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PRESIDENT LETTER What is “The Great Resignation”?

How has it impacted the Latina workforce? We share our Alumni’s perspective. In its simplest definition, it is a phenomenon that describes record numbers of people leaving their jobs after the COVID-19 pandemic ends1. Latinas are a fast - growing demographic. In 2020, 30.6 million Latinas made up 9.4% o f t h e t o t a l U.S. population. In January 2020, 12.2 million Latinas made up 7.4% of the U.S. labor force. The number of Latinas in the labor force is projected to grow by 25.8%,

close to 9 times the projected growth of white women in the labor force According to UCL research Latinas were greatly impacted by the pandemic and many have left the workplace2. One CEO I spoke to recently said: Where are the people? We are desperate to find them and hire them. We know we have to pay more, and allow them to work from home, but we have to first find them. Steward Butterfield, t h e C EO o f S l a c k h a s stated: “So I think it is very unlikely that we will go back

to a world where there is a strong expectation or requirement among employers that you are in an office nine to five, Monday to Friday. For some people that might end up being like a four - day work week or the expectations around when you are working are reduced”3. This is super interesting to me, because when I was a banker and I wanted to work from home one day a week it took a special form that had to be approved by God, I mean HR. It was a benefit mostly for the executives and those who knew somebody with power. Most of the alumni I serve are in the service industry

who for the first time in history got to experience working from home. You will read that in Lucero and Marisol’s story. Some of the millennials I checked in with during the pandemic were struggling with the isolation. On top of that they had to learn how to work from home and use zoom overnight most wanted to go back to the office. I saw that their social need outweighed the convenience of working from home. My Generation X and a few baby boomers mostly liked working from home since it provided more work - life balance. A few of our alumni reported having participated in The Great

Resignation. One quit because the environment was toxic, so the pandemic was the straw that broke the camel’s back. She is now happy in a totally new i n d u s t r y. A n o t h e r q u i t because the manager lacked integrity, so she is now freelancing, and tackling entrepreneurial endeavors. One other alumni quit to get a better job with a larger organization and is now making more money. I believe the pandemic was the impetus for employees young and old to pause, to experience something new, which then triggered a shift in their future plans. Suddenly health and family took center stage and those who were already on the

fence about their jobs, quit for something better in 3 their lives . One of the lessons we teach in our FUERTE/ STRONG Leadership P ro g r a m i s a b o u t L i fe Planning. We want her to narrow her career choices with opportunities that tap into her value and give her the experience she needs to learn her craft. We also want her to negotiate not only salary but those other things that are important to her including work life balance, flexibility to work from home if she needs that, and growth opportunities. I love where we are at with this Great Resignation, it’s high time for employees to

be in the drivers seat. As Jason Fried said in his famous TEDTalk, most of the work is not being done in the office, so why not let the employees define where and when they are most productive. You will meet some of our Alumni in this newsletter and hear what they have to say about when and where they want to work.

Interested in meeting our trained and vetted alumni? You can collaborate with us via event and / or program sponsorships, including pre - graduation access to meet our students and tell them about the wonderful opportunities at your organization.

References:

Chugh, A., 2021. What is the 'Great Resignation?' An expert explains. [online] World Economic Forum. Available at: <https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/11/what-is-thegreat-resignation-and-what-can-we-learn-from-it> [Accessed 1 March 2022]. 1

Hernandez, K., Garcia, D., Nazario, P., Rios, M. and Dominguez - Villegas, R., 2021. Latinas Exiting the Workforce: How the pandemic revealed historic disadvantages and heightened economic hardship.. [online] Latino Policy & Politics Initiative. Available at: <https://latino.ucla.edu/research/ latina-workforce-2021-immersive/> [Accessed 12 March 2022]. 2

3 Delaney, K., 2021. Interview: What Slack means for meetings and workplaces. [online] Charter. Available at: <[Accessed 4 March 2022].

CRISTINA

Cristina Ramirez, Assistant Store Manager, Mexican American, 31 As a woman and a Latina I have had some challenges. It seems I always have to prove my value and abilities, in comparison to my male counterparts who don’t have to, instead they are valued instantly. This is especially present when I work with male bosses. Also gaining the respect of my male coworkers and male bosses can be exhausting, especially since I know I

deserve equitable treatment. However, time has helped these male bosses to see my strengths and abilities. Being a Latina sometimes seems like my identity is only beneficial when a translation is required. And don’t get me started with the annoying fact that my name which is Cristina is pronounced by some as Kristine who happens to be another e m p l o y e e ’s n a m e . I

eventually allowed them to call me Christine instead. Why can’t they call me Cristina? Ugh, a name is special and so every eﬀort should be made to say it and spell it c o r r e c t l y. A l s o , a s a woman leader, I’m more suitable to understand the other female associates more than the male one; that is a value I immediately bring to the table. I see sexism as another challenge with my current older caucasian boss, but I have hope that the focus we now have on diversity, equity and inclusion will remediate and transform our workplaces for the future generation. As for

me, I will continue to bring my whole self to work because that is when I am at my best.

