Workplace Nara Kasbergen (@xiehan) Lead Software Engineer | NPR | Washington, DC Grace Hopper Celebration for Women in Computing Wednesday, October 2, 2019 #GHC19
I speak up about this 3. What can we do? ▹ pragmatic, common-sense, action-oriented; anyone can do these things! 4. What must we do together? ▹ difficult, aspirational; everyone has to do their part #GHC19
o Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration o Loss of interest or pleasure in normal activities o Sleep disturbances (insomnia or sleeping too much) o Tiredness and lack of energy o Changes in appetite o Anxiety, agitation or restlessness #GHC19 Source: Mayo Clinic
o Fear of being taken out of promotion consideration o Fear of being taken off high-value projects/contracts o Fear of reduced hours (for hourly workers) o Fear of being asked to take unpaid medical leave o Fear of being treated differently #GHC19
work is challenging and stressful o Our jobs are highly collaborative o Many of us have relocated for a job o Most of us work remotely at least part of the time o We're often expected to be available outside work hours o Someone needs to fix things when they break overnight o There is a heavy emphasis on drinking culture #GHC19
the team and helping toward the mission if you're on- site o Can bring you closer to a community of practitioners in your field than where you currently are Negative: o Takes someone away from the existing support structures they have already built up o Generally stressful o Making new friends as an adult is surprisingly hard! #GHC19
best way to succeed in tech is to relocate to Silicon Valley; become more accepting of alternative choices o If you are a manager, take another look at your hiring practices and see whether remote employment is an option o Introduce new colleagues who have had to relocate to activities and events in the area #GHC19
daytime therapy appointments o Easier to stick to medication regimens o Easier to take breaks o Quiet & peaceful Negative: o Sense of isolation o Harder to build strong relationships with co-workers o Harder to tell if colleagues are doing OK (health-wise) o Can make it challenging to maintain work-life balance #GHC19
join a co-working space (or encourage your colleagues to do so) o Fly in remote employees or hold company-wide off-sites to make sure they feel they are a part of the team o Look into the latest research on remote work culture, improvements you can make to integrate remote employees #GHC19
the team improves sense of team unity, camaraderie o Engineers have a way to prove understanding of the technical systems, ability to handle crisis Negative: o Expecting the unexpected can be very difficult for those with serious anxiety disorders o Lack of sleep or interrupted sleep is bad for mental health o High stress leads to burnout #GHC19
on-call less stressful o If someone is called in the middle of the night, make sure there is a process in place to give them adequate time to catch up on sleep o For employees with serious anxiety disorders, see if there's a way to take them out of the on-call rotation without making them feel like they're not contributing #GHC19
can make it easier for some introverts and those with social anxiety to socialize with peers o If you don't offer alcohol, those who want to drink will go to a bar instead of staying to mingle with others at the event Negative: o Non-drinkers feel unwelcome o Recovering alcoholics feel threatened o Free alcohol and drinking culture are so pervasive that there are probably more functioning alcoholics in tech than we're aware of #GHC19
sodas, mocktails) for non-drinkers to make them feel included o Put a limit on the number of free drinks (use tickets) o Have activities other than drinking (e.g. board games) o In a recurring series, try alternating dry/non-dry events o Add workplace wellness programs on substance abuse #GHC19
Don't micro-manage o Leave the office on time o Take regular vacations o Don't send or answer e-mails at 2am if possible o Be receptive to feedback on your own performance o Be a good listener o Be open to talking about your health and mental health #GHC19
their benefits and what mental health treatments are covered (e.g. therapy for just a $25 copay) o Revisit your hiring practices with an eye to mental illness and neurodiversity o Make sure employees feel valued and are on projects they find fulfilling and empowering o Get the OSMI handbooks (leanpub.com/u/osmi) o Consider offering the Mental Health First Aid training #GHC19
if you encounter someone having a mental health crisis o International program (started in Australia) o Available in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Netherlands & more o 8-hour or 12-hour training course o Usually costs $50-100 per person with materials o Employers can host a training on-site #GHC19
bullying, and micro-aggressions can lead to depression, exacerbate eating disorders, and cause or worsen other mental illnesses o Even in tech, women are still judged by their looks o People from marginalized groups feel they have to over-perform (to counteract the “lowering the bar” myth), which leads to increased stress and a greater likelihood of burnout #GHC19
result of natural variations of the human genome o “People with these kinds of differences do not need to be cured; they need help and accommodation instead.” o Some of our greatest inventions are attributed to people with atypical neurology o “Mental illness gives me superpowers.” - Ed Finkler o “Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage” (Harvard Business Review) #GHC19
ourselves to death - the over-emphasis on hard work, stigma against vacation o The need to always be available by phone or email o The peer pressure caused by social media o The belief that you must be in Silicon Valley to succeed o The stigma against talking about our feelings o The idea that engineers don't have empathy #GHC19
your friends you care. o osmihelp.org o mhprompt.org o if-me.org o mentalhealthfirstaid.org Need help? o talk to someone: a friend, relative, counselor, etc. o forums.osmihelp.org o locator.apa.org o suicidepreventionlifeline.org or 1-800-273-8255(TALK) o crisistextline.org or TEXT “START” TO 741741 #GHC19
Nara Kasbergen
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