How Workplace Sabotage Shows Up Among Latinas in Tech
Let’s talk about workplace sabotage, the kind that doesn’t come from outsiders, but from inside our own community.
As a Latina salary negotiation strategist and coach for Latinas in tech, I’m here to say something that might make some people uncomfortable but it has to be said:
Gatekeeping within our own community is destroying us.
Yup, I said it.
We LOVE to post about "empowering Latinas," "representation matters," and "breaking barriers."
But when the opportunity comes to actually put another Latina on, to share the salary numbers, to recommend her for a role, to advocate for her in a room she's not in?
Nada.
Workplace Sabotage Rooted in Fear
Let's call it what it is: competition rooted in fear.
Listen, I get it. We've been conditioned to believe there's only one seat at the table. That if one of us makes it, it’s game over for everyone else.
But that's a lie white supremacy and patriarchy have sold us for generations. And too many of us are still buying it.
We say ¡Pa'lante, pa'lante! but sometimes act like only if I'm the one in front.
That mindset? It's holding us ALL back.
Salary Gatekeeping Is Workplace Sabotage
Here's what's really happening when we gatekeep:
We keep the gender pay gap alive
We stay isolated instead of building a community that can fight for collective power
We let white-dominated systems win because divided, we are easier to keep down
Sis, we already have to work twice as hard to get half as much. The last thing we need is to be dragging each other down.
If you're not helping another Latina win, you're helping the system keep us losing.
If you know how to negotiate and don't share that game? Gatekeeping.
If you hear about a role but don't tell another qualified Latina? Gatekeeping.
If you're silent in rooms where decisions are made that affect other Latinas? Gatekeeping.
Your silence is not neutral. It’s complicit in keeping us underpaid, unseen, and undervalued.
The Lies We’ve Been Sold
Why are we doing this to ourselves?
Because we’ve been fed these lies:
There's only one spot at the table
If I help her, she might outshine me
If I share my salary, she might ask for more than me
This mindset keeps us stuck.
Companies LOVE when we don’t talk to each other. They win. We lose.
Staying Silent in the Room Hurts Us All
If you're in the room and other Latinas aren't, be her voice until she can get there herself.
We can’t say we’re about empowerment if we’re not about action.
We can’t close the wage gap if we’re competing instead of collaborating.
We can’t fight the system if we’re too busy fighting each other.
How to Interrupt Workplace Sabotage
Here's what we need to start doing TODAY:
Share what you know. If you got that offer, share the number. Share the title. Share how you negotiated.
Say her name. If a role comes up and you're not a fit, pass it on to another Latina.
Mentor without ego. Don’t just mentor to feel good. Mentor to build a real pipeline of Latinas coming up behind you.
Speak up when it's hard. If you're in a room and other Latinas aren't, speak up.
Check each other with love. If you see another Latina gatekeeping, call her in. Remind her we rise together.
Sis, there is room for ALL of us.
Your success does NOT take away from mine.
Her raise doesn't mean you won't get one.
There is abundance when we act like a community.
Want help learning how to negotiate AND uplift other Latinas while you do it? Let's talk.
FAQs on Workplace Sabotage in Tech
-
Workplace sabotage refers to behaviors, intentional or not, that hurt someone’s career progression. It can include gatekeeping, withholding information, or undermining someone’s success.
-
Start by sharing salary info, mentoring without ego, recommending other Latinas for roles, and speaking up in rooms where decisions are made.
-
It builds collective power, increases representation, closes wage gaps, and strengthens the next generation of Latina leaders in tech.
Ending Workplace Sabotage Starts With Us
Here's the last thing I'll say because I need you to hear this with your whole chest:
Next time you get in that room, or get that offer, or hear about that role, think of the other Latinas who deserve to be there too.
Because when one of us wins, we ALL win. But only if we act like it.