The Case for Workplace Cooperation or "You Don't REALLY Have to Be That Bitch"

     As the economy continues to change so does business.  As I proceed, I do realize that there are some people who work in a Corporate Utopia and will not be able to relate to what I am talking about.  As I get older, I do a lot of thinking about my path and how the path I planned wasn't necessarily the one I walked.  There are days when this bit of wondering consumes me and other days where it matters not at all.  As I observe the world around me I acknowledge several things.

     I observe often.  I assess a lot.  I muse with impunity.  I piss people off sometimes because I tend to do these things openly, without remorse.  The fact of the matter is that I have always believed that where work and women intersect can be one of the most dangerous and difficult places to navigate.  I have lived to survive it thus far.Let me pause here to say that I am a woman in the workplace.  While my journey wasn't the one I expected--it has been interesting. 

      I have a lot of respect for how men move with each other in the workplace--and I will come back to this in a moment.  It may be as complex as a double helix or as simple as warm apple pie.  This is not a comparison or "who's-better-us-or-them" piece.  As an African American woman in the workplace I think we would benefit from supporting each other in the workplace.  We hear that "Girls Rule the World" and "Black Girls Rock".  Girls will rule your future and black girls will rock your knot if they believe you are interfering with their road to the corporate tower of light.

    As much as women have better choices and less sacrifice than they did even fifteen or twenty years ago they have the same choices and the same sacrifices.  Women still face the baby now or wait dilemma.  We still have the not-paid-as-much-as-men issue although the gap has closed slightly. 

    So, why do we chew each other up and spit each other out?  I'm sure that the reasons vary as much as the people who have them.  Everything from undiagnosed psychiatric illnesses to trust issues to family pedigree. I have always been of the mind that content people are more productive.  Sometimes it is a vague as "I just don't like her..." or as specific as some perceived or actual wrong in the past.  Why does it all matter anyway?

    The Corporate workplace is changing.  The job market is ever evolving as are the people seeking jobs.  In this day and age the person you cross today could be the person you are interviewing with tomorrow.  It is always better to build bridges than to burn them?  Something to think about.