Work the Unworkable

Diversity, equity, inclusion, D&I, DIB, JEDI. In the Season One finale of Work the Unworkable pod, Elle and Jay reflect on workplace diversity initiatives in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the latest global racial reckoning. While companies and organizations co-opt DEI lingo, Elle and Jay wonder if it’s just another (JEDI) mind trick! Major themes of this discussion include: your company’s (failed) attempt at creating an inclusive work environment and new acronyms to use in your next Zoom meeting.

Acronyms defined:

• D&I = Diversity & Inclusion

• DIB = Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging

• JEDI = Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

• DEI = Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

After a brief hiatus, Work the Unworkable pod returns! This month Elle and Jay delve into the cause of Sunday night nightmares and Monday blues...the toxic workplace. In a riveting game of "How is my workplace radioactive...today", Jay and Elle discuss several (of many) toxic behaviors that they've encountered in the workplace. Major themes of this discussion include crappy adult behavior and low emotional intelligence at the J.O.B. Don't forget your Geiger counters for this one!

In this week’s episode, DishELLEveled (get it? Elle? Disheveled? Meh.) and Jay (of the jumbled mind) reflect on negative self-talk and the stories they’ve told to and about themselves in moments of doubt. Major themes of this discussion include fifty different ways to call yourself “a mess” and why doing so is categorically counterproductive, especially when it comes to climbing the corporate ladder.

In this episode, Elle, the (job) escape artist, and “just give me a moment” Jay, discuss workplace anxiety, the kind of anxiety spawned by TRASH workplace conditions and colleagues. Major themes of this discussion include types of TRASH conditions that contribute to workplace anxiety; the effects of this anxiety; and how they’ve worked to overcome these conditions and the accompanying anxiety.

In the first episode, Jay, the overtaxed overthinker, and Elle, who’s tired as hell, discuss how life and work can drain you but you still have to show up to work BECAUSE THE RENT IS DUE. Major themes of this discussion include causes of fatigue (both professional and personal); how fatigue manifests; and how Jay & Elle show up at work despite the fatigue, particularly as women of color.

Waves you over to the copy room, the watercooler, or somewhere “over there” [points to other secluded space at your J.O.B. intended for midday gossip]

“Is it me or does he spend the entire meeting talking over me?” “I would have chimed in had I been INVITED to the meeting…” “Notice how she always speaks on my behalf even when I’m present?” “I’m two seconds away from an ALL-CAPS email…”

Welcome to Work the Unworkable, where two friends regularly sneak to the copy room to discuss their professional lives as women of color in the U.S. On this podcast, Jay, perennial overthinker, and Elle, professional job hopper, commiserate about the tangled webs of workplace nonsense; the impact of their intersecting identities; and how they individually work to unravel these webs one.thread.at.a time.

The first episode drops on April 7th, and Jay and Elle will report to the copy room every two weeks thereafter. Meet us there or beat us there!