Racism in the workplace: What to look out for and how to address it

Clement Manyathela interviews Boniwe Dunster, HR Executive at Lanseria Airport.

Listen below.

Thirty years into our democracy, racism remains a persistent issue.

While it may no longer be as overt, covert racism and racial discrimination continue to impact people's careers and livelihoods.

This form of racism can manifest through abusive language, racist jokes, cartoons, memes, and hate speech.

RELATED: Racism in schools: ‘We clearly haven’t come that far in 30 years’

In the workplace, racial discrimination broadly refers to situations where individuals are denied equal opportunities or fair treatment based on perceived racial differences.

This encompasses:

• Unfair treatment due to race, colour, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, disability or age.
• Harassment by managers, colleagues, or others based on race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, disability or age.
• Denial of reasonable workplace accommodations needed due to religious beliefs or disabilities.
• Improper inquiries or disclosure of genetic or medical information.
• Retaliation for filing a discrimination complaint or participating in a discrimination investigation or lawsuit.

"In the face of the company, they would want to look like decent managers, decent employees with good behaviour and good conduct, and they don't do it where everybody can see, so often times it's those subtle jokes, those subtle comments."

- Boniwe Dunster, HR Executive – Lanseria Airport

Dunster emphasies the importance of being attentive to how comments or actions affect your emotions, as these subtle impacts can often be overlooked.

Reflect on whether they make you feel violated or undermine your dignity.

If you believe you’ve experienced racism, she advises