When I first read the post by the Black and Asian Police Association (BAPA), I nodded in deep recognition. The stories of exclusion, emotional burden, and systemic failure within policing could just as easily have been drawn from education, health, voluntary work, or any other sector I’ve worked in.
Because the reality is this: a ‘normal week’ shouldn’t mean absorbing racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, or any form of discrimination as part of the job. And yet, for too many people with protected characteristics, it does.
We See It Everywhere
What struck me most is how universal these experiences are. Whether you are a Black officer in the Met, a disabled employee in a charity, a trans volunteer in a youth service, or an older woman in education leadership, many face a culture that tolerates discrimination, minimises harm, and avoids accountability.
These are not isolated incidents. They are patterns. And they repeat across sectors:
- Bananas in lockers and racial slurs in policing.
- Misgendering and ‘jokes’ about pronouns in office environments.
- Mocking reasonable adjustments for neurodivergent staff.
- Ageist assumptions about older employees resisting change.
Many people feel they can’t speak up. Others who do are dismissed or labelled as ‘too sensitive’ or ‘playing the race card’. This is why statements alone won’t cut it. We need a new way of working one built on equity, accountability, and active education.
What Employers Must Do
Every employer whether in policing, education, healthcare, charities, or the private sector has a legal, moral, and organisational responsibility to act. This includes:
1. Recognise and Tackle All Forms of Discrimination
- Direct discrimination: When someone is treated less favourably because of a protected characteristic (e.g. denying training opportunities to a disabled employee).
- Indirect discrimination: When policies or practices disadvantage certain groups (e.g. requiring everyone to attend late meetings without considering childcare or religious needs).
- Harassment: Unwanted conduct that violates dignity or creates an intimidating environment.
- Victimisation: Treating someone unfairly for raising a concern or making a complaint.
2. Educate and Empower
- Mandatory, high-quality training on equality, diversity, and inclusion, not just tick-box modules.
- Create safe spaces for discussion and learning, including what racism, homophobia, ableism, transphobia, ageism and misogyny look like in practice not just in theory.
- Equip all staff and volunteers to challenge discriminatory behaviour, including microaggressions and so-called ‘banter’.
3. Move From Statements to Structure
- Equality statements, vision boards and anti-racism pledges mean nothing unless they are linked to action plans with measurable outcomes.
- Include staff with protected characteristics in decision-making and evaluation of these actions.
- Regularly review policies, recruitment, promotions, and complaint procedures to ensure equity is embedded and evidenced.
This Work Belongs to Everyone
We can’t place the burden solely on marginalised individuals to fix broken systems. Equality must be everyone’s responsibility from senior leaders to frontline staff. And it must go beyond race to include all protected characteristics and beyond those too: class, neurodiversity, lived experience of care, and more.
Until we build work environments where everyone feels seen, safe, supported and celebrated, a “normal week” will remain unacceptable.
Let’s stop normalising harm. Let’s build something better together.