Employers have a moral and legal obligation to address racism in the work environment. While many are already making tangible progress to eliminate racism, it still remains a pervasive problem across organisations globally.

Just in the UK, for example, a report from the Fawcett Society and the Runnymede trust revealed that 75% of women of colour have experienced racism at work, and 27% have suffered racial slurs. And in 2022, a study by the TUC suggested that more than 120,000 workers quit jobs because of racism in the workplace.

With numerous statistics painting such a bleak, but sadly real, picture of the work that still needs to be done – businesses need to stamp out racism in the workplace as a priority.

Why do efforts to stamp out racism often fall short?

Efforts often fall short when employers are reactive in their approach and fail to tackle racism at the root, which involves understanding the many ways it can show up in the workplace. While racism can take the form of explicit acts of discrimination, it can also encompass more subtle, often unintentional forms including microaggressions which can be just as damaging.

Examples might include; questioning or touching the hair of a Black employee – which disregards personal boundaries and treats the individual as an object of curiosity; doubting the intelligence or competence of racially diverse employees – which reinforces harmful stereotypes; and making comments about clothing choices, which can imply the individual does not conform to the perceived “norm” of the workplace.

Irrespective of whether the incident is intentional or not, racially-fuelled incidents can have a catastrophic impact on an employee in the short and long-term, and outside of the work environment. The repercussions of one incident do not stop at the individual either – rather they can seep into all four corners of an organisation, create toxic work cultures, stifle creativity, damage reputation, and reinforce the bad practices that can impede the progress of racially diverse professionals.

Six actions that raise the bar of best practice

Given the potential impact to people and business, it’s crucial employers act preventatively, step up and move beyond the basics. With that in mind, we’ve outlined six strategies that raise the bar of best practice on tackling racism in the workplace.

1/ Build confidence in diverse allyship

In reality, every single person holds racial stereotypes and biases, whether consciously or unconsciously. Having a network of allies is important because it opens up the opportunity to hear different perspectives, which the employee may not otherwise have access to.

It’s vital that businesses embed training and workshops that bring these biases to light alongside practical tools to both identify these when they manifest and eradicate them once and for all.

INvolve’s range of inclusion solutions are a great way to begin teaching employees about the lived experiences and histories of racially diverse employees, alongside teaching employees what is acceptable and what may offend both within the context of a workplace, and in society more broadly. True allyship involves actively learning, listening, taking action and advocating for racially diverse colleagues, even when they are not in the room.

2/ Always consider intersectionality

The term “intersectionality” was coined in 1989 by professor Kimberlé Crenshaw specifically to describe the barriers Black women often face, and has since come to encompass how race, class, gender, and other individual characteristics “intersect” with one another and shines a light on the barriers that some individuals may face as a result.

Intersectional identities experience racism and other prejudices uniquely due to the overlapping nature of their social categories. For instance, Black women face a “double glass ceiling,” contending with both racial and gender biases that limit their opportunities and recognition in professional settings more than their white female or Black male peers.

Similarly, Asian communities encounter the “model minority” myth, which erases diversity within their experiences and burdens them with unrealistic expectations. This stereotype often masks issues of discrimination and creates divisions between communities.

Recognising intersectionality allows you to tailor diversity and inclusion strategies to support employees with varying intersecting identities. This approach is also critical for building effective allyship, because it demonstrates an understanding that racial and gender discrimination, for example, are not mutually exclusive.

3/ Provide employee network group leaders with dual sponsorship

Having two sponsors – one with the lived experience and one without – ensures that network leaders receive support from someone who understands their experiences, while also bringing an ally who can advocate from an external perspective. This approach also enriches discussions by providing diverse perspectives, and broadens the scope of support for ERG leaders, helping them to navigate complex workplace dynamics and advocate for necessary changes more effectively.

4/ Give ERG Leaders the time and budget to fulfil their role

The expectation placed on ERG Leaders is often not matched with the time and resources needed to deliver. Consequently, ERG Leaders may struggle to carry out their role effectively, which can reduce the overall impact of the group. It’s also important to acknowledge that leading an ERG can be emotionally and mentally taxing, particularly in times of crisis.

For ERG Leaders to effectively plan events, organise training sessions and engage with members, without sacrificing the quality of work, employers must give them the time and budget to fulfil their role. Supporting your ERG Leaders in the right way will not only help to increase the impact and sustainability of the group, it also sends a message to employees that you view DEI as integral to the company’s success.

The TNON ERG Quarterly Forum supports ERG Leaders who are focused on driving race equity in their organisations. We help ERG Leaders to establish high-performing steering committees, create effective race equity strategies and attract influential stakeholders to advocate for and sponsor the advancement of racial minority talent within their organisations.

5/ Be mindful of the burden often placed on ERG Leads

During times of crisis, organisations must be strategic and thoughtful about how they leverage employee resource groups and leads, without overburdening them. ERG Leaders are often from the racialised groups that are directly impacted, and whilst they should be at the forefront of race-related discussions, they should not be the sole voices in the room – and the burden of responsibility to drive change must not be shouldered by them exclusively.

Placing all responsibility on ERG Leaders to drive initiatives, produce comments, or ‘teach’ the wider organisation, can lead to hypervisibility and burnout. Extreme levels of hypervisibility can be traumatic for individuals – it may make them feel they are not recognised as an individual with a substantial contribution to make at work, beyond the colour of their skin. Remember, hypervisibility is not the fault of the individual; it is a symptom of an organisation’s lack of diversity.

“To truly empower ERG leaders, organisations should cultivate a support structure that integrates sponsorship, allyship and advocacy from senior leaders across departments. This holistic outlook, combined with an empathetic understanding of what ERG leaders face, fosters resilience and genuine impact; particularly in periods of crisis and complex situations. This will ensure ERG leaders can thrive and contribute meaningfully to the organisation’s culture,” – Liz Welbeck, Head of DEI and Talent Programmes, TNON

6/ Align the ERG strategy with the organisational strategy

Aligning the ERG’s strategy and principles with the organisation’s broader business objectives ensures the efforts are not seen as separate or peripheral, but are integral to the company’s success. When ERG strategies align with business objectives, all employees will see the value in engaging with, and supporting initiatives.

Having the right processes in place to manage racism when it occurs might deal with the incident in the present moment, but it will take a wider cultural shift to eradicate racism – in all of its forms – from the work environment.

For responsible employers, driving change involves committing time, budget and mindset to the deep work needed, and ensuring learning and action exists across all parts of the organisational ecosystem. Without this commitment, racism – alongside its catastrophic consequences – will remain pervasive in our workplaces.

‘Can I say that? How comfortable are we talking about race in the workplace?’ – download a copy of INvolve’s report, now.