Through our value of inclusion, Protiviti fosters an environment of continuous cultural learning and celebrates our employees, who each have their own unique identities. As we wrap up the month of May, which is also Asian American and Pacific Islander Month, we had a chance to catch up with two of our employees who share their perspectives and tell us what it is like being an Asian/Asian-American in the workplace, from their experience.
Priyanka (Consultant, Los Angeles)
“My lived experience of being an Asian-American woman in the workplace has consistently involved subconscious and conscious stereotypes of what others ‘expect’ people of Asian descent or heritage to be or live up to. For example, I am frequently challenged on my technical knowledge or asked when I plan to ‘settle down.’
Furthermore, having grown up in an Asian immigrant family, I must navigate between social norms that were taught to me by my family versus modern work culture that I have learned from mentors in a professional setting. For example, in the Asian Culture, a form of expressing respect is being agreeable with the eldest person in the room. However, in a professional setting, I am encouraged to challenge ideas and innovate.
Identifying as Asian-American has meant being granted the honor to represent dual cultures. I see my identity as a chance to stand out, be involved, learn about other cultures, and have a seat at the table in discussions that help grow multicultural awareness.”
Elaine (Senior Manager, Dallas)
“Fortunate and empowered are the words that I would use to describe my experience with Protiviti. When I joined Protiviti as a Senior Consultant, I missed the opportunity to visit my family in China due to the job switch. However, my Managing Director encouraged me to take a sabbatical, which allowed me to spend quality time with my family traveling across Asia for 2 months.
When I first came to this country as a graduate student, an outside non-profit organization called Ascend showed me the ropes. Over the years, I have tried to stay involved and give back when I can. My effort and community value were exponentially realized by the support of our Dallas office. Our Executive Vice President, Susan Haseley, made every effort she could to attend events with me. Last fall, walking out of the ‘Inspire Across Generation Convention,’ she turned to me and asked, ‘Why don’t you start an Asian group in our Dallas office?’ A few months later, Aspire was born, and we hosted an Ascend networking event at Protiviti office drawing 50+ outside professionals, shared career advice at local schools, and sponsored a Business Resource Group Leaders Forum through Ascend where leaders from 25+ companies in the Dallas area participated.
Along the way, numerous mentors and colleagues have cultivated me and enabled me to stay true to myself while discovering what success means. How we spread the culture and give everyone an opportunity to stay true to themselves and empower them is what this identify means to me.”
Like Priyanka and Elaine, we want to hear what our employees have to say. Having a diverse and inclusive workforce is a priority for Protiviti , and a range of initiatives have been set up to support that goal, including diversity-focused recruiting programs, global employee network groups, a global employee mobility program, unconscious bias learning, and a network of diversity champions across our global offices.
*Protiviti was recently named to the 2018 Diversity Best Practices Inclusion Index and named to Working Mother’s ‘100 Best Companies’ list.
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