Author: Joanna Vines

Reflection Joanna Vines

For each unit assignment, I have researched a different topics. However, still focusing on the core themes of our course: organizational culture and workplace. For Unit 1 I expanded the canon by researching how LGBTQIA+ individual face challenges in the workplace, for Unit 2 I compiled a portfolio regarding the role of racial/ethnic identifies and how that affects the level of income and the connection that has to health statues, and for Unit 3 I unpacked an issue that I can relate to which is the mistreatment of women in the workplace. All of these topics were interesting to explore, and I have gained a deeper understanding on the struggles people with different backgrounds could experience and, on the importance, and ways of allyship. These assignments served as a great opportunity to understand the world of work which is quickly approaching for me. I will take what I have learned and continue to educate myself and apply it into future fields. Additionally, I like how I did not stick with one topic the entire way through this course because it diversified new perspectives I have developed. This course was such a great experience because I developed writing skills and exposure to important topics. Additionally, the feedback I received was always so detailed and insightful. I will take everything I learned to future work. I also am going to utilize “They Say, I Say” in my future writing. I loved this book and it helped guide me through so many assignments through the duration of this course. I like the templates and examples because it helped me get started with writing when I was stuck, as well as craft arguments and conclude my thoughts.

Unit 3 was my favorite because of our final project. I enjoyed having the freedom to choose my own topic and media form. It made the assignment way more interesting and engaging. I found the different steps through all the projects a very effective way to organize, plan, and think about what I was trying to accomplish with my work. Normally, I do not take all of those steps before completing a writing assignment. However, this year (and going forward) I am going to use the templates and techniques in my assignments.

In my project for unit 3 I did an infographic about identifying & addressing sexism and sexual assault in the workplace. This infographic’s audience was men entering or currently in the workplace. The infographic could be distributed online or posted in public settings. I included the problem, provides “Do/Don’ts”, highlights the importance of training and supporting victims, points to data/statistics, and offers additional resources (through links and a QR code). As a woman entering the workplace soon, I think this information is important to share with male collogues so I (and other women) can feel safe in the workplace.

Thank you Professor Oakes for a great summer semester!

Joanna Vines Final Project

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The goal of this infographic is to educate future/current male employees on how to proactively identify and address issues of sexism and sexual assault in the work setting. The infographic clearly states the problem, provides “Do/Don’ts”, highlights the importance of training and supporting victims, points to data/statistics, and offers additional resources. This infographic can be distributed online or posted in public settings.

The information in this infographic was so interesting to research and very fun to create. I am not a graphic design/artsy person so it was also fun exploring this area!

Research Project Draft- Joanna

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I attached my rough draft/brainstorm sheet for my infographic! I have found a lot of sources and took some notes but I need to organize it and pick out the most important pieces. I created my own template on canva and I made a tentative title. I am nervous all my information will not fit. Let me know what you think! 🙂

Response 8/18

My project will be directed at young people entering the workforce. The goal is to educate future employees on how to proactively identify and address issues of sexism and sexual assault in the work setting. 

The form of my project will be an infographic. The example I located explained how to stop the spread of germs (specifically respiratory diseases like COVID).  I like that infographic I located incorporated a combination texts with visual elements. This style can be very informative yet can be an easy and engaging read. However, this infographic has less text/facts than I would like to include. The content within this source has the ability to show more visually with pictures than my topic will.  I do like the conciseness and organizational components  of this graphic because it effectively gets the main points across. I also thought the color scheme worked well. I enjoy making infographics and am excited to see how mine turns out. 

https://www.tmcc.edu/sites/default/files/documents/ehs-coronavirus-infographic.pdf

(Mine was a PDF so it would not embed)

Project Proposal

My project will be examining the experience of women in the workplace. I am going to narrow my focus in on the discrimination and sexual harassment women endure every single day. I then would like to include information about BIPOC women and how that changes the experience even more. I hope to not only educate people on what this is but provide further information on how to identify it and how to not be a bystander. In other words, I would like this to do more than list off facts. 

I want to present my information on an infographic because they are very informative and easy to read. However, space is limited so I will have to identify the most important sub-areas to cover. Since I did not cover this personally in Unit 1 or 2, I have to start from scratch with my sources. I want to include quotes of first-hand accounts as well as statistics to strengthen my argument. My audience will be young people entering the workforce. 

As a woman, I think this topic is important to discuss because it affects our ability to feel safe, comfortable, and perform at our highest abilities. For some reason it is 2021 and this is still a daily issue.

Discussion 8/9

  1. In “How To Create a Culture Manifesto for Your Organization (And Why It’s a Good Idea)”, written by Mollie West, a workplace strategy for nonprofits, social enterprise, and benefit corps is outlined. West encourages her readers to implement a “humanifesto” that is composed of the organizations internal core cultural values. She provides examples of 3 companies (Method Products, Etsy, and Warby Parker) that have used this tactic and explained their outcomes. She also lays out the steps for readers to craft their own.

Writing/Rhetorical strategies

https://wwnorton.com/college/english/write/read12/toolbar/set02.aspx

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/effective-writing-strategies

Analyzing cause and effect

West tells the reader why companies should incorporate a “humanifesto” and the potential benefits of implementing it … foster innovation & collaboration, attract talent, etc.

Comparing and contrasting.

West compares and contrasts how companies approach a “humanifesto” differently.

Defining

West defines what a “humanifesto” is.

Explaining a process

West outlines how readers can implement this technique into their own organization.

Target your audience

West clearly states who this piece is intended for.

