How to tackle racism in the workplace without saying “racism”?

December 6, 2018 2:06 PM

Can it be done? Or should I just be planning my escape route? Some of the incidents I am thinking of are trivial—passing offensive comments from senior people—but some are not and have serious implications for my job prospects. (Things like the roles I get assigned to, how my work is valued relative to comparable work by white peers, my promotion prospects). Is there any way to address this meaningfully, without having a terribly confrontational and potentially damaging talk with senior management?

I should say that this has been a sustained pattern over the last year, and is not all in my head. Two colleagues have independently told me that they think there is an unconsciously racist component to how I’m being treated. The impact is serious enough that I will definitely quit this job if this goes on. Is it worth expending energy on trying to think of a productive way to tackle this with senior management? Or should I be pouring all my energy into trying to improve my performance and conducting a job search?

posted by Aravis76 to Work & Money (13 answers total)

You're asking my thoughts so here it goes:

You can't change the way adults are and think. Someone who casually makes passing offensive comments, isn't going change, and they're not going to (or be willing to) understand. People willing to institutionalize such behavior might be forced to change their actions, but their view points remain the same.

Given that, what do you want your future to be with these unchanging points of view?
posted by humboldt32 at 2:33 PM on December 6, 2018

Or should I be pouring all my energy into trying to improve my performance and conducting a job search? If there's not an issue with your performance, but rather an issue with how you're being treated despite your good performance, then you could exert all kind of effort to no real effect. And at that point yes, your next step is a job search.

On the other hand, yes, there can be real benefits to opening the conversation. I'm currently cultivating an angry manifesto that I will then turn into a reasonable document and then will use as scripting for a conversation I need to have with my boss. I'm comfortable doing that because I feel confident that he's trying to help and would actually be willing to listen to ways in which his actions are in fact hurtful. (the line between being supportive of X minority and talking about that support so much that X seems to be the defining characteristic beyond capabilities as an employee) Even so it will be tricky to have that conversation in a way that boss is not being incredibly awkward every time this comes up in future. If it weren't for my confidence that he's trying to help I would probably be scared to bring it up. Basically any time you have a conversation with someone about their behavior in your relationship, that's going to change the relationship (usually for the worse in the short term) even if it changes the behavior for the better. So if the relationship isn't strong enough to take the hit, that's going to be the end of your happy employment (things will just deteriorate). But a reasonably healthy relationship will recover, given some time and some conscious effort. It may not be comfortable, but you could definitely keep your job through it. I can't say what's best - it depends too much on the situation and the people involved.

That said, if you decide to leave rather than try to fix things, I'd really encourage you to leave behind a manifesto (ok fine a cautious short letter) about the fact that problems exist in the organization. Especially if you've got one solid reference there and another job elsewhere, there's not much to lose.
posted by aimedwander at 2:56 PM on December 6, 2018 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Two colleagues have independently told me that they think there is an unconsciously racist component to how I’m being treated.

If your colleagues say it to whoever it needs to be said to, there'd be advantage in that for you. It'll be more likely to be seen as objective rather than based on unrelated grievances. Harder to dismiss.

This might not be as personally satisfying, but it might be politically useful.
posted by clawsoon at 3:05 PM on December 6, 2018 [21 favorites]

Best answer: The passing offensive comments are perhaps the easiest to deal with, not that they're exactly easy. I recently had what I think was a pretty successful interaction with a coworker along those lines that went something like this:

HIM: "So-and-so is the most Jewish Catholic I've ever met."
ME (offering an easy out): "I'm not sure what you mean by that, and I'm not sure I want to."
HIM (digging in): "Well, he's really tight!"
ME (cheerfully): "That is an ugly stereotype about Jews!"
Him (defensive): "Well, you know, it's like a Hollywood stereotype."
ME (walking away now): "I love you anyway!"
~FIN~

In this instance, I was able to clearly call out the offensive comment for what it was and avoid engaging with my coworker's defense, moving straight to reconciliation while subtly reinforcing the fact that, yes, the comment was offensive. I was also able to extricate myself without giving my coworker the chance to double down. I think it worked, because we're still on good terms and he didn't come back later with a bunch of grievances and counter-arguments.

Now, this coworker is a peer and someone I'm pretty chummy with, someone who I sense is trying hard to be a Good Person. I think I could potentially pull something like this with my immediate supers and get away with it, but not with anyone higher than that who I don't work closely with. I also don't think it would work with someone who I didn't already have a friendly relationship with. A lot of people only seem able to react to this kind of criticism by getting mad, especially if it's coming from someone who they aren't close to, someone Not Like Me.

