Dealing With Racism At Work — A Primer For Productive Problem Solving

Courtesy Of womensdish.comthe-workplace.html
Courtesy Of womensdish.com

It seems incredible, but many minorities have to deal with racism, sexism, and homophobia at work. While this article does focus on Racism, I do believe the same principles can be applied to sexism and homophobic behavior.?This brief list of suggestions is designed?to help?people that might be faced with racism, sexism, or homophobic behavior in the workplace.

Step 1. Determine the type and severity of the behavior making you uncomfortable.

Establishing what type of racist behavior you are dealing with can go a long way in avoiding a long ugly legal battle. Because discrimination cases can take years to resolve, it is always a good idea to attempt a dialog with an employee who directs racist language or behavior towards you.

For example, if someone makes an off-color joke that they heard from growing up, or even micro-aggressive comments directed towards your race or culture. That may just be a matter of sitting down and privately discussing what it is about their words and/or actions that makes you uncomfortable. It’s important not to allow yourself to get angry when doing so, because that will ensure a defensive response. If you can use a bit of humor to defuse any tension, that helps.

The best case scenario is that the person will recognize and appreciate the fact that you pulled them aside and addressed the issue rather than go directly to HR or management. In the worst case scenario, they will not care to change their behavior. That’s when you implement step 2.

Step 2. Know what support is available within your company.

It’s also vital to know how much support you have from your company. If the company seems to support a bully atmosphere, then it may be better to consider other career options rather than fight.

Establishing allies with supportive upper management can make a huge difference. Most companies will side with a productive positive employee moreso than with a negative employee of any productivity level.

It’s also important to talk to other people who are being affected by the person in question’s behavior. If you have one or more people in the same predicament, then you should focus on pooling data collected from documenting.

Step 3. Stay calm and document.

Losing your temper and going off on a fellow employee or supervisor might make you feel better in the moment, but can destroy your career. When fighting racism, you have to approach the problem like a scientist would a nasty virus.

You have to document every interaction with the person in question. Save all emails, record phone conversations (where it legally allowable to do so), and save any written correspondence or pictures that are inappropriate.?

Also part of this step –?you should contact a civil rights attorney. At this point you might not have exhausted all of the options within your company, but a civil rights attorney often can give you valuable advice as to what to do next. This is?a part of the documentation process, as the attorney will also keep notes.

Step 4. Decide to fight or flee.

Depending on your situation, it may be better to look for a better job at a similar company, however you should not allow racism to go unchecked or challenged.

You can leave copies of your documentation with the company’s HR department as well as your state’s local workforce commission or attorney general. This way you can ensure that steps are being taken to correct the culture within the company that promotes racism.

Of course you can always fight. That might mean that this is a job you feel passionately about or at the time you don’t have any better options.

Either way you have to take steps to protect yourself from retaliation and “blacklisting.” Keep records of all your evaluations, make sure that you keep all your accolades and company recognized accomplishments. It’s harder for companies to paint people as “bad employees” when they have awards and positive evaluations stating otherwise.

Update your resume every 4 months or anytime you receive a notable accolade to put on it. Keeping an updated record of your positive track record is equally as important as documenting racist behavior.

Racism is a fact of life, but it doesn’t have to make you hate going to work everyday. You can still demand and get the respect you deserve in the work place. But it may take lots of patience, diligence, and discipline to effect the most beneficial outcome in your favor.