You Better Think...
Aretha Franklin was right, when she sang, “You better think…”
When it comes to dealing with racism in the workplace, those 3 words should be at the forefront of every victim’s mind, except when you are combatting racism, you better think about what you're trying to accomplish (revealing racist words or actions, convincing members of authority to investigate a serious race-based issue, etc.).
Some racists in the workplace just come up with spur-of-the moment nonsense to say and do to Black coworkers. Other racists spend time proactively thinking of ways to target the Blacks they work with. For instance, they might spend time trying to figure out how to stop a Black coworker from getting a raise or promotion. Or, they might think of ways to prevent a Black coworker from getting a high profile assignment. Or, they might think of ways to sabotage a Black coworker who’s working on an assignment with them. Or, they could be contemplating ways to slander a Black coworker to other coworkers in the department or across the company, as a whole. I’ve seen all of those scenarios played out during my years of employment.
Regardless of whether or not a race-related incident at work was thought up on the spot or was premeditated, the fact is that Black workers have got to put some serious thought into how they will respond. Black workers must be very strategic about handling these sensitive issues.
So, whether you’ve been called an offensive name or have had someone work at every turn to prevent you from receiving advancement opportunities, Black workers must think about not only how they will respond, but to whom, and in what venue (face-to-face, via memo, etc.).
When Black workers complain about race-based issues, one of the common tactics that is used by authorities at work is to not focus on what the Black worker is saying, but on how they’ve said it/how they’ve voiced the complaint. It often doesn’t matter if the complaint is made in person or in writing. A White person, who is determined to marginalize or ignore a race-based incident, can find ways to make the Black person appear to be part of the problem, appear to be exaggerating, appear to be misunderstanding the situation, etc.
So, for today, here are 3 things to think about when making race-based complaints in person or in writing:
1) Think about the timing—don’t wait too long to complain. If you wait too long to voice a complaint about a serious race-based issue, don’t be surprised if the seriousness of the problem isn’t brought into question. Why did you wait? Even though we all know that workers fear retaliation for complaining (especially about race-related matters) and fear that they will be perceived as a troublemaker or race-baiter, people will often question why someone has hesitated to make a complaint about a very serious matter. Legally, fear of retaliation is considered reasonable, particularly if a worker has witnessed or heard of other complaining employees being subjected to retaliatory actions by an employer. In fact, you are not legally obligated to complain. However, there is an expectation that workers will complain about mistreatment. So, again, while it is understandable that you might hesitate, be sure to complain about your issue as soon as possible.
2) Think about explaining the specifics—don’t just burst into someone’s office saying that so-and-so is a racist. While, that may be true, you should always work to give context to any such claims of racism. Give specific examples of racist behavior. And, think about what you are labeling as racist activity. Make sure you are not dealing with personality issues. If you are dealing with a person, who treats everyone in the same horrible fashion and treats everyone EQUALLY as bad (not focusing more extreme attention on Blacks), then deal with the issue of an insensitive and bullying coworker as opposed to racism. If, in fact, you are sure you are combating workplace racism, then that’s what you should address. Think about your issue and be specific about what is happening and what is wrong. Give details, so that it is hard to dispute your point of view.
3) Think about the impact—describe how your work and work environment is being impacted by any racist words or actions. For instance, race-based slander or stereotyping may be causing conflict with work relationships that had previously been very positive. Discrimination with promotions is stifling your ability to advance, is stifling your pay, and is harming your career path with your employer. Speak about the harm being caused on a professional and personal level, so that it is difficult to marginalize your complaint and experiences.
I’ll be providing more tips in tomorrow’s post.
When it comes to dealing with racism in the workplace, those 3 words should be at the forefront of every victim’s mind, except when you are combatting racism, you better think about what you're trying to accomplish (revealing racist words or actions, convincing members of authority to investigate a serious race-based issue, etc.).
Some racists in the workplace just come up with spur-of-the moment nonsense to say and do to Black coworkers. Other racists spend time proactively thinking of ways to target the Blacks they work with. For instance, they might spend time trying to figure out how to stop a Black coworker from getting a raise or promotion. Or, they might think of ways to prevent a Black coworker from getting a high profile assignment. Or, they might think of ways to sabotage a Black coworker who’s working on an assignment with them. Or, they could be contemplating ways to slander a Black coworker to other coworkers in the department or across the company, as a whole. I’ve seen all of those scenarios played out during my years of employment.