And then we come to the really hard stuff, like giving you lousy work and denying you opportunities because of your race. That is straight-up illegal, but often very hard to acutally prove. It also speaks to ingrained racism in the upper ranks of your company, and a racist company culture. That's too much for one person, especially the target, to change on their own. That's where I'd say you are probably going to have to quit and find somewhere better, maybe talk to a lawyer about whether you have a strong anti-discrimination case you could make.

If you want to stay and fight for change though, you'll need allies. Several of them at a minimum, and as senior as you can find. You need people who will commit to agitating for better treatment of minorities, push back against offensive remarks, and ask uncomfortable questions like, "How come the only brown person (or whatever) on the team is always the one who gets the boring, low-prestige assignments?" People who, when the company does internal surveys or asks for supervisor evaluations and similar, will put in writing that they have concerns about the company's treatment of minorities and would like to see the company do better. People who will spontaneously voice their concerns to HR. Ideally these allies will not be minorities themselves and so will not be dismissable as merely self-interested or bitter.

The company needs to hear it repeatedly, from many angles, from multiple people, and in official, on-record channels. They need to hear it over a long period of time. And they need to hear it from white people, especially white men. That may eventually wake them up and get them to realize that this is a problem which needs to be fixed. Maybe, or maybe not, depending on how racist the senior leadership is. If they're really rotten, nothing may be enough.

The easiest path would be to find a different job, no question. But if you have enough true allies, you might be able to do something.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 3:23 PM on December 6, 2018 [8 favorites]

One valuable step you can take is to consult with a lawyer who has expertise in employment discrimination law. There's an important legal context in which your employer's actions are situated, and it varies state by state and by the nature and size of the employer. There is no one-size-fits-all answer.

Legal advice doesn't always lead to a lawsuit. A lawyer can help you negotiate a successful separation from this company, if that's the best choice for you. But it may be valuable to make an internal complaint (if not a lawsuit), as this often creates formal, legal protections against retaliation. Your lawyer can help you figure this out.
posted by ferdydurke at 3:38 PM on December 6, 2018 [4 favorites]

Is there a reason you are not reporting this to your HR department? This definitely sounds like a hostile work environment.
posted by pantarei70 at 3:43 PM on December 6, 2018 [1 favorite]

Unless this workplace is actively talking about diversity, equity, and inclusion and actively taking action to set expectations about how they expect these values to be put into practice each and everyday, then I wouldn't have high hopes for seeing any sort of shift in behavior.

These sorts of implicit and explicit biases cannot be addressed without intentionally addressing them. There has to be continuous example set from the top (CEO, COO, CFO, Board) for these issues to be taken seriously. HR isn't going to be much help unless they have it from higher authority that these issues are meant to be taken seriously.

So I would take my cues from what you are hearing in memos and communications from the c-suite. If you don't have confidence that there is back-up, then just get out as soon as possible.
posted by brookeb at 4:03 PM on December 6, 2018 [6 favorites]

Training for what to do in those situations is a big part of what the organization Hollaback! is all about. Shawna Potter from the Baltimore chapter gave an excellent training at my work on how to be an effective bystander: both what to do when you can really step up and be forceful, as well as strategies for when you need to be more subtle. This video of the talk should be open to the public. (It's a shortened form of her full training.)


Bystander Intervention is a strategy for prevention harassment and stems from the philosophy that people make decisions and continue behaviors based on the reactions from others. Bystander Intervention training can serve as a complement to current workplace harassment programs. Moving beyond the do’s and don’ts, Bystander Intervention training equips each employee with the tools to intervene when they observe actions in the workplace that are misaligned with the organization’s values, policies, and procedures.

With many years of expertise in providing Bystander Intervention training to a wide variety of organizations, Hollaback! is uniquely positioned to help organizations create a culture where harassment is more quickly identified and effectively addressed at all levels of the organization.

Shawna Potter is a local activist, educator, author, and founder of the Baltimore chapter for the Hollaback! organization. Her talk will cover the following:

• Gain an understanding of what harassment is, where it happens, what it can look like, and its impacts in the workplace
• Develop communication and conflict management skills using our 5Ds of bystander intervention approach
• Learn how your identity and experiences shape how you show up as a bystander
• Empower employees as bystanders, equipping everyone in the workplace to prevent or stop harassment
• Enhance organizational culture and employee engagement

Shawna is the founder of the Baltimore chapter of Hollaback! and ran it from 2011-2015, before stepping back as an Advisory Board Member to pursue other interests and encourage other young feminists to take a leadership role. As the founder of Hollaback! Bmore, she speaks publicly about and trains venues for their Safer Spaces Campaign. She’s been interviewed about feminism, safer spaces, bystander intervention, women in music, and more in outlets like the New York Times, the Washington Post, Noisey, Alternative Press, and PopSugar. Named a “Woman to Watch” in 2016 by the Baltimore Sun, Shawna is not satisfied waiting for the world to change and is doing her part in helping create safer spaces all over the east coast.

