BlackUSA News

Opinion | Don’t Return to the Office for Your Boss. Go Back for Yourself.

Editorial/OP-ED

Opinion | Don’t Return to the Office for Your Boss. Go Back for Yourself.

Published

2 years ago

on

August 6, 2022

By

Doni Glover

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Americans often spend a third to more than half of their waking hours working, so work is inevitably where many of our bonds and friendships are formed. The old way of mixing business with pleasure had its problems — golf, after-work drinks and other forced “fun” activities aren’t for everyone, especially parents or those who don’t drink alcohol. But there are ways to get to know colleagues that feel more progressive — from shared meals to book clubs, to simply grabbing a coffee or going for a walk with a colleague during the workday.

Opinion Conversation
What will work and life look like after the pandemic?

I know that if I had stayed home early in my career, I would have missed out on finding the friends and mentors who played critical roles in my life. The office was also where I figured out how my industry works, the nature of power hierarchies and how to get along with all kinds of people.

Staying home might seem easier for workers who, for one reason or another, don’t feel comfortable at the office, but it can also let employers off the hook when it comes to making the office more inclusive. If the social movements of the past few years have told us anything, it’s that showing up and speaking up about what isn’t working can bring meaningful change.

Company leaders have plenty to learn, too. My advice to them is to listen to their employees, and learn from workers at all stages of their careers and lives what they need to do their best work. They also must learn to trust their employees, and to grant them more autonomy and control over how they get their work done. They would do well to remember that when the pandemic forced many people to work from home, their employees largely remained committed and productive.

Inclusivity needs to be intentional. Hybrid models should not create new hierarchies that place a premium on in-person face time, and companies must create working experiences that give people real reasons to commute. Those might include meaningful opportunities to socialize and celebrate wins, well-designed facilities and a welcoming work culture. Some companies are experimenting with ways to reshape the office experience for the hybrid era, creating new systems for meetings that don’t exclude remote workers, or even looking into installing video conferencing screens in office kitchens to allow those working from home to engage in small talk and “water cooler chats.”

I can’t remember exactly how I answered that new hire at Goldman who asked about bringing her “whole self” to work, but since then I have had to answer versions of that question many more times. Now I make this plea to you, young office workers: Bring your whole self back to the office. Don’t come back for your boss; come back for yourself. Embrace what you like, work to change what you don’t, and help create a workplace that’s truly rewarding and supportive.

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Editorial/OP-ED

EDITORIAL: BlackUSA.News’ Doni Glover Show on STEMCITYUSA.com Nominated for Emmy by CCG

Published

2 years ago

on

February 14, 2023

By

Doni Glover

By Doni Glover

(BALTIMORE – February 14, 2023) – I do not brag about BlackUSA.News, the voice of our people; but, maybe I should. It is essential, in my best estimation, to simply do the work. The accolades will come, I believe. And they have. On February 1st, the Doni Glover Show was nominated for an Emmy by Career Communications Group (CCG). And for this, I am truly humbled and grateful.

Kudos to Dr. Tyrone Taborn, Jean Hamilton, and the entire CCG team. They are just returning to regular life after last weekend’s 37th year of BEYA – or the Black Engineer of the Year Awards. As always, this mega-event features generals, admirals, scientists, inventors, and most importantly, students. Further, while this event started in Baltimore, it has since been held in Washington, D.C.; next year, it will return to Baltimore.

I was reminded today during an interview with Edwin Avent of the Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys of just how impactful CCG is. Dr. Taborn has been combatting digital apartheid his entire career. Too many of us do not even know who he is.

Well, I can tell you he is, among other things, the biggest supporter of BMORENews.com and BlackUSA.News. While BMORENews enjoys a 20-year reputation of covering “the news before the news”, BlackUSA.News is a 2½-year-old baby that came about amidst the pandemic.

Additionally, Dr. Taborn put the Doni Glover Show on his Metaverse platform, STEMCITYUSA.com, and he hired me to serve as news director.

I call it our “COVID pivot”. We found that providing news coverage drastically changed after the pandemic hit and we needed an innovative way of keeping our coverage viable.

Today, we can state that we have streamed LIVE with hosts in New York, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Charlotte, Atlanta, Miami, L.A., and Oakland. This effort has been tremendously illuminated thanks to Dr. Taborn. We are ever so grateful that he embraced our vision and found it worthy of his support.

Editorial/OP-ED

Timothy and Feather – An Urban Tale

Published

2 years ago

on

November 19, 2022

By

Robaer Washington

(Montgomery Village, Maryland – November 18, 2022) – Timothy was perched on a tree limb, watching the hawk fly circles in the sky. It was a beautiful sight. Timothy had always been fascinated by the bird. He admired its’ grace and power. And it was his mission to catch this hawk!

Then, without warning, the hawk swooped down at its future owner, Timothy, who quickly ducked out of the way, but not before getting gashed, on the back, by the hawk’s talons. The hawk crashed to the ground with a thud, tangled in Timothy’s net.

Timothy couldn’t believe his luck! He had captured his very own hawk! Now he would be able to train it to be his personal pet.

He took Feather, the hawk, home and started to train her how to obey commands. She was a quick learner and soon they were working together like a well-oiled machine. They fought crime in their small town in Mississippi and saved many people from danger.

Townspeople began to come up with a name for the duo.

If you’re reading this story, if you have a name for the tag team duo, email me at robaerwashington@yahoo.com.

Editorial/OP-ED

5 Ways to Attract Community Grants

Published

2 years ago

on

November 18, 2022

By

Robaer Washington

Attracting community grants is essential for any non-profit organization, and Baltimore-based organizations are no exception. To attract community grant funds, Baltimore-based non-profits should focus on five key strategies: Outreach and Networking, Research and Writing, Proposal Development, Budget Preparation, and Evaluation.