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Vote on Desiree Davidson's Story
Were they afraid we were planning a coup d'etat?
I spent my first summer during Columbia Law School at a firm in Philadelphia described as one of the best places in the city for black lawyers. I believed that if there was any place where I would have an equal chance at opportunities, be treated fairly and succeed, this would be it. There were three black female summer associates out of sixty that year but any time all three of us were in an office talking, one of the partners would knock on the door to see how we were doing. It happened too often to be a coincidence that sometimes we would purposely agree to meet in so-and-so's office to test our theory that we were being monitored. Like clock work, ten minutes after we would get together a partner would stop by.
Giving up a window office for the right culture
- Workplace Unfairness
- Female
- Caucasian
- Lesbian
- Oil/Energy/Natural Resources
- Left & is now Self-Employed
- Personal Care & Service
- Acquisitions
- Cultural Shift
- Double Life
- Tip
- Tradeoffs
- Workplace Values
When my company was acquired, I went from having a window office and all the perks of being a manager in a major corporation to sitting in a cubicle, where everyone sat in a cubicle. They had this value of "everyone is equal." This was the place where values were a really cool thing so it made it more tolerable to have lost my office. It's really important when you want to have a private conversation with your girlfriend, not having to speak in code but when you can be out, as I was in that job, and dress how you want. There is just a level of energy that you don't have to expend in false ways.