Per My Last Email: Communication Online vs AFK
With Covid-19 forcing many institutions to remote work in March 2019, the way that we work and communicate shifted as well. Those from a technical background are familiar with communication methods online with anything from Slack to Discord to Messenger. Collaborative tools like Confluence, Jira, and Trello are the norm instead of a new concept. Meanwhile, many non-technical colleagues within institutions struggle with the "new normal" of an online environment.
Having worked in technical environments or other remote work for over five years, understanding how different people understand each other is critical for success. Often these experiences were through the struggles of being a minority woman of color in a very white, male-dominated industry. I started my current position at a university in the middle of the pandemic with many learned lessons and many more lessons to come. First and foremost, my main roadblock was trying to communicate with my peers, those who started remote work out of necessity instead of want.
This proposal is to present the struggles of what it means to be a woman of color in tech transitioning from private companies to an academic environment.
