The evidence presented in this discussion has emphasized the roles of the career counsellor and client in coping with the emotional tax of discrimination in the workplace to improve career satisfaction. However, it is also crucial to consider the role of the workplace and employees in this process. How can workplaces better-equip themselves to supportive, accepting environment for BIPOC employees?

2. How can BIPOC workers face different challenges at different career stages (e.g., job searching, internships, senior positions etc.)? How should a career counsellor be mindful of how the influences of being BIPOC intersect with different career stages to produce unique problems for BIPOC clients? 

 

References:
Employees who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Colour (BIPOC) face a disproportionate degree of discrimination in their careers. A recent study examining racial hair bias suggested that as a result of White supremacist attitudes about appearance, Western culture stigmatizes natural Black hair texture and styles as less professional than those of their White counterparts (Asare, 2023). Moreover, they found that in the workplace specifically, Black women's hair was more than twice as likely to be perceived as unprofessional, and more than half of Black women feel pressured to straighten their textured hair for job interviews (2023). 

This is one of many ways that BIPOC individuals face discrimination in the workplace, which can manifest as an emotional tax. In a 2019 report, the nonprofit Catalyst defined emotional tax as a heightened state of anxiety and stress due to anticipation of bias or discrimination in the workplace (Thorpe-Moscon, 2019). According to this report, 77% of Canadian BIPOC participants reported being on-guard in the workplace against bias or discrimination, and this heightened state was associated with a higher intent to quit and greater personal life distress.

To help combat this issue, individuals struggling with the emotional tax of being BIPOC in a discriminatory work environment may benefit from culturally informed career counselling. The Career Counselling with Underserved Populations (CCUSP; Pope, 2011) model aids career counsellors in approaching such issues from a less biased perspective, and encourages the development of culture-specific knowledge to guide interventions. Importantly, the CCUSP is useful in helping clients overcome internalized negative stereotypes and oppression. By employing the CCUSP, BIPOC individuals may feel better-equipped to cope with the emotional tax created in their workplace, as well as more confident in their ability to find alternative work.

Another model that counsellors may wish to employ with BIPOC populations is the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), which considers the effects that (1) person inputs (individual identity and related experiences), (2) person-cognitive variables (self-efficacy and outcome expectations), and (3) contextual affordances (environmental influences) have on a client's actions and performance (Lent et al., 1994). Person input and contextual affordances are especially applicable when counselling BIPOC populations, as these concepts encompass racialized components of the self and environment that shape one's career.

Person inputs can be seen in family obligations, cultural practices, and personal values. Compared to the non-BIPOC population, BIPOC youths often experience significant pressure to pursue the career paths instilled in them by their families, and this experience may create greater dissatisfaction with one's eventual career (Taylor & Krahn, 2013). Given this unique challenge, career counsellors must be equipped to facilitate personal growth while respecting such person inputs. In this regard, both the CCUSP and the SCCT are invaluable.

Similarly, research examining BIPOC professionals has found that contextual affordances, such as access to mentorship and professional experiences, can disproportionately influence self-efficacy, as White professionals often have greater access to these affordances than their BIPOC counterparts (Graham et al., 2022; Tibbets & Smith, 2022). This disparity may have lasting career consequences, as BIPOC career growth may be stunted from a lack of belonging and diminished motivation (2022). Therefore, career counsellors must understand that many contextual affordances for BIPOC professionals can fall outside of the realm of personal control, so they must employ tactics that help to recontextualize the situation or consider alternative paths. Evidently, in order to effectively support BIPOC clients, it is crucial for career counsellors to recognize and address the many complex career-related inequalities these populations face. 

References

Asare, J. G. (2023, August 23). How hair discrimination affects black women at work. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2023/05/how-hair-discrimination-affects-black-women-at-workLinks to an external site.  

Graham, J., Hodsdon, G., Busse, A., & Crosby, M. P. (2022). BIPoC voices in ocean sciences: 

A qualitative exploration of factors impacting career retention. Journal of Geoscience 

Educations, 71(3), 369-387. https://doi.org/10.1080/10899995.2022.2052553Links to an external site. 

Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., & Hackett, G. (1994). Toward a unifying social cognitive theory of 

career and academic interest, choice, and performance. Journal of Vocational Behaviour, 

45(1), 79-122. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.1994.1027Links to an external site. 

Pope, M. (2011). The career counseling with underserved populations model. Journal of Employment Counseling, 48(4), 153-155. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1920.2011.tb01100.xLinks to an external site.

Taylor, A., Krahn, H. (2013). Living through our children: exploring the education and career 'choices' of racialized immigrant youth in Canada. Journal of Youth Studies, 16(8), 1000-1021.https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2013.772575Links to an external site.

Thorpe-Moscon, J., Pollack, A., & Olu-Lafe, O. (2019, July 24). Empowering workplaces combat emotional tax for people of colour in canada. Catalyst. https://www.catalyst.org/research/emotional-tax-canada/Links to an external site. 

Tibbetts, E., & Smith, K. P., (2023). Beyond "a good fit": Examining effective mentorship for BIPOC practitioners in a predominantly white profession. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 35:1, 46-62. htt-s://10.1080/10413200.2022.2055221Links to an external site.