1. Everyone is talking about the Great Resignation these days, have you experienced it yourself? In other words, did you quit your job in 2020, 2021, 2022. Can you explain what drove that decision. I have not. I was still working through the ups and downs this pandemic h a s t h r o w n o u r w a y. Which really did not seem out of the ordinary since I work at pharmacy retailer.

We have patient/ customers that are coming sick often to our locations all around. At times I had to step up to play a higher role, while still being the assistant of my location, due to a store manager’s absence.

2. Assuming you were either forced and given a choice to work from home, please share what your thoughts are about going back to the oﬃce? In other words, will you go back to a 5 day a week oﬃce? If I were given a choice to work from home I would

not mind going back to the office. I would be open to splitting my work week into working some days from home and some at the office. I would also not mind just being 5 days in the office. I do understand the importance of keeping work separate from the home, but since I don’t have my own office space at home it makes it difficult. Also, I would make sure I take proper precautions due to certain situations like those we have at the moment with the pandemic while in the store office.

3.The pandemic gave way to time to think about our future and we quickly learned what was truly important to us. Given that, what changes are you personally committing to so that you do not return to 50 hour work week; including commute time? Managing time efficiently. For example, not staying longer than the time set for one shift; if its 8-4, I should be walking out the door at 4pm not 4:30pm or 5pm. I feel like I have

actually already improved in this area. I also have managed to use a lot of my banked Paid Time Oﬀ and that has given me more “me time” rather than being stuck so much at work. I realized that since I have the banked time why shouldn’t I use it. It finally sunk that there is nothing wrong taking time I already earned.

4. Can you describe your ideal workplace? Please be as speciﬁc as possible. My ideal workplace would be anywhere I can manage/guide and assist my team or project to achieve an overall goal. I

don’t mind if its retail, human resources, or asset protection. I find my passion is to help others achieve success with their careers and in their areas of strength. For me, I want to be in a position of management/ leadership.

5. How are you continuing to grow in your area of expertise, i.e. online classes, higher ed, mentors, associations, networking? I continue to have various fellow coworkers that are at higher positions that are always available to lend help when needed or acknowledge me when I just need a little affirmation. I also learn from all the diﬀerent locations I travel to within my company and I tend to volunteer on projects where I know I can bring value. By taking on projects as a traveling

manage, I am able to help with conversion projects when the company acquires other retailers. I can easily train new team members in the practices of our organization. I also like to be involved with external networks like the Latinas On The Plaz a Fuerte Leadership Program which, empowers women of color. I’ve always liked to participate an extracurricular activities since I was young girl and I hope I can continue that part of me as long as my schedule permits it.

6. Where do you see your career in 5 years? I would probably like to work in another diﬀerent setting even if is not in a corporate company. As long as I am doing something I love, continuing to grow, and helping others find their own calling, I’ll be hopeful and motivated. I enjoy hiring and developing employees in my current employment, so that may lead to a new focus in the future.

7. What challenges do you face as a woman of color in respect to your career? Some challenges I face is having to prove my worth or just in general my capabilities compared to my male counterparts. Find to always have this when I work with male bosses. Also gaining the respect of my male coworkers and male bosses. In other works, a lot of inequality issues. Therefore, only time has helped men male bosses see what I am capable of. Also being Latina seems like my identity is only beneficial when a translation is required but

my boss can’t even call me by my correct name when we have another employee with similar name diﬀerent spelling ex. Cristina - Kristine. I slowly end up getting called Christine instead. Also, by being female in I’m more suitable to understand the female associates more than the male one. Sexism is another challenge with my current older Caucasian boss.

8. If you were sitting in a n i n te r v i e w c h a i r r i g h t n o w an d th e question was asked “Why should I hire you?” Share what your response would be.

I’d love to answer with “why wouldn’t you? I have extensive work experience and can acclimate to any work environment” I feel strongly that I can bring much to the table for anyone and that I’d be an asset to any company/ employer.

