How Systemic Inequities show up in the Workplace

As we analyze Marc and Josie's stories, salary disparities emerge: the two are compensated at $60,000 annually. This salary is offset by the cost to each for the additional emotional labor, lost opportunity, and emotional tax they continue to pay out in the workplace.

Advocacy Challenges: Recognizing the daily struggles of the children in his neighborhood, Marc approached his organization with a proposal to provide MetroCards (subway tickets) to help kids get to school. Despite the apparent need, his proposal was turned down due to budget constraints, leaving Marc to continue shouldering this responsibility from his own limited funds.

Shortly after Marc was denied the additional resources for his community, and during a conversation about his work with refugees, Eddie expressed his frustration, saying, "These people are so ungrateful." Marc felt a jolt at Eddie's words. Although Eddie was speaking about refugees, Marc couldn't help but feel that the term "these people" included him as well, given his own lived experiences and the communities he serves. This moment created a subtle but significant disconnect between Eddie's expectations and the nuanced realities of community engagement, leading to a rift between the two.

Following the comment, a palpable emotional strain crept into Marc's interactions with Eddie. While Eddie still often consulted Marc for guidance in his advocacy work, valuing Marc's expertise in community engagement, the emotional toll of that single comment lingered. The two continued to collaborate, but the dynamics had subtly changed, adding an unspoken layer of tension to their working relationship.

For Josie, her work obligations didn’t stop at her job description. She's an active member of a local support group for spouses of incarcerated individuals. She's often scouting for compelling stories from her circle to share at the organization's events, a strategy that has proven successful in raising additional funds. Yet, none of these guest speakers see a dime for their time and emotional labor. Josie tries to make it up to them by giving rides, helping with job searches, or connecting them to other resources—tasks she willingly takes on during her own time off.

Despite the external recognition, Marc and Josie often find themselves at a crossroads when it comes to internal resources. They are the ones colleagues turn to for advice, especially when issues related to community engagement arise. Yet, when they put forth requests for resources that could help alleviate the grim realities they regularly encounter in their work, the answer is almost always the same: "We don't have the budget for that right now."

Josie, especially, carries an additional emotional weight. She's always the first to raise her hand for any extra task. But behind that enthusiasm is a silent struggle with her sense of legitimacy. Her degrees came from an online institution that has since shut down, a fact that often makes her feel like an imposter. This emotional toll adds another layer of complexity to her already demanding life.

Marc has his share of emotional burden too. The remarks made by his colleague Eddie, who often finds his work with refugees ungrateful, leave him questioning the impact of his work. It's a subtle but consistent strain that Marc feels every time he has to collaborate with Eddie, a constant reminder that the road to community empowerment is fraught with misunderstandings and unrecognized labor.

Khalia, has taken commendable steps to set boundaries and prioritize her mental health. However, her privilege to exercise good boundaries means her colleagues must adjust their expectations and potentially take on additional tasks during these periods. This shift, while fostering a healthier work-life balance for Khalia, poses a challenge for her team, who must adapt to her reduced availability and compensate for her absence during critical times.

The systemic inequities identified in the stories of Marc, Josie, and their colleagues intertwine with the emotional labor and the associated costs they experience in the workplace. Here's how these systemic issues contribute to the emotional and financial burdens they bear:

?Marc's Story:

1. Struggles with the Foster Care System and Financial Burden: Marc's background in the foster care system and the financial burden of student loans are systemic issues that contribute to his emotional labor. His experiences, while valuable in his role, also mean that he carries the weight of his past struggles into his work, which can be emotionally taxing.
2. High Living Costs: The high cost of living in New York City places additional financial strain on Marc, exacerbating the emotional toll of his work.

Josie's Story:

1. Education and Legitimacy Concerns: Josie's degrees from an unaccredited institution contribute to her feeling of being an imposter, adding to her emotional burden. This systemic issue in the education system affects her confidence and self-perception in her professional role.
2. Family Responsibilities and Financial Hardships: Josie's role as a caregiver to a child with special needs and her husband's incarceration add layers of emotional labor to her life, impacting her work.

General Observations:

1. Emotional Labor: Both Marc and Josie engage in significant emotional labor, not just in their official roles but also in additional responsibilities they take on. This emotional labor is often unseen and unaccounted for in their salaries.
2. Advocacy and Resource Constraints: Their attempts to advocate for better resources and support, often met with budgetary rejections, add to their frustration and sense of powerlessness, increasing their emotional labor.
3. Workplace Dynamics and Misunderstandings: Interactions with colleagues like Eddie can create tension and misunderstandings, further adding to the emotional burden Marc and Josie carry. These dynamics are often reflective of broader systemic misunderstandings and biases in society.

Financial Implications:

• Time Spent on Emotional Labor: The additional hours Marc and Josie spend on emotional labor, both in and outside their job roles, represent a significant cost in terms of time and energy.
• Lost Opportunities: The emotional drain from their work likely affects their performance and limits their opportunities for professional growth or additional income.
• Emotional Tax: The long-term impact of emotional labor on their health and well-being can lead to increased medical expenses or the need for days off, further affecting their financial stability.

These systemic inequities and the related emotional labor underscore the hidden costs of having lived experience in the workplace. While Marc and Josie's backgrounds provide invaluable insights and connections in their roles, they also come with a significant, often unrecognized, emotional and financial toll. This highlights the need for more comprehensive support systems and recognition of emotional labor in the workplace, especially for those employees whose roles are deeply intertwined with their personal experiences and struggles.

?Quantifying the link between systemic inequities and work:

1. Time Spent on Emotional Labor: One way is to approximate how much time Marc and Josie spend on emotional labor activities, such as self-care, debriefing, and the emotional toll of preparing and delivering presentations or engaging with the community. We could then multiply this by their hourly rate to give a monetary equivalent. Time Spent on Emotional Labor: If Marc and Josie each spend about 10 hours a month on emotional labor, the monetary value of this time would be approximately $234.38 per person, or $468.75 for both.
2. Lost Opportunities: Emotional labor often leaves people drained, potentially affecting their performance in other areas. We could estimate the lost productivity or opportunities and quantify that in terms of hours or potential income. Lost Opportunities: Assuming about 5 hours a month are lost to opportunities due to emotional labor, this would translate to approximately $117.19 per person, or $234.38 for both.
3. Emotional Tax: Emotional labor can have long-term health impacts, which could result in medical expenses or days off from work. Estimating the financial impact of this is another way to quantify emotional labor. Emotional Tax: If we estimate a monthly cost of $100 per person for the emotional tax they bear (which could include potential medical expenses or days off), this sums up to $200 for both.

Table:

"How Systemic Inequities show up in the Workplace" quantifiably shows how the often unseen emotional and financial costs borne by individuals like Marc and Josie, whose personal experiences intersect with their professional roles.