
With more companies attempting to enhance workplace diversity, one of the first steps that made is to eliminate discrimination at work. Racial discrimination in the workplace is prohibited under the Equality Act 2010 (prior complaints were covered by the Race Relations Act 1976), therefore fighting it is a legal and ethical requirement in India.
In this article, we'll look at what racism is, how it manifests itself in the workplace, and what businesses and their leaders can do to fight it.
Racism in the workplace
There are four sorts of discrimination that constitute racism at work, the Equality Act, and here's a quick rundown:
Direct racial discrimination:
If you are treated unfairly because of your color, this is known as direct racial discrimination. This may entail being passed over for a promotion because "your type wouldn't fit in," or being denied access to a client because "they are very conventional, so we'll send a Fair employee instead."
Indirect racial discrimination:
If workplace practices or choices discriminate against you or put you at a disadvantage because of your color, this is known as indirect racial discrimination. These policies may appear to be fair because they apply to everyone, yet they hurt black and brown individuals.
Racial harassment:
Racial harassment occurs when someone insults, offends or humiliates you because of your ethnicity. This can include obvious insults or statements, as well as any behavior that diminishes one's dignity or promotes a cruel environment.
Racial victimization:
If you are treated badly after filing a complaint about your ethnicity, you have been subjected to racial victimization. While the complaint is being investigated, this could mean being ignored or unfairly disciplined.
What should you do if you encounter racism at work?
It can be extremely tough to muster the courage to confront discrimination. Only over a fifth (17%) of our respondents stated they would notify HR if they witnessed an act of racism in the workplace. Two-fifths (39 percent) said they would not disclose it to anybody because they were afraid of the consequences. we have to ensure that workplace racism does not go unrecognized, we must confront these beliefs, and there are steps that leaders and employees can do to make this a reality.
Educate All Leaders and Trainers:
All employees must understand and are capable of recognizing and battling racism.
Being an inclusive editorial or manager should not be a one-time event or something that just a few people do regularly. All managers, regardless of their position, must understand and practice equality, diversity, and inclusion, as well as be able to demonstrate what they say and do to battle racism. As a result, the organization will be both friendly and legally compliant.
"What exactly have you said and done to confront standardized racism, and how are you monitoring if it's working?" the query goes. Is an excellent place to begin.
If employees cannot answer that question, the organization should guarantee that everyone, whether a supervisor, manager or CEO, understands what activities they are expected to take in their capacity.
This procedure is carried out in a structured and professional manner. Those with Diversity and inclusion (D&I) responsibilities in-house can improve their capacity to advance your diversity agenda by enrolling in a management school that includes an equality and diversity certification.
Recognize the issue and gather data
A detailed examination of how a person's race leads to structural advantage or disadvantage is required for all excellent leadership and management. This permits decisions to be properly guided by facts and metrics rather than unsupported impressions that could worsen the problem.
This entails creating and committing to diverse data collection processes. This could involve the following:
1. The race of disciplined employees.
2. The racial formatting of teams at various levels of seniority.
3. Along with the gender pay gap, there is a racial pay difference.
From there, you must analyze the data regularly, present the findings to all managers and leaders, and devise action plans to correct any imbalances.
Be Responsible.
To earn the change, businesses must confront racism at work with passion, commitment, and skill. Part of this entails holding themselves accountable from the top down via targets that are reported on a regular and transparent basis.
This involves:
1. Treating situations with respect and conducting a thorough and unbiased investigation into their accusations
2. The issue should be addressed under previously established workplace regulations against racism, such as a no-discrimination policy.
3. Processes and working methods should be evaluated in light of the complaint - did they solve or exacerbate the issue?
Create a psychologically comfortable setting.
Employees who have witnessed or experienced racism must be allowed to communicate, affirm, and process their experiences without fear of being judged. Because of the potential penalties, BAME respondents were much less inclined to confront a racist occurrence, our findings. As a result, we must build psychologically secure working settings in which BAME employees, can challenge racist behavior.
Conclusion:
We know that these solutions will not fix all of the problems that our country is facing now. It may, however, serve as a reminder, particularly for non-black leaders, that there are things we can do. That is something we should do. To make our businesses and our community a better place. It's a start, though.