2. I was hoping to shift my lens towards the experience of women in the workplace. I have not figured out whether my focus will be on harassment/sexual assault and/or pay gap inequality and/or unfair health quality that does not support female needs like contraceptive and abortion access. Depending on the subtopic, the intended audience will change. However, I think I will ultimately present a media form intended for company executives on ways they can support women given the challenges they endure. I like posters and infographics; however, a PowerPoint presentation might serve as a more persuasive/appropriate method. I need to spend some time doing research on this area before I have a clearer idea of the path I want to take. I probably will start my search with google.

Discussion 8/2

  1. In “Even at ‘Inclusive’ Companies, Women of Color Don’t Feel Supported”, by Beth A. Livingston and Tina R. Opie, the importance of connections between women of varying ethnicities/race in the workplace is examined. Through “shared sisterhood”, women can come together to “design strategies, dismantle structures that prevent advancement, or even just offer mutual support” (Livingston & Opie, p,1). However, due to the exclusionary attitudes and tone-deaf conversations, women of color are less likely to be emotionally vulnerable in the workplace. This hesitation to be open with another suppresses professional growth and productivity. After conducting a survey, the authors concluded that connections are unlikely to form until organizations recognize and address biases within. 

2. This article is hyperlinked to “emotional labor and taxation” in Wynn’s article. This phrase appears under one of the solutions (minimizing microaggressions) to create organizational change. This article is useful because it expands further than providing a simple explanation. In this piece, relevant research to emotional struggles in the workplace has been conducted and questions have been posed. I would like to personally research this topic further because it is an area I have never given much consideration.

I think white people would benefit from reading this article because it explains how even if an organization is labeled as “inclusive” that does not mean the work towards equity ends there. Additionally, I think that managers/executive positions would benefit from reading this because they are supervising behavior and setting the tone for the workplace. Additionally, I think women of color should read his because it encourages connections even if it is challenging. 

An excerpt for managers/executive positions:

“You can’t build meaningful connections between women of different races and ethnicities, let alone ask them to advocate for their collective advancement, if black and Hispanic women report being excluded from the relationships required to make an organization run.”

https://hbr.org/2019/08/even-at-inclusive-companies-women-of-color-dont-feel-supported

Discussions 7/26

  1. Nuru-Jeter, A. M., Williams, T., & LaVeist, T. A. (2014). Distinguishing the race-specific effects of income inequality and mortality in U.S. metropolitan areas. International journal of health services : planning, administration, evaluation, 44(3), 435–456. https://doi.org/10.2190/HS.44.3.b

This article immediately establishes that there is a relationship between level of income and mortality rates. Socioeconomic position (SEP) is the strongest predictor of individual & population health status. Because BIPOC face monetary inequalities in the workplace due to structural and individual racism, they also disproportionately experience negative health outcomes. In other words, the authors examine how race influences these other variables. Within this article, there is a study that includes powerful findings regarding disparities and the impacts on BIPOC.

I think I could reference multiple sections of this article to further my argument. It includes explanations as well as a study regarding disparities within the realm of income levels and health status. Additionally, it also touches upon racial residential segregation and concentrated poverty which is another relevant social concept in this discussion.

2. I thought that the letters were sad to read, but important experiences to share. These letters provided me with a new perspective on sexism in the workplace. I never considered the architecture or office set up as a way to foster even more oppression towards women. Since I am a young girl almost at the age where I will enter Corporate America, this will definitely be something I keep in mind. I agree that sexism is prevalent in the workplace because my experience in a restaurant confirms it. A new perspective I would like to bring to the conversation would be about how women are treated in the food service industry. I have encountered extremely uncomfortable comments about my appearance and have had to ask coworkers to get out of my personal space/not touch me. The actions from some of the males in a restaurant is completely inappropriate and upsetting. Because these situations can be so so awkward, it can be hard to stop it. I have found myself freezing up because I do not know how to respond to a situation.

Research Plan

What question is guiding your research? (what do you want to use your research to understand?)

I have a few questions guiding my research:

Are there income inequalities between races?

If there are racial inequalities, why?

How are income level and health status connected?

Are minorities health disproportionately affected because of the income levels?

What are the attitudes/policies/history that contribute to the disparities?

In the workplace…..

How can we mend these differences?

How can we not only become more diverse but more inclusive?

I also want to elaborate my understanding on the different forms of racism and how it is connected with this topic.

Why this question? (help us to understand how it connects to your career/personal interests)

I am very passionate about public health and policy (those are my two majors). My entry level courses have only explored these issues on the surface. Through this project I would like to go more in depth from different angles. One day I hope to use my knowledge surrounding disparities that appear income and health (and other forms) to create societal change through legislation.

How will your professional/internship/organizational/course work inform your inquiry? (what connections can you see with the work that you’re part of in the world beyond our course?)

As I stated above, these issues are core topics in both of my majors. Beyond this course, I want to continue to educate myself and others on social injustices in different forms (women, LGBTQIA+, immigrants, BIPOC, etc.). As a career path, I would like to work in some way to find solutions. However, I do not have an ideal path on how I hope to accomplish this yet.

What fields (academic and professional) matter most to your inquiry? (where are you going to be looking for source material?)

I think the academic fields I am studying at Syracuse matter most to my inquiry. Some other relevant ones could be history and sociology.

Government would be an important professional field. Each branch of government plays a unique role in change.

Another important professional field would be Human Resource Departments of organizations to understand the current ways they work on diversity and inclusion, as well as equality and equity.

 I am going to use the databases provided by Syracuse Library to find sources. Additionally, I plan on reaching out to  the head of Syracuse University’s public health department for more guidance and insight on how to approach my research.

Currently, I need a more diverse set of sources. Most of the articles I have complied are overly complicated for this assignment. Even though I want to challenge myself, I do not want to confuse myself and readers.

I am a little overwhelmed because there is so much I want to cover through this assignment. I might need to organize my plan better by making it more specific.