Regardless of whether or not a race-related incident at work was thought up on the spot or was premeditated, the fact is that Black workers have got to put some serious thought into how they will respond. Black workers must be very strategic about handling these sensitive issues.
So, whether you’ve been called an offensive name or have had someone work at every turn to prevent you from receiving advancement opportunities, Black workers must think about not only how they will respond, but to whom, and in what venue (face-to-face, via memo, etc.).
When Black workers complain about race-based issues, one of the common tactics that is used by authorities at work is to not focus on what the Black worker is saying, but on how they’ve said it/how they’ve voiced the complaint. It often doesn’t matter if the complaint is made in person or in writing. A White person, who is determined to marginalize or ignore a race-based incident, can find ways to make the Black person appear to be part of the problem, appear to be exaggerating, appear to be misunderstanding the situation, etc.
So, for today, here are 3 things to think about when making race-based complaints in person or in writing:
1) Think about the timing—don’t wait too long to complain. If you wait too long to voice a complaint about a serious race-based issue, don’t be surprised if the seriousness of the problem isn’t brought into question. Why did you wait? Even though we all know that workers fear retaliation for complaining (especially about race-related matters) and fear that they will be perceived as a troublemaker or race-baiter, people will often question why someone has hesitated to make a complaint about a very serious matter. Legally, fear of retaliation is considered reasonable, particularly if a worker has witnessed or heard of other complaining employees being subjected to retaliatory actions by an employer. In fact, you are not legally obligated to complain. However, there is an expectation that workers will complain about mistreatment. So, again, while it is understandable that you might hesitate, be sure to complain about your issue as soon as possible.
2) Think about explaining the specifics—don’t just burst into someone’s office saying that so-and-so is a racist. While, that may be true, you should always work to give context to any such claims of racism. Give specific examples of racist behavior. And, think about what you are labeling as racist activity. Make sure you are not dealing with personality issues. If you are dealing with a person, who treats everyone in the same horrible fashion and treats everyone EQUALLY as bad (not focusing more extreme attention on Blacks), then deal with the issue of an insensitive and bullying coworker as opposed to racism. If, in fact, you are sure you are combating workplace racism, then that’s what you should address. Think about your issue and be specific about what is happening and what is wrong. Give details, so that it is hard to dispute your point of view.
3) Think about the impact—describe how your work and work environment is being impacted by any racist words or actions. For instance, race-based slander or stereotyping may be causing conflict with work relationships that had previously been very positive. Discrimination with promotions is stifling your ability to advance, is stifling your pay, and is harming your career path with your employer. Speak about the harm being caused on a professional and personal level, so that it is difficult to marginalize your complaint and experiences.
I’ll be providing more tips in tomorrow’s post.
Labels: discrimination, filing complaints, hostile work environment, preventative measures, tips and strategies
posted by S. Mary Wills at 2:24 PM
1 Comments:
this is an incident that i reported to my human resources department. what are your comments
As you requested, this document will contain the conversation that took place between me and Man A on @@/##/%%%%. This conversation took place in his office. I entered Man A's office to discuss possibilities available to motivate the team in regards to focusing on exceeding quota and eliminate their concerns with the high numbers that were attained by another department. I expressed to Man A, that the team wanted to speak with the CEO about issues they felt were overlooked by Man A. I told him that I think that we should start with eliminating the daily sales report being viewed by every department and make that report department specific. By doing so, it will allow that department to focus on their goals and not be concerned with what another team brings in as far as sales. I said that it is human nature to be jealous or envious of others when they see another individual succeeding, and it sometimes raises the question as to why am I not succeeding as well.
Man A's response to that was “YOU, don’t take this the wrong way, but THEY are all black over there in that department – If I had five white guys over there, I wouldn’t have that problem.” He then said that he will schedule a meeting for 9am with that team and resolve all issues or concerns. I then told him that I feel we should start with the daily sales report and how it is viewed, and that I need to clock in and start my day.
The following day, **/**/???? I was instructed by a supervisor to give Man A a call on his cell phone. Once Man A answered the line, he asked, “Are you outside?” I told him yes and he proceeded to ask about the team and how they were doing this morning. I told him that I hadn’t really gotten with them yet. I then stated that I really was concerned about his comments yesterday. I repeated to him exactly what he said and how it was said.
He began to explain to me, that black people are people that are more apt to clique together. They are more religious and family orientated than white people. The Hispanic culture is that way as well. Black people choose a leader and follow – White people are more prone to function independently. He expressed to me that this conversation should not be mentioned to anyone and that we should be able to talk openly as Supervisor and Team Lead.
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