9. When it comes to your ﬁnal decision on accepting a job oﬀer, please rank (1-10) as to order of importance. Add any not listed. Most important to less important 1

Career Growth & Opportunity Supported & Paid for by Company

Salary

Benefits i.e health & dental

Perks-bonuses, stock options, 401K

A true commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion ( Measurable traits of it)

Flexibility to work at home 2 or more times a week

Transparency

Travel (How much travel do you have to do)

Ability to work from home 100% of Time

Tuition Reimbursement

10. In a recent article (https://www.fastcompany.com/ 90719359/employee-engagement-is-out-heres-a-bettermetric) five employee archetypes were identified, see below. Which one do you most identify with, and what do you think about the data collected as to what motivates this type. Can you be specific as to what motivates you.

I identify with Achievers because I’m usually driven to achieve goals/ tasks and to pre plan. I can also tense up when I encounter an unexpected predicament. I avoid punishments since I feel i t s c o u n t e r p ro d u c t i ve since different people learn in different styles/ ways. Being open minded to finding different solutions to achieve success with different

people that view/learn things diﬀerently. What motivates me is having achievements. Like I’ve always found myself being involved in various groups and reaching for higher success. In my church, I always got involved in anything that was available that helped me reach or peaked my interest. This process led me to be more open and

meet more people that could open more doors and greater opportunities. Hence how I managed to grow to be the woman I am today. I began when I was young, taking leadership roles and then developing skills that lead me to figure out what I would like to dedicate myself to do. Leading/ managing, figuring things out. Adventure is also another motivation for me since it takes me to new places. I easily can

acclimate myself in diﬀerent environments, despite being out of my comfort zone. My family is another motivation. The fact that I can pave the way for my younger siblings and nieces/ nephews and show them achievements are possible is most gratifying to me. Having opportunities is another key motivation for me. Being able to advance in any level whether in life or work keeps me engaged and dedicated.

MARISOL Marisol Perez, Small Business Territory Manager, Puerto Rican, 53 I think it has taken me longer to get to where I am at this point in my career. It probably would have been a quicker journey had I not been a person of color. I am proud of the challenges that I have overcome but I would love for it to be easier for other Latinas, especially my daughters and granddaughters.

1. Everyone is talking about the Great Resignation these days, have you experienced it yourself.

In other

words, did you quit your job in 2020, 2021, 2022? Can you explain what drove that decision? I actually started with a fabulous company in July 2 0 2 0, just as the

pandemic was really aﬀecting businesses. I haven’t experienced it personally, but I know a lot of business owners struggling to keep talent.

don’t think that I would ever go back to a daily office routine. I get way more accomplished at home then at an office where there are so many distractions. I can start as early as I like and stay on as long as I want. I can work weekends if I choose to. That being said, there are perks such as if I have to step away for a couple of hours. As long as I meet my numbers and get my work completed, all is good.

3. The pandemic gave way to time to think about our future and we quickly learned what was truly important to us. Given that, what changes are you personally committing to so that you do not return to 50 hour work week; including commute time? I am fortunate that I work remote and am blessed to avoid commute time. I can be productive during that time now instead of spending it in traffic. The pandemic caused so much destruction,

however, changing the w ay c o m p a n i e s t h i n k about remote work is actually a positive circumstance that came out of it.

4. Can you describe your ideal workplace. Please be as speciﬁc as possible. Somewhere where my opinion matters. I thrive oﬀ of acknowledgement so being appreciated is highly important to me. Just recently I was nominated by 3 of my partners in the company for collaboration. That makes me want to continue to go above and beyond. Another

important factor for me is continual development. I am fortunate that the company that I represent oﬀers learning resources that I can take advantage of. Another huge factor into my decision making is a place that values DE&I.

5. How are you continuing to grow in your area of expertise, i.e. online classes, higher ed, mentors, associations, networking? I take online courses when time permits. I keep up with Insurance trends, mergers and acquisitions

by reading up about them. I stay in tune with competitors and their risk specialties. I have conversations with many independent agents, who are the real subject matter experts in their fields. I work with great underwriting partners and pick their brain. This will be my 28 th year in the i n s u ra n c e i n d u s t r y i n which I started in the front lines and have consistently pushed forward. In my past I have been involved in networking and being part of diﬀerent chambers of commerce i.e., Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce. I am a constant learner with

a desire to improve every day.

