Black lives matter: the workplace The Black Lives Matter movement has brought ingrained racism to the foreground. In this episode, Rachel Rockson, Chair of the Acas Race Equality Network, and Julie Dennis, Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Acas, share their insights into what organisations and individuals can do to make our workplaces truly more equal, including what intersectionality is and why it matters. We look at how racism and inequality are experienced and persist, what white people need to do to be part of change, and what organisations and leaders need to do to be responsible for change. Plus: how investing and committing to equality benefits everyone. Acas advice Improving equality, diversity and inclusion in workplaces: www.acas.org.uk/improving-equality-diversity-and-inclusion Discrimination, bullying and harassment: www.acas.org.uk/discrimination-bullying-and-harassment Webinar - what to do if you think you are being discriminate against: www.gotostage.com/channel/7f6b8485dc154e0c959e32e845163caa/recording/1405751bc4684196b3fe9e08c0ad9642/watch?source=CHANNEL Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy template: www.acas.org.uk/equality-policy-template Acas helpline: 0300 123 1100 Key UK organisations The Equality, Advisory and Support Service offers advice for people facing discrimination: www.equalityadvisoryservice.com Government Equalities Office: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/government-equalities-office Equality and Human Rights Commission: www.equalityhumanrights.com External resources This is not an exhaustive list and we highly recommend carrying out your own research too, but we hope you find these links useful: McKinsey evidence for the positive impact of diversity and barriers to inclusion: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/understanding-organizational-barriers-to-a-more-inclusive-workplace Everyday racism: what should we do? Akala (3m): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZUvjAJGFkM 3 ways to be a better ally in the workplace | Melinda Epler (9m): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k12j-E1LsUU Deconstructing White Privilege with Dr. Robin DiAngelo (20m): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwIx3KQer54&fbclid=IwAR3NG6kOtWHfbxz21LeMYvY9wyGmWKP4c5AGQnsaMZhmlVIe2ycr-4Gyyu8 An anti-racist reading list: https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2020/jun/03/do-the-work-an-anti-racist-reading-list-layla-f-saad Transcript Sarah Guthrie 0:00   Welcome to the Acast Podcast. I'm Sarah Guthrie, part of the communications team here at Acas, and today I'm here with Rachel Rockson, Chair of our Race Equality Network, and she also works on our helpline, and Julie Dennis, Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Acas. Thanks for joining me today. Rachel Rockson 0:16   Thank you for having us. Sarah Guthrie 0:18   Today, we're talking about racism, particularly in the light of the tragic death of George Floyd in the US and the way that that has highlighted, through Black Lives Matter, racism in our own country. I'm really aware that we're only scratching the surface in the short podcast, but I've been really looking forward to talking to you both Rachel and Julie, about what organisations and individuals can do to make our workplaces truly more equal. But let's start off first with exploring the problem. So from your roles in Acas, how do you see racism showing up? Rachel, do you want to kick us off?  Rachel Rockson 0:54   As an Acas helpline advisor, we are on the front line and we are usually the first port of call for people who feel that they're having difficulties to do with racial issues in their workplace. When it comes to the systematic mindset, the issue is, what we find is, well what I find in my experience as a helpline advisor is, those that are being discriminated against, until recently, found it a little bit difficult to come forward to ask for help, because there w