Handling Racial Discrimination at the Workplace
There are many things that people are willing to put up with at the workplace – discrimination because of race is definitely not one of them. We don’t choose to be born who we are, so to be discriminated against based on the color of our skin and our cultural heritage is against the order of nature. If you feel that you are at the receiving end of such discrimination, you need to know how to handle it. There are various ways to tackle such situations:
Ignore it: Although this is not the best thing to do, if the teasing or discrimination is not too disturbing or blatant, it’s easier to just ignore it. But, if you’re going to brush it off, you must be very sure that it does not affect your work or your peace of mind in any way.
Report it: If the problem is because of your colleagues, it’s best to report it to your superiors before its gets out of hand. If your employer itself is the problem and you find yourself being sidelined for promotions and other perks because of your race, you must take up your case with the local authorities or with organizations like the employment tribunal that have been set up to deal with and eradicate discrimination in the workplace.
Negotiate or take it to court: If you are going to sue the people who you hold responsible, you must have enough proof before you file suit. You could talk to an experienced lawyer to find out if you do have a strong and valid case. In some cases, employers may be willing to settle out of court or offer to make it up to you in the workplace. Negotiations are at times better than filing suit because they don’t take up as much of your time, effort and money.
Ensure that it does not happen again: It’s not enough to sue or seek redress for the discrimination that you’ve faced; you also need to ensure that you and others like you are not harassed or discriminated against. One way to do this is to encourage people to speak up if they think they are being sidelined because of their culture, nationality or color.
The Race Relations Act of 1976 was established in order to help people overcome race-related difficulties at the workplace and elsewhere. So take advantage of it if you think you’re being harassed, and work to putting an end to such practices.