6. Where do you see your career in 5 years? Honestly, I am pretty blessed where I am. I want to continue learning a n d ke e p i n g u p w i t h insurance trends so that I can continue to be a resource to my agent partners. I came from the captive side of the

industry. I am learning about the independent side, which is fascinating. 28 years in the business and I feel as though I am just touching the surface. Insurance is a fascinating field because you are constantly learning. No one knows everything ever, especially with so many changes constantly happening.

7. If you were sitting in an interview chair right now and the question was asked “Why should I hire you?” Share what your response would be. Because I can bring value and have proven that in the past. I can influence and have proven that. I have a very strong work ethic and have proven that. If you want someone that will go above and beyond, I am that person.

8. When it comes to your ﬁnal decision on accepting a job oﬀer, please rank (1-10) as to order of importance. Add any not listed. Most important to less important to Marisol:

Salary

Benefits i.e health & dental;

Career Growth; Opportunity Supported;

A true commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion ( Measurable Trails of it)

Flexibility to work at home 2 or more times a week

Reputable & Trustworthy Company

Transparency

Tuition Reimbursement

Ability to work from home 100% of time.

Travel (How much travel do you have to do)

9. In a recent article https://www.fastcompany.com/ 90719359/employee-engagement-is-out-heres-a-bettermetric ﬁve employee archetypes were identiﬁed, see below. Which one do you most identify with, and what do you think about the data collected as to what motivates this type.

Can you be speciﬁc as to what motivates you. Put Builder and Achiever together and you have me. Being in sales you have to be able to engage on a high level with clients, peers, employees etc. but you also have to quantify and meet monthly sales goals. This has been part of my existence for 28 years. I am pretty competitive and highly motivated by incentives, contests and acknowledgement. What mainly motivates me though is my desire to help others and be revered as an asset.

MARLENE Marlene Perez, Senior Financial Analyst, Mexican American, 44 As a woman of color in the oil and gas industry for over 15 years, I have seen some improvements. However, there is I still a great need for Latina re p re s e n t a t i o n i n t h e higher paying jobs and the c-suites.

1. Everyone is talking about the Great Resignation these days, have you experienced it

yourself. In other words, did you quit your job in 2020, 2021, 2022. Can you explain what drove that decision? I have not resigned from my current job.

2. Assuming you were either forced and given a choice to work from

home, please share

3.The pandemic gave

what your thoughts are

way to time to think

about going back to

about our future and

the oﬃce? In other

we quickly learned

words, will you go back

what was truly

to a 5 day a week

important to us. Given

oﬃce?

that, what changes are

I personally would rather have a flexible work schedule. I have to say that at the beginning of the pandemic I had a hard time adjusting to working from home but now it’s a diﬀerent story. I enjoy having flexibility during the day and I also miss the face to face interaction from working at the office.

you personally committing to so that you do not return to 50 hour work week; including commute time? During this pandemic I had a lot of time to reflect on my current situation and I have committed to truly enjoy what matters the most to me which is m y f a m i l y. I have committed to scheduling

monthly fun activities during the week with my family and giving myself a mental break from work.

i.e. online classes,

4. Can you describe

A combination of online learning and keeping a close contact with mentors that inspire me.

your ideal workplace? Please be as speciﬁc as possible. My ideal workplace is a place where I would feel comfortable speaking up if something doesn’t feel right. Overall, a place w h e r e t h e r e ’s a t r u e family/work balance and I would feel respected and treated fairly.

5. How are you continuing to grow in your area of expertise,

higher ed, mentors, associations, networking?

6. Where do you see your career in 5 years. I see myself stepping out of my current role in Finance and moving on to more of an operations role. I am looking to step out of my comfort zone and utilize some of my problem solving and customer skill sets.

7. If you were sitting in an interview chair right now and the question was asked “Why should I hire you?” Share what your

response would be?

I am a Latina who has successfully overcome diﬀerent challenges in my life personally and in my career. These challenges have made me gritty, determined, and adventurous.

8. In a recent article: https://www.fastcompany.com/ 90719359/employee-engagement-is-out-heresa-better-metric five employee archetypes were identified, see below. Which one do you most identify with, and what do you think about the data collected as to what motivates this type. Can you be specific as to what motivates you. Based on the 5 archetypes I consider myself more of a Builder. I feel motivated and comfortable to produce more when the environment is peaceful and I am not being micro managed. I enjoy working independently and when there’s a need to engage with others I like an environment that feels friendly but sincere.