posted by spbmp at 5:16 PM on December 6, 2018 [3 favorites]

Best answer: I think this would be an uphill battle, even with allies within your institution, and I think it would cost you more in stress and aggravation than you'd gain in the best-case scenario (which isn't guaranteed by any means. What is guaranteed is stress and aggravation). The racism is obvious enough to colleagues for them to spontaneously point it out... I can't think of a subtle way of persuading these people to see the value in your work others do, if they're not inclined to; I predict they'd dig in their heels and rationalize - because to explicitly admit that "racism has fuelled our choices here" would be risky, potentially damaging to them, both personally and professionally. But getting them to that point would be a challenge - they think they've made appropriate choices, to suggest otherwise would be to say their professional judgment is compromised. What's the best case scenario? I don't think it would be these people saying, "We're very sorry, we've made an error, how could we have overlooked you", and paying you the respect you deserve - it would be you forced into fighting your way into a role and responsibilities people are reluctant to offer, with a lot of grief along the way, and the fairness of any gains might be in question. Or you could be fired. Or in (imo) the worst case, you're not fired, and you stay where you are (or with even fewer responsibilities or less respect), and endure worse treatment.

This is just my gut feeling, it's not based on personal experience - talking to people of colour familiar with your institution or field would be ideal. But FWIW, I do think you'd be better off (in terms of outcomes and quality of life through an ordeal like this) going somewhere your value is already understood and appreciated.
posted by cotton dress sock at 8:52 PM on December 6, 2018 [2 favorites]

Is there any way to address this meaningfully, without having a terribly confrontational and potentially damaging talk with senior management?

I'm puzzled by how abstract "senior management" is. Who's your direct supervisor? Have you had this conversation with them? That's your very first step - unless they are someone you see as part of the problem, someone who is doing these behaviors.

Going right to HR isn't necessarily the best advice. You need to evaluate the capacity of your HR team. If the organization isn't particularly "woke" already - that is, doesn't have a good diversity hire track record, doesn't have a DEAI advisory board, doesn't have clear statements on workplace equity - they might not be particularly adept at dealing with these issues. Some organizations have fantastic and responsive HR teams. Some organizations have HR teams that are in the dark ages, and will treat any raising of racial issues as a potential lawsuit waiting to happen and make moves to contain and disempower.

There's no way to make much progress on this as an individual - you need some kind of advocacy. If your boss isn't an advocate, and HR isn't an advocate, you might consider convening a more formal conversation among employees of color and allies to discuss patterns you can see, and can document. Then, perhaps, you can agree that there are issues that are systemic and not about individual performance, systems that make the workplace unwelcoming for people of different identities, and present that finding in an appropriate venue with some clear requests - such as having a consultant or some training, developing a performance-based response to microaggressions, etc.

But dust off your resume anyway. If it's going to be a fight, you'll have to weigh whether you want to conduct that fight, which may be long and lonely, or whether you just want to use your short life to work somewhere you're welcome. Organizations that can't figure this out won't be employers of choice in the future. But you don't have to be the one that makes this organization figure it out, if you don't want to focus on that.
posted by Miko at 4:44 AM on December 7, 2018 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks, everyone. Just to clear up my vague language about "senior management"--I'm in an academic job, so I don't have a direct supervisor beyond the head of my department and the membership of the various academic committees that decide on questions like promotions, roles etc. The head of my department is the person I prefer not to raise this with in very blunt terms, given his relationship with the people in question and his own role in e.g. assigning me to particular jobs and not to others.
posted by Aravis76 at 9:46 AM on December 7, 2018

Best answer: Given the fact that you are in an academic environment, I would be very surprised if there wasn't some office that wasn't expressly working on DEI issues on campus. I would start by exploring what kind of initiatives they are taking and see if there are roundabout ways to bring their work into your department. I would also see if there are campus associations for faculty of color at your institution. You might find support and suggestions there.

That said, I think the prospects for a good outcome seem slim. If the people engaging in racist microagressions have tenure sanctioning them could be very difficult, particularly if your department head has chummy relations with them. I think the potential for retaliation is high, if not explicit retaliation, then the kind of gossipy-at-conferences and such retaliation that would be hard to actually know about, document, and do something about.

You should be able to focus on your research, your publishing, your teaching and you should be in a department that is helping you to advance your academic career not hinder it by giving you poor assignments. I would not invest too much of your professional career at an institution that's not going to invest in you.
posted by brookeb at 2:03 PM on December 7, 2018 [6 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks to everyone who helped me think through this. As a belated update, I did decide to move on and I start a new job this autumn.
posted by Aravis76 at 12:12 AM on May 3, 2019 [1 favorite]