In 2018, Pearn Kandola conducted a survey of 1,500 participants to explore the experience of racism in the modern UK workplace. This study found racism is “widespread, subtle and often ignored” (Racism at Work Survey Result, 2018). There were clear and significant distinctions between experiences of racism, observations of racism, and the likelihood of people recognising and intervening against racist acts between a wide array of racial groups. Moreover, the research revealed 60% of Black people, 42% of Asian people and 14% of White people have experienced racism in the workplace (Racism at Work Survey Result, 2018). Of those who had experienced racism in the workplace, 20% reported experiencing physical or verbal racial abuse. The survey also explored the ways people respond to witnessing racism. The most common response was to take no action.
Since 2018, the world has experienced turmoil and change: the outspread of the COVID-19 virus; the subsequent global lockdown and the abrupt transition to a world of working remotely; the tragic, extrajudicial killing of George Floyd; and the international revival of the widespread Black Lives Matter campaign.
In the UK, the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities released a report into racial and ethnic disparities across various sectors in the UK, including ‘Employment, Fairness at Work, and Enterprise’. The report, concluding “the UK ‘no longer’ has a system rigged against minorities” (BBC Politics News Article, 2021), led to outrage from some political figures and equality campaigners, as well as the resignation of Samuel Kasumu, the Prime Minister’s senior adviser on ethnic minorities).
This research replicates our 2018 UK study to determine whether there have been changes in perceptions and experiences of racism at work. Additionally, it gauges the action taken by organisations and the perceived impact this has by employees.
