How to Handle Racial Discrimination in the Workplace?

Race discrimination is a vice that has taken a long to eradicate. To curb the effects of this crime, the U.S. and relevant states have put stringent laws to protect employees from discrimination at the workplace, whether racial, gender, religion, pregnancy, or disability.

Sadly, these federal laws have not entirely wiped out racial discrimination in the workplace. For example, there are still discrimination claims in Alabama and other states.

This article will highlight some vital steps you should take when you encounter any form of discrimination.

Table of Contents

Don’t Beat Yourself Up – You Are Not the Problem

When facing workplace racial discrimination, the biggest injustice you can do to yourself is to see yourself as the problem. The bully is the one with the issue – not you. Besides, the bullies target you, not for your race, but their attitude towards it. So, you are perfect as you are, but their attitude needs to change.

Speak to Them

If it is safe and proper for you to act, it would be great to try talking to the culprit. Let them know how you feel about their behavior, its effects, and why they should stop. However, ensure that you primarily challenge their behavior and not the individual during the talk.

Moreover, it would also be great to have a mediator to keep the environment fair and controlled.

Report It

If the bully does not stop their behavior after the conversation with them, you can report them to your supervisor, HR, or anyone who is the authority capable of helping you. Reporting is an instant measure, especially when the bully threatens you, makes you fear for your safety, or blackmails you.

It is essential to give the management a glimpse into the events.

Walk Away

Your safety is the biggest priority in the event of racial discrimination or hostility. Under no obligation should you respond to such criminal behavior? The best thing to do is walk away any time you find the behavior unbearable or dangerous to you, physical or emotional.

Get the Necessary Support

Going through racism is an emotionally draining experience that affects various aspects of your life, including self-esteem, communication with others, mental wellbeing, and work performance. Therefore, you should seek the help you need by hiring an employment lawyer to help you file the case with a stress management expert. The perpetrator should compensate you for the ugly experience.

However, a lack of experience and knowledge requires hiring a lawyer for the best outcome. Besides, your physical and emotional state can also hinder you from effectively filing the claim, which results in a poor outcome or loss.

In addition, you should take good care of yourself after work. Have a good support system of family and friends, eat and sleep well, relax and work out. Ensure that you take care of your physical and mental health as you wait for the case’s outcome.

Racism is a learned behavior that must stop to create a peaceful and productive workplace and unite humanity. It is wrong to ignore a colleague’s competence and capabilities and mistreat them because of their race or color