Dress code. Professionalism. Leave and time off. Many workplaces have policies that lay out what is to be expected from their workers. When these policies are written with a specific type of worker in mind, they can create unintentional barriers to racialized and marginalized workers. As human resources departments start to take on heightened equity, diversity and inclusion efforts, it may be time to examine the mindset held while writing these policies.
Last month, the World Sikh Organization (WSO) went to the media to report a discriminatory dress code policy that was forcing Sikh security guards out of their work.
In January, companies such as Gardaworld and Star Security began requiring that guards be clean shaven so their N95 face masks fit snugly, the WSO asked that the companies reconsider the policy, according to Balpreet Singh, spokesperson for the WSO.
Singh said that people with a religiously mandated beard would be forced out of their security jobs if they did not shave. Despite months of work to allow Sikh security guards to keep their jobs, Singh said it was not until the WSO went to the media with their concerns that they saw change.
“I don’t think the policy was created in bad faith,” Singh said in an interview with rabble.ca. “So when that impacted Sikh security guards, that was probably an unintended consequence. That having been said, once they were confronted with the fact that this is impacting Sikh security guards in this way, they should have reacted in a different manner.”
Workplace discrimination enforced through some workplace policies
Beyond this dress code issue, workplace policies that create unintended barriers for racialized workers persist. Singh said that he has seen a larger effort to take diversity and inclusion seriously, but there is still much to do.
It is clear to see how workplace policy and culture have enforced discrimination by following reports from different marginalized groups. Black Public Service employees have filed a class action lawsuit against the federal government. As well, the Assembly of Seven Generations (A7G), an Indigenous non-profit organization focused on cultural support and empowerment, released a report highlighting employment barriers for urban Indigenous youth.
Expectations around job performance is another piece of workplace culture that unintentionally excludes racialized workers, according to A7G.
In June, A7G released their report examining workplace experiences for urban Indigenous youth. This report drew on results from an online survey conducted by A7G and employment struggles for Indigenous youth.
Struggles such as intergenerational trauma can affect job performance for Indigenous youth, the report reads. By extension, this creates a barrier to job retention for those struggling with mental health issues.
“It is important to note that for many youth, coping with traumas stemming from colonization is a full-time job,” the report reads.
Without mental and physical health accommodations, potential employees are discouraged from entering certain workplaces. As well, the report explains that lack of understanding surrounding neurodiversity and disability can cause employers to not consider certain candidates after the interview.
Allowance for leave and time off also created workplace barriers for Indigenous youth, according to A7G’s report.
“Respondents [to the A7G survey] wanted employers to know that their personal values, like supporting family and community or actively participating in their culture, were of the utmost importance to them,” the report reads. “As potential employees, they needed to be reassured they could take time to support their children or attend ceremony.”
The A7G report explains that survey respondents wanted employers to understand these barriers that exist to employment. The report outlines that if the needs of Indigenous workers are not understood and met, employment barriers will continue to grow.
Addressing unconscious bias
For the Black public service employees filing a class action lawsuit, the need to understand the difficulties Black employees face is vital.
In the Black Class Action Diversity plan, Black public service employees acknowledged the House of Commons’ view that overt forms of systemic discrimination have become more rare. This, however, does not erase the more subtle and often unintentional forms of discrimination that manifest in the work place.
The solution is for employers to examine their shortcomings and take steps to address the realities of racialized workers and meet their needs.
“We call on the court and the Government of Canada to identify and remove systemic barriers that reinforce unconscious bias, stereotyping and other behaviours, while simultaneously and immediately providing measures to support Black employees to secure equal opportunities in hiring and promotion throughout all ranks of the public service,” the Black Class Action Diversity Plan reads.
A delay of addressing racialized workers needs could lead to discriminatory policies to slip through the cracks, much like the policy that pushed Sikh security guards out of work. When reflecting on the dress code issues last month, Singh said he wished there had been a different reaction.
“I would just suggest that when these unintended consequences are brought to an employer’s attention they deal with them in a quick, sensitive and efficient manner,” Singh said.
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Nick Seebruch, editor
