Micro-incivilities by their name are small but have a cumulative effect on the individual. Kiran, Rob and I talk about and how they affect self-esteem, how perpetrators may not even realise they’re doing it, making them problematic to identify, report and address. Is the workplace ready – equipped with the knowledge, understanding and language – to even have this conversation yet?

“Until we regard our BAME staff networks as business-critical entities, we will fall short of what our business is capable of.” – Rob Neil OBE

Kiran Daurka is a Discrimination & employment lawyer and Partner at Leigh Day. You can connect with her on LinkedIn. Rob Neil OBE is the Chair of the Ministry of Justice UK Diverse Leaders Taskforce. Rob is present on LinkedIn.

We cover a wide range of topics, including:

• Kiran and Rob’s witnessing or experiencing this type of behaviour in and outside the workplace.
• How aware people in the workplace usually are about micro-incivilities.
• Are BAME people more likely to be aware of them?
• Are micro-incivilities proactively counteracted in your workplace or industry?
• The effectiveness of current measures meant to address workplace micro-incivilities.
• What has the potential to stop people from reporting these incidents?
• How damaging this type of behaviour could be compared to more overt acts of racism.
• Short and long term effects of being subjected to micro-incivilities as an individual.
• How do we bring unconsciousness or benevolent behaviour into or consciousness.
• Changes which should happen at individual and systemic level to progress in this area.

“If your non-white friends are not talking to you about race, it doesn’t mean there’s not a problem, it means you’re not part of that conversation. They are talking about it elsewhere.” – Kiran Daurka

And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Racism at Work: The Danger of Indifference and connect with Professor Binna Kandola OBE on LinkedIn to join the conversation or share your thoughts.

You can also listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn or in any other podcasting app by searching for “Racism at Work Podcast“, or simply by asking Siri and Alexa to “play the Racism at Work podcast“.

Mentioned in the episode

• Bias in Britain [23:30]
• Let’s Talk Race [28:10]
• Complaint as Diversity Work [37:50]
• Race Disparity Unit [45:15]