9. When it comes to your ﬁnal decision on accepting a job oﬀer, please rank (1-10) as to order of importance. Add any not listed. Most important to less important

Salary

Flexibility to work at home 2 or more times a week

Perks-bonuses, stock options, 401K

Benefits i.e health & dental;

A true commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion ( Measurable traits of it)

Career Growth. Opportunity Supported Paid for by Company

Transparency

Tuition Reimbursement

Travel (How much travel do you have to do)

Ability to work from home 100% of Time

LUCERO Lucero Carrasco, BMO Harris-Campus Recruiter, Mexican American, 30 As a women of color, I

experience. I started

was not given the same

working for a bank where

opportunities to learn

I gained skill in retail

from a family with a

banking and customer

corporate background. I

service. It took me a

did not graduate with a

while to make the salary

college degree nor did I

that

have the money to go to

American student would

college. What I know

make after graduating

about working in the

right out of college. I am

corporate world was

continuing to move in

learned from actual work

the right direction now,

average

but it will take some time

a n d n e e d e d a m o re

for me to catch up.

challenging role. In

1. Everyone is talking

November 2021, I left my

about the Great

role as a bank manager

Resignation these

and started a new role as

days, have you

a Campus Recruiter for

experienced it

BMO.

yourself. In other

2. Assuming you were

words, did you quit

either forced and

your job in 2020, 2021,

given a choice to

2022. Can you explain

work from home,

what drove that

please share what

decision.

your thoughts are

I did not quit my job, but

about going back to

I did transition from the

the oﬃce? In other

retail line of business to

words, will you go

recruiting within the

back to a 5 day a week

bank. I realized that I had

oﬃce?

already mastered my role

I have actually enjoyed

committing to so

working from home in

that you do not

my new role, but I

return to 50 hour

would not mind

work week;

working a couple days

including commute

from the office as well.

time?

I like to have face to

One of the reasons I

face interactions with

also wanted a change

my co-workers.

in roles was because of

3. The pandemic

my commute time. I

gave way to time to

was driving 45 minutes

think about one’s

to my office from home

future, and we

and that was time I felt

quickly learned

had been wasted.

what was truly

4. Can you describe

important to us.

your ideal

Given that, what

workplace. Please

changes are you

be as speciﬁc as

personally

possible.

With my new role I

5. How are you

have shifted to work

continuing to grow in

from home lifestyle,

your area of

and I quite enjoy it. I

expertise, i.e. online

am able to focus more

classes, higher ed,

on all the tasks I need

mentors,

to do, although I do

associations,

work way more hours

networking?

than in my last job, but

In this new role in HR-

I don’t mind because I

recruiting, I have taken

a m i n m y c o m fo r t

up LinkedIn learning to

zone. I have always

learn how to excel in my

been a home body so

new role as a campus

working from home

recruiter. I am always

has been great for me

looking to perfect my

to really concentrate

craft and be better than I

on my work.

was the day before. I am currently learning a lot and continue to grow my

knowledge through new

right now and the

experiences in the

question was asked:

workplace.

Why should I hire

6. Where do you see

you? Share what your

your career in 5 years?

response would be.

I am not sure exactly

Because I have the

where I will be in 5 years,

experience you need,

but I do know that I want

mixed

to continue my career at

enthusiastic personality

BMO, preferably in HR or

and my willingness to

Community Aﬀairs. In my

learn and adapt. I have

personal life, I see myself

built a reputable brand

having children within

for myself in this

the next five years and

industry, that you can

striving for a healthy

witness not only through

mind, body and spirit

my LinkedIn profile, but

overall.

also

7. If you were sitting

professionals that have

in an interview chair

worked with me.

with

asking

8. When it comes to your ﬁnal decision on accepting a job oﬀer, please rank (1-10) as to order of importance Add any not listed. Most important to less important to Lucero 1

Career Growth& Opportunity Supported & Paid for by Company

Salary

Benefits i.e health & dental;

Perks-bonuses, stock options, 401K

A true commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion ( Measurable Trails of it)

Transparency

Ability to work from home 100% of Time

Flexibility to work at home 2 or more times a week

Travel (How much travel do you have todo)

Tuition Reimbursement

9. In a recent article https://www.fastcompany.com/ 90719359/employee-engagement-is-out-heres-abetter-metric five employee archetypes were identified, see below. Which one do you most identify with, and what do you think about the data collected as to what motivates this type. Can you be specific as to what motivates you.

I believe I am a Builder archetype. I am definitely motivated by a company that oﬀers great rewards to their employees for going above and beyond their tasks. And I also enjoy a workplace where you can have fun and build lasting friendships with colleagues. To learn more about Lucero Carrasco go to: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucero-carrasco/