BLACK AT WORK

The perception of me (being a young, coloured woman) at my place of work was that I was hard working and trust worthy. I loved my job, and so working hard wasn't an issue for me.

However, things changed when I found out that I was being paid 3x less than what my white colleagues earned, even though I was expected to work 3x harder. Looking around, it started to feel like I was being exploited because of my race and the lack of representation of Coloured workers in management positions didn't help. Meanwhile those with representation, namely White and Indian employees, received preferential treatment and higher salaries while I was overworked and underpaid.

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The real issues began in our raising concerns over the inequality, which eventually resulted in my ‘retrenchment”, as the company was “unable” to pay us what we deserved.

This experience hurt me significantly but it forced me to re-evaluate how I view my own worth as a worker. I understand that I should give what is required of me but I now no longer go the extra mile especially if that company does not value me. Over and above that, I now work where I feel fulfilled and am not too concerned about what that might look like to others.