Guides
Developing an anti-racist strategy
Explore the six principles the CIPD recommends to help you create a racially inclusive workplace
22 Jun 2020
Tackling racism in the workplace
Resources and guidance to help people professionals tackle racism and racial discrimination in the workplace
Racism has no place in our society. Businesses must be part of the change we all need, to step up and stamp out prejudice, and to build diverse and supportive cultures of respect and fairness for all. The CIPD is developing and curating practical content on this hub to help members and people professionals tackle these challenges — check back regularly for new information and resources.
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Action plan to end racism in the workplace
The CIPD is committed to continuously improving our policies, practices and how we operate to deliver effective action on ending racism in the world of work
End racism at work – CIPD position statement
We must take shared responsibility and actions to stamp out racism in all forms
Webinars
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Racism and the challenges for HR
Experts, leaders and practitioners tackle the key issues and questions around how to create a safe and inclusive workspace
John Amaechi OBE, organisational psychologist and director of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, gives a keynote speech at the CIPD's Festival of Work, where he spoke about racism, the difficulties of working through a pandemic, and how a learning culture is key to finding solutions.
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FAQs on race at work
Q and As
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FAQs about race in the workplace
Answers to frequently asked questions about racial equality and anti-racism
Podcasts
Podcasts
Listen to podcast
Challenging systemic racism in the workplace
Understand how racism expresses itself in the modern workplace and what organisations must do better to address systemic racism and create truly fair and inclusive workplaces and societies
Podcasts
Listen to podcast
Why is it so hard to talk about BAME?
We look at why organisations find it more difficult to talk about BAME diversity than gender diversity and HR’s role in supporting change
Members of the CIPD's race and ethnicity action group EmbRACE explain why it is important to have groups like it within organisations.
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Thought pieces on race at work
Read the community forum discussions
Post your questions and see what others are doing in their organisations to address racism.
Multimedia resources on tackling racism at work
Anti-racism
Video: John Amaechi OBE discusses the difference between being non-racist and anti-racist.
Video: Anti-racism campaigner Nova Reid talks passionately about how individuals have the power to change the world and ‘be revolutionary’.
Podcast: Brené Brown speaks with Professor Ibram X. Kendi about racial disparities, policy and equality in her ‘Unlocking Us’ podcast.
Guide: The Guide to Allyship is ‘an open source starter guide to help you become a more thoughtful and effective ally.’
Article: Layla F Saad, the author of ‘Me and White Supremacy’, compiles a short list of antiracist books with The Guardian.
Article: Harvard Business Review’s essential reading list for confronting racism at work.
Article: A compilation of anti-racism resources for white people by writer Alyssa Klein and activist Sarah Sophie Flicker.
Illustration: This graph illustrates the journey to becoming antiracist in three stages.
Black history
Video: A collection of BBC TV programmes exploring Black British narratives.
Diversity
Video: American CEO Mellody Hobson, speaks openly about race and the importance of diversity in hiring
Article: Harvard Business Review examines the findings from three studies that explore the impact of unconscious bias on diversity.
Impact of racism at work
Video: June Sarpong asks why black and minority ethnic job-seekers, and those from working-class backgrounds, are valued less than their white counterparts.
Video: People professional Shereen Daniels’ daily videos on her HR rewired TV YouTube channel, many of which are about race and the Black British experience.
Webinar: A webinar series by global consultancy Korn Ferry, looking at eradicating racism in the corporate world.
Podcast: This People Management podcast asks how HR can challenge racial microaggressions in the workplace.
Article: Why UK business leaders need to focus on action not messages to improve fairness for black employees.
Article: Syreeta Allen, Head of Student Outcomes (King’s College London) lays bare the foundations for building racial justice at work and equality in the workplace.
Article: People Management examines survey findings that BAME staff are forced to adopt faux identities to ‘fit in’ with the working culture.
Article: Black entrepreneurs and business founders speak candidly about the barriers they have faced when navigating the business world.
Article: Harvard Business Review presents an account of the ‘noxious and tenuous’ corporate environment that confronts black and minority ethnic employees.
Language and racism
Article: Language and terminology surrounding race can be complex, but to progress it is crucial we get it right, as explored in this article.
Article: The importance of challenging one's own definition of racism.
Article: Why individuals from varying backgrounds reject the term BAME.
Article: Harvard Business Review on how businesses must take action and be accountable when fighting racism within their organisations.
Article: International Education Director at the UK Department for Education Zamila Bunglawala, sheds light on the problem with using the terms BAME and BME.
Psychological impact of racism
Guide: A parent’s guide to Black Lives Matter, including resources and activities to encourage healthy, open and honest discussion.
Article: The psychological impact of experiencing and having to explain forms of racism.
Racism in the UK
Article: The findings of a CNN poll illuminate Britain’s big race divide.
Article: Kehinde Andrews, Professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University, suggests 20 positive ways to end racism in the UK.
White privilege
Article: Essay by feminist and anti-racism activist Peggy McIntosh delving into the concept of white privilege.
Video: An illustration of the definition of privilege, setting out the factors that enable progression.