Introduction:
This guidance aims to assist line anti-racism champions in supporting Black staff within their organisation amid current societal/workplace issues and events.
It emphasises the importance of empathy, understanding, and open communication during these challenging times.
Actions:
1. Initiate Conversations:
- Start open conversations with Black staff by asking open-ended questions about their well-being and how you can support them.
- Checklist: Have I initiated open conversations with Black staff?
- Assessment: Have staff felt supported and listened to during these conversations?
2. Establish Open Conversations as Norms:
- Create an environment where regular, open conversations are encouraged, allowing staff to raise concerns and issues freely.
- Checklist: Have I established a norm of regular human and open conversations?
- Assessment: Have staff felt comfortable raising concerns or issues?
3. Flexibility at Work:
- Recognise the need for flexibility in working arrangements to accommodate the well-being of Black staff. This may include working with managers to adjust working hours, setting realistic deadlines, and providing clear instructions.
- Checklist: Have I worked with managers to accommodate the needs of Black staff for flexibility at work?
- Assessment: Have Black staff felt supported in being able to manage their workload and well-being?
4. Being a Race Ally:
- Commit to being actively anti-racist rather than simply non-racist. Advocate against oppression, speak out against racism, and work towards creating social change.
- Checklist: Have I actively advocated against racism and supported initiatives for change?
- Assessment: Have I demonstrated allyship and support for Black staff?
Resources:
- Utilise available resources for supporting Black staff, including self-care guidance and mental health support.
- Incorporate bystander intervention techniques into anti-racism efforts, such as direct action, distraction, delegation, and delay.
- Educate yourself on racism, white privilege, and white fragility to better understand and address systemic issues.
- Encourage staff to engage in self-reflection and learning to become anti-racist allies.
Conclusion:
By implementing these practices and resources, anti-racism champions can create a supportive environment for Black staff, promote open dialogue, and actively contribute to combating racism in the workplace.
Survey:
To gather feedback on staff experiences and perceptions, consider conducting a survey with questions tailored to assess:
- Staff’s feelings of support and inclusion in the workplace.
- Perceptions of the effectiveness of current support mechanisms.
- Suggestions for additional resources or initiatives to better support Black staff.
- Opportunities for further education and training on how to speak up and speak out on their lived experiences of racism to elicit change.
By soliciting feedback through a survey, anti racism champions can gain valuable insights into the lived experiences of Black staff and identify areas for improvement in their support strategies.