Career and Professional Development Resources for FBEC Members and BIPOC Employees

On January 30, 2018, the Prime Minister of Canada acknowledged national support for the UN’s International Decade for People of African Descent, identifying for the first time the prevalence of anti-Black racism in Canadian society and identifying Black Canadians as a distinct group. The Federal Black Employee Caucus (FBEC) was established in response to a need expressed by Black federal public servants within the context of the public service renewal. To learn more about FBEC or to join, please contact them directly at http://fbec-cefn.ca/.

Other Black, Indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC) people will also benefit from reading these materials and/or receiving training or professional development/coaching to improve their career trajectories. Public servants can use their annual Training or Professional Development budget for this coaching. Please contact me by phone or email for details. Similarly, people who want to learn more about diversity and inclusion, from the perspective of a person of colour will find these resources valuable.

Articles that Address Themes Discussed at the January 23, 2019, FBEC Symposium

From Dr. Helen’s Career Management & HR Blog

• Bullying
• Harassment
• Coded Language and Dog Whistle Expressions
• Corporate Psychopaths
• Racism
• Values and Organizational Climate
• The Queen Bee Syndrome (female bullies)
• The Glass Cliff (more dangerous than the glass ceiling)
• “Covering” at Work (inclusion and corporate culture)
• The Differences Between Clinical Psychologists, Psychotherapists, Psychiatrists and Life Coaches
• The Superwoman Syndrome, Even Harder Than It Looks …
• Feel Like an Impostor? Maybe You’re Just an Outlier …
• Hiring for Best Fit, Without Bias
• Is Workplace Authenticity Practical or a Myth?
• The value BIPOC leaders bring to corporate risk management
• Systemic Racism and the Public Service: Moving the Dial Forward
• What is Allyship? and What is Allyship? (Part 2)
• Why Your Organization Needs a BIPOC Mentorship Program (2-part series)
• Inadequate Inclusion – A Barrier to Returning to Work

Other Relevant Resources

• One is the Loneliest Number (January 2019, McKinsey & Company)
• ‘I didn’t want to be ridiculed’: The emotional toll of microaggressions at work (Out in the Open, CBC Radio)
• The value of working with a therapist or advisor of colour (Teen Vogue)
• Canadian People of Colour Carry an “Emotional Tax” at Work (Tara Deschamps, July 2019)
• Deloitte’s 2019 State of Inclusion Study of Diversity, Inclusion, and Bias (July 2019)
• What To Do When White Women Aren’t Allies At Work (MaryAnn Reid, Aug 2019)
• White women’s role in white supremacy, explained
• Black Women Less Likely to be Promoted, Receive Recognition for Accomplishments (McKinsey & Co./LeanIn, Aug 2019)
• The damaging psychological impact of constantly having to explain racism
• After 400 years of racism, Black Mental Health Day is way overdue
• The pandemic, combined with a racial reckoning, weighs heavily on Black men’s mental health
• Anti-racism resources curated by the Institute of Communication Agencies (the not-for-profit association for Canadian advertising, marketing, media and public relations agencies)
• This is What Racial Trauma Does to the Body and Brain (July 1, 2020)
• Why imposter syndrome hits women and women of colour harder (July 2020)
• Racism at My Job Literally Gave Me PTSD (Aug. 2020)
• Beyond Burnout (Black Women on Burnout; Aug. 2020)
• What It’s Like to Be a Black Man Managing an Office of White Women
• Racism’s Effects on Black Mental Health
• “Has Anything Changed for Black Women at Work?” – Episode of the HBR podcast Women at Work
• The legacy of trauma (emerging research explores how historical and cultural traumas affect survivors’ children for generations)
• Brene Browne with Chad Sanders – What Black Leaders Learned from Trauma and Triumph podcast episode
• Lead from the Outside (Stacey Abrams)
• What To Do When White Women Aren’t Allies At Work
• Racial Gaslighting Is Real, and for BIPOC Women, It’s Thoroughly Toxic
• Black men’s mental health matters – Psychologists are working to develop more effective ways of promoting Black men’s mental health
• The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health (Rheeda Walker PhD and Na’im Akbar PhD)
• Video: Black Women on the Challenges and Opportunities of the Past 18 Months (HBR, Nov 2021)

Please note – there’s another page on this website dedicated to anti-racism resources

• • For anyone who, like me, believes listening is the new reading, here are links to my AudioBlog (190+ searchable blog posts) and some informative AudioBlog playlists

I offer Career Coaching and Leadership/Executive Assessments and related coaching. Often this is the missing link that’s preventing people from successfully transitioning into leadership roles. I am eligible for ProServices contracts and I’m well-positioned to work with members of the visible minority communities (and others who will benefit from a better understanding of these communities). Public servants can use their annual Training or Professional Development budget for this coaching. Please contact me for details.

Book your free 15-minute initial phone consultation or connect by email to learn more.

Need help dealing with a delicate or high-stakes HR or career issue? I invite you to contact me privately by phone email, or via direct message on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. 

More than career coaching, it’s career psychology®.

I/O Advisory Services – Building Resilient Careers and Organizations.