In this week’s guest column, diversity champion and speaker Adrian Arundel Clarke provides expert advice on how to deal with racism at work; as well as practical tools and strategies to help leaders and individuals engage in anti-racist behaviour.
Nobody starts their day with the intention to be racist at work; yet despite this, racism occurs more than you might imagine in the workplace. From micro-aggressions to major incidents, these events are awful for the recipients; leading to a loss of belonging, emotional distress, alienation and even chronic illness.
The purpose of this article is twofold. The first is examine some of the causes of this behaviour; and secondly to offer strategies for employers and staff to combat racism and move to allyship. I’m on a mission to increase everyone’s understanding of race, racism and give you the tools to become anti-racist.
RACISM AT WORK
Racism affects all of us, perpetrators and recipients. In fact, I would argue that both are victims of this pernicious social evil. The former is diminished; and reduced to a false idea of being superior or better than the victims, who are viewed as powerless and less worthy. Witnessing this at work often places both a burden and an opportunity on employees to do something about it. For some enlightened employers, this is a chance to showcase their equality policies.
I think it is important that employers listen carefully to their minority workers concerns, treat their concerns seriously, be sensitive and empathetic; and above all show a willingness to act. For example, implement changes after consultation. The values of an organisation are only as authentic as the people who breathe life into them. If the words ‘inclusion’ or ‘diversity’ are appearing in your internal and external communications then quite simply, actions speak louder than words.
A good example of this in practice was recently illustrated by Sainsbury’s regarding the Twitter storm following its Christmas advert last year featuring a Black family to represent Modern Britain. Sainsbury’s not only defended the advert after it was targeted by online trolls; but also reiterated its support for “Black History Month”. Additionally, the supermarket issued a statement that it would be providing safe spaces to help Black colleagues “come together to share their experiences and support one another”. This is important because it shows that an inclusive culture can only survive and thrive when organisations have values and policies that are relevant; and make a difference to all their stakeholders.
THE COST OF BEING A BYSTANDER
Conversely, doing nothing and being merely a bystander to racism is costly, unproductive and can create a culture of fear; which can also impact the bottom line. Diverse and inclusive organisations thrive and add enormous value in socio and economic terms. Doing the right thing can also be both good for staff wellbeing and the firm’s balance sheet.
So why is racism still happening in 2021? To comprehend this we need to understand, recognise and accept that racism has been with us for hundreds of years. It has similar features to the Covid-19 pandemic. It has produced many variants. It is also contagious and highly adaptive; bottom line, it can have devastating consequences. Many people find it easier to identify direct racism. Others struggle with the idea of institutional, structural, interpersonal and internalised forms of racism.
Obvious examples of direct racism have been highlighted in the crude political systems, such as Apartheid South Africa, genocide in Nazi Germany, Jim Crowe Laws in segregated USA. It is fair to summise that we in the UK have progressed from the 60s and 70s, where crude name calling and non-existent legislation meant that non-White communities were excluded from many aspects of UK life. Advertisements during that time, such as “no dogs, no Irish, no coloureds” were commonplace; as well as restrictive employment practices. The refusal of Bristol Bus Company to hire non-White staff is a good example.
UNDERSTANDING WHITE PRIVILEGE
Nowadays people express their racism either through ignorance in some cases, but also through the prism of White privilege; a term that emanated from America and is considered to be unhelpful, inaccurate and plain wrong in the context of the UK experience. My recent presentation attempts to unpick this assertion whilst showing that that term White privilege is relevant to us in the UK. I believe the lived experience of non-White people puts them at a disadvantage because many of their problems stem from the fact that they are not White.
The colour white has through the passage of time enabled and provided its community with some benefits. This historical idea of White, by definition not Black, has a special legal status going back to the 17th century. In many ways it sets the tone and relationship between the western European discourse with the African and Indian sub-continent.
Being White does not wholly insulate or prevent White people from experiencing many of the problems that Black people suffer. Poverty, poor housing, health inequalities and relatively high unemployment are concerns that affect all communities; including the White working-class communities.
FIXING LACK OF DIVERSITY IN TOP ROLES
An understanding of the concept of White privilege is important to fully appreciate the experience of Black people in the job market; including high unemployment rates for Black people in the UK. It was 9.5% for Black people and 4.5% for White people (between October and December 2020). Further disparities occurred at the leadership level in large companies, where the lack of Black representation at top of FTSE 100 companies fell to zero, despite public commitments to increase diversity in leadership. According to executive diversity recruitment firm Green Park, just 10 out of the 297 leaders in the top three roles have ethnic minority backgrounds.
This means that despite a small increase in the numbers from other ethnic minority groups in these top positions, there has been no overall progress in ethnic minority representation since the consultancy began compiling numbers some six years ago. In short, these figures highlight that fact that systemic and structural racism does exist in the UK. Additionally organisations and leaders must do more to stamp it out.
AN ESSENTIAL ANTI-RACISM TOOLKIT
Today, however, it’s simply not enough to say I’m not racist. You have to be actively anti-racist. That requires a degree of understanding, knowledge, humility, courage and acceptance. Here are a few strategies to help stamp out bias and racist behaviour; and combat micro-aggressions racism at work. They include:
- Managers/leaders should undertake anti-racist training courses as an integral part of their employment. This is different to unconscious bias training. Additionally companies must be proactive not reactive. It is not good enough to be non-racist, you must be actively anti-racist. There are good examples of this in the world of sport and entertainment. For example, star tennis player Andy Murray and his active support of an equal prize money for female tennis players, has resulted in women and men achieving the same prize money at Wimbledon. Similarly, the recent sponsorship of women’s golf by US Open Champion Justin Rose has raise the profile of women’s golf. In the acting profession, Benedict Cumberbatch has refused to work on film projects where women get paid less. He insists his female co-stars get paid the same as men. Thanks to voices like his, the Oscars and BAFTA have made substantial changes to ensure more diversity in nominations for major awards. These changes, illustrating real change and true allyship, can be incorporated into and adopted by the business world. Research has shown that Black and Asian people often get paid less in the private sector. The ethnicity pay gap can be eradicated by being transparent, and simply publishing ethnicity pay differentials. Companies should not wait for government legislation.
- Speak up. Use your power and social media platform to call out injustice; don’t pretend that racism does not exist. If you don’t believe it, you won’t see it or hear it when your employees or colleagues complain about it. Acknowledge that colour prejudice does exist. Avoid the mantra “we don’t see colour”. The beauty of being anti-racist is that you don’t have to pretend to be free of racism to be anti-racist.
- Encourage your colleagues to educate themselves more on cultural matters. Read, watch, listen to the plethora of resources out there that showcase our diverse society. The burden should not be solely placed on Black people or ethnic minorities to explain/retell their stories. White people with economic power have a responsibility to actively do something to bring about change. To bring about a more equitable society we all have to support each other, especially those that have the most power have to actively participate in the act of change. Employers can also help employees understand the contribution and history of others. The role played by the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade in the wealth of the City of London is well-documented. Employees could attend short history tours to explore their company’s history, such as walking around London’s docklands to experience and witness the importance of London in the sugar trade. Many clues can be found in street names, such as Jamaica Road and The West India Docks.
- Companies need to do more than tweet a hashtag or issue a pledge/statement. They need to hire more people of colour. Latest data from the Resolution Foundation show that the unemployment rate for Black youth aged between 16 to 24 double the rate of White people in the same age group. Companies need to spend more money targeting this demographic through sponsorship, etc.
IMPROVING RACE RELATIONS AT WORK
To improve race relations at work I strongly recommend that leadership positions in the private and public sector should firstly reflect their workforce. It is also important to use training and research to enhance cooperation, respect and engagement between all stakeholders. It is better to nip racist bad behaviour in the bud by creating a positive culture in the workplace. Leaders can do this by encouraging dialogue; listening to the concerns of minority workers; and by creating a culture of belonging and mutual respect where all employers are valued.
In short, be brave. Have those courageous discussions by adopting a growth mindset, and creating a culture where making mistakes is part of the learning process. Avoid language/phrases such as “things are a lot better now”, or “I have many Black friends, so I am not racist”. These comments and attitudes create mistrust; and are counter-productive to creating a modern, dynamic, inclusive workplace culture for all employees. For more information on this topic, watch my recent talk “The Race for Equality Fights Against Microaggressions, with a Focus on White Privilege”, at the Diversity Festival 2021.
Check out Adrian Arundel Clarke’s previous guest column on how to stamp out racism in education, by clicking here.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Adrian Arundel Clarke is a teacher, speaker, consultant, writer and poet. He has studied law, history and politics at four UK universities, including Oxford University, Durham University, London Metropolitan University and Sussex University. After spending the initial part of his career in law and publishing, he decided to become a teacher, and has been in the teaching profession for the last 16 years. Clarke first taught Law, Citizenship and English, then went on to teach History, Citizenship and Business Studies at London’s Ernest Bevin College. He is currently leading Careers education at Ernest Bevin College. His role requires him to prepare all students for the world of work and adult life with timely information, advice and guidance, whilst developing and enhancing their life skills.
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