I’ve really been struggling to get through my work days lately. I work at a solid company, in a predominantly white industry (banking). I’m paid pretty well, the work/life balance is a bit better than other companies in this industry and I generally get along with my coworkers.
My performance reviews have been great. In the first three years, I received a 4.5/5 stars in Year 1, 5/5 stars in Year 2 (got promoted) and a 4.5/5 stars in Year 3. Every week I realize that despite my strong performance which is well documented, I’m never going to be seen in the same light as my white male coworkers.
My boss is a conservative, Trump supporter, raised in the Northeast. My two white male coworkers are also conservative, Trump supporters raised in the same city as my boss. I put my head down and avoid political conversations, and anything about race. I’m a black guy from the South. I’m well liked, I get along with everyone pretty well even outside of work settings and I’ve never had a single issue with anyone. For whatever reason, I’ve noticed that I’ve never gotten put on any major projects (outside of my job description),
which is generally used as ammo during promotion conversations. I’ve raised my hand multiple times over the years and was always told I’d be put on the next project, and it hasn’t happened. I get left off emails frequently, and left out of dinners with key senior management.
I know it’s not a performance issue because I ranked in the Top 10% at my firm, and that ranking is based on the opinions of at least 15 seniors at the company. I’m really thinking of walking away, but I know the situation is going to be similar at basically every company, and I might not have the same work life balance. I’m satisfied with the money but I just realized I’m never going to get the same opportunities as my coworkers. It’s tough to manage.