Far-right violence is sweeping the UK, and business leaders cannot turn a blind eye.
If you are a UK employer, you need to be aware that some of your employees are frightened right now. Many employees from ethnic minority groups are feeling distressed, on edge, and even afraid to leave their homes. Many more are concerned for friends and loved ones and devastated by the racist rhetoric being shared around them. Businesses simply cannot just carry on as normal.
You can’t expect your staff to work at full capacity amongst this violence and hate. If you want to retain talented staff throughout this crisis and have a team that still want to give their best for you on the other side of it, then it’s imperative that you respond to what’s happening and support your people.
It’s also worth noting that many of those responsible for the riots and their supporters will also have jobs in UK workplaces – some of them may be within your team. As a leader, you need to consider how you will respond to any hateful or discriminatory behaviour within your company.
Too many businesses wait until there is a problem to do something. At which point they have lost the trust and commitment of many of their staff, and could find themselves facing an expensive tribunal. There could be some difficult conversations taking place in workplaces around the country over the coming weeks and months – educate yourselves now on how to manage the situation so that you’re prepared.
If your business hasn’t already undergone training in anti-racism, unconscious bias and having challenging conversations in the workplace, now is the time to book it.
What should you do?
We recommend that all businesses take the following actions:
Acknowledge and call out the violence
Take a clear stand against what is happening, publicly condemn it and don’t use the minimising language of “protestors” and “pro-British” or “anti-immigration” sentiment that has become popular in the media. Call it what it is – racist hatred – and be clear that your organisation opposes what is happening.
Offer employees someone to talk to
Preferably mental health first aiders or people with professional counselling training. There are mental health companies out there who can offer support to your staff.
Signpost resources
Make your staff aware of any services you have in-house or have access to through third-parties that might help at this time, including Employee Resource Groups.
Listen to concerns
Encourage staff to let you know about any worries they have, anything internally that concerns them and anything they need from you, and listen without getting defensive and with a willingness to learn and help.
Give staff time
People need to process what’s happening and deal with the difficult emotions this is bringing up. If they need time off or to reduce their capacity for a little while, let them.
Allow staff to work flexibly
During this time, staff may need to provide additional care to family and friends, they may want to take extra precautions to protect their children, and they may need to protect their own safety. Therefore allowing them to work from home and to work flexible hours to accommodate caring roles will be vital.
If you and your business are struggling with how to support your employees and customers during this difficult time, we are offering FREE emergency support calls to help leaders plan their approach. Email hello@watchthisspace.uk to book.
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