3) Graeme Booth, an smart, educated woman in her 30s from the Christchurch quake-hit town of Canterbury, has been put under extreme stress in her job search. Despite holding a postgraduate degree and possessing valuable experience from her time at the Foreign Office and the BBC, she has applied for hundreds of roles without success. Her narrative underscores the changing reality of today’s workforce and the consequences of workplace misconduct.
Booth is multilingual, speaking in English as well as Arabic and French. She’s been in tough circumstances that drove her out of two separate jobs. One of these experiences at a civil service department, the other at a charity. These examples are symptomatic of a larger workplace culture and the all too familiar fears that professionals have about retaliation when calling out bad behavior.
The issues that Booth has experienced speak to a broader conversation on talent and workplace culture. As Gaby Hinsliff, a leading UK commentator, wrote, white men are apparently scared of doing anything wrong at their jobs. She then provided them with deeply personal and practical advice. This feeling reflects a wider push-back against mistreatment in the workplace and the affect it’s having on workers in every industry.
Booth took issue in no uncertain terms with Hinsliff’s remarks. To which he replied, If white men are actually starting to figure out that work isn’t working for them, well, join the club, boys! Yet her testimony speaks to the universal frustrations of her journey. More importantly, they capture a widespread sense expressed by many who have faced these challenges throughout their careers.
Booth’s story is an important reminder about the dire need to improve workplace-environment safety. The pressures to conform or to tolerate unacceptable behavior can lead to talented individuals feeling forced to exit their positions. She suggests that “women need to be free to pursue work without having to sell themselves out in order to do so. The workplace demand for equity and respect is clearly at a high point. As we all adapt our understandings of gender, workplace behavior, and how they overlap, this admonition should hit home.
As Booth continues through her job search, she stands firm in her belief that she deserves to find a position where her skill set and experiences will be valued. Her story is an important illustration of the changing nature of work today. Second, it calls our attention to the importance of designing inclusive workplaces so every worker has an opportunity to succeed and flourish.