR "Expert"

I'm not an expert in Finance, and I don't pretend to be. I have no background, training, or experience in Finance, and I know it would be disrespectful to the Finance folx I've worked with to tell them how to do their jobs.

I'm not an expert in Fundraising and Development, and I don't pretend to be. While I have minimal training and experience in Fundraising and Development, I know I'm nowhere near an expert. I know it would be disrespectful to the Fundraising and Development folx I've worked with to tell them how to do their jobs, so I do not go there with them.

Real talk? I'm not an expert in most things. I'm not an expert in most disciplines and most industries. And I don't pretend to be.

But somehow, everybody in every industry is an expert in their career field AND Human Resources.

How bizarre.

Everyone is more than willing to tell me how to do HR or how they did a Google search on some aspect of labor law, and now they know everything they need to know. No need to let HR know that an employee is being harmed or that an employee is looking for insights into their rights as an employee.

Nope. Everyone's an "expert."

Or at least they're an "expert" until they've made a horrible misstep or given an employee incorrect and harmful information and guidance.

Then I'm suddenly viewed as an "expert" in Human Resources and worth listening to. Suddenly, my experience and expertise are "vital" to fixing the problem they've created as an HR "expert."

How bizarre indeed.

On Brittney, Breonna, and Giving Black Women Their Flowers

TW: Murder, anti-Blackness, violence, and systemic and intentional harm of Black women.

Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison today by Russian prosecutors. For a vape and some vape cartridges. And now Brittney Griner will be a political pawn in a dangerous "pissing match" game between two stubborn white cis men who fashion themselves as leaders. One was elected by the U.S. American people not because he was the most qualified but because we were given limited options. One elected himself by force, as white cis men are prone to do.

Nine years. For a vape and some vape cartridges.

It's taken over two years for the family of Breonna Taylor to even remotely see the possibility of justice and accountability for her unnecessary and reckless murder at the hands of Louisville, Kentucky, police officers. And while these are federal charges they're now facing, there's no guarantee Breonna's murderers will be held accountable for their actions.

Over two years. In a case where all the evidence points to blatant recklessness, endangerment, and murder.

Damnit.

This world truly goes out of its way to harm Black women, to disregard their worth and life, use them, drain them, and discard them. I'm tired.

I know Black women are beyond tired.

Sending all of my love, energy, and support to Black women today and every day as the world sends y'all reminders of how much y'all have to endure to live and thrive. Y'all deserve all the flowers, the love, and support in this cruel world.