What To Do When You Experience Racism At Work

TweetShareShare The stories of being Black in the workplace are all too common. Julie,* an accountant, was asked to straighten her natural hair as her CEO, a white male, didn’t think it was professional. Monique, while applying for a promotion at her university, was not put forward to the next round of interviews because the CEO didn’t want to advance a “token” for the position. Sharon was asked to be on yet another project at her bank.

As a consultant in diversity and inclusion , I hear stories every week that depict the two types of workplace racism–explicit and subtle. Explicit racism is easier to decipher; and it’s the one often found in a company’s diversity statement to address the use of racial slurs, offensive symbols or deliberately excluding someone because of their race. Most of the racism Black people experience in the workplace today is not overt. It’s subtle and ambiguous.

A Hard Truth You are on your own. The Human Resources department, from its habitual defensive crouch, is not your friend or ally. The HR department’s primary task is to protect the company. It’s why so many leaders who have been accused of racial discrimination are still on the job. The law is clear that if you make a claim of racial bias that HR needs to investigate. They will do so, but the focus is to ensure that nothing occurred that will put the company at risk.

Explicit Racism Most Americans are conditioned to respond negatively to overt and intentional racism. Many are educated about the use and intent of the N-word, swastikas, the Ku Klux Klan and burning crosses, and to see a hanging noose as racist and very wrong. Your chances of getting support from colleagues and management is better in incidents where you can document that a colleague called you the N-word or circulated a racist meme . Speak up immediately in situations of overt racism.

WomenWhoTech Two take away a from this great article. HR is there to protect the company. Prepare to leave. If you decide to approach HR, it’s not advisable for you to stay after the case is closed.

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