OVERVIEW

This module looks to uncover the hidden racism and discrimination within the context of the workplace.

LEARNING GOALS

To identify forms of racial discrimination in the workplace.

ASSOCIATED ISSUES

RACIAL HARRASSMENT

Racial discrimination can occur at the individual level between two or more people. It can be physical, verbal or non-verbal, direct or indirect. Racial harassment can even be unconscious or unintentional. Racial harassment is a form of racial discrimination. It can be one or a series of comments or actions related to race, ancestry, colour, citizenship, ethnic origin, place of origin or creed.

Some examples of racial harassment include:

Racial slurs, insults or inappropriate jokes
Display of offensive images or symbols
Exclusion from informal professional networks
Threats or intimidation based on race-related grounds
Microaggressions – comments or actions that indirectly, subtly or even unintentionally express prejudice against members of a marginalized group. They may take the form of stereotyping, "othering" or avoiding. e.g. Where are you from? Your English is good.

PRE-EMPLOYMENT BARRIERS FOR NEW IMMIGRANTS

Pre-employment barriers for new immigrants

New immigrants, many of whom are from racialized communities, face barriers when looking for meaningful employment.
These may include:

Having non-English names
Having an accent
Lack of Canadian experience
Lack of Canadian references
Lack of recognition of international education, training and experience

LABOUR STATISTICS

According to an article in The Canadian Encyclopedia, in 2016, more racialized Canadians participated in the labour force than non-racialized Canadians; however, a greater proportion (9.2%) of racialized Canadians were unemployed compared to non-racialized Canadians (7.3%). Compared to non-racialized Canadians, Arab Canadians had an 85% higher unemployment rate (13.5 per cent) and Black Canadians a 71% higher rate (12.5%).

Sometimes racism may be unconscious or inadvertent however its impact on racialized populations can be observed by collecting and examining data.

A workplace can become a poisoned environment if repeated offensive comments and behaviours begin to negatively impact communication and productivity of yourself and your co-workers.

Racism can also occur at an institutional level through policies and practices implemented within an organisation that are purposely intended to disadvantage one group over another. This is called institutional racism.

In the workplace, racialized groups may be overlooked for career advancement, be evaluated more critically and may have to meet higher performance expectations.

In 2018, 5.9% of board directors in Financial Post 500 organizations were from racialized groups, up from 4.3% in 2017.

A study entitled "Do Larger Employers Treat Racial Minorities More Fairly?" found that Canadian job-seekers with Asian names are 20-40% less likely to receive a callback, simply because of their name. One popular reason employers gave for this was: 'if you see an Asian name, you're thinking that there's going to be some kind of language problem or a heavy accent or something that would maybe interfere with a person's ability to do the job or interact well in the workplace'. Potential issues of 'cultural fit' was another reason hiring managers often gave for hesitating to hire applicants with ethnic names.

A 2018 Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives study found that racialized workers in Ontario were significantly more likely to be working in low-wage jobs and had higher unemployment rates than non-racialized workers. The study also found that, racialized women in the Ontario labour market, experienced greater marginalization. Racialized women earned 58 cents for every dollar that a non-racialized man made and 85 cents for every dollar that non-racialized women earned.

According to Statistics Canada, “African-born immigrants had the lowest employment rate and highest unemployment rate of all immigrant groups, and these rates’ differentials with the Canadian-born were particularly high for the African-born who had been in Canada for 5 years or less."

RECOMMENDATIONS AND SOLUTIONS

At the individual level, if you witness or are the target of racial discrimination you should talk to the perpetrator and ask them to stop. Be respectful and professional and calmly explain why their behaviour/action is offensive. If the matter is not resolved, you should speak with management or your union representative.

You can also choose to contact a Human Rights Commission to resolve the matter. In Canada, there are federal and provincial human rights laws to address discrimination. The Ontario Human Rights Code prohibits discriminatory action in the areas of employment; accommodation; goods, services and facilities; contracts; and membership in unions, trade or vocational associations.

Some steps institutions can take to identify and prevent racism in the workplace include:

Review policies, practices and decision-making systems for systemic discrimination
Review organizational culture
Collect and analyze race-based data
Develop and implement anti-racism, anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies
Develop and implement anti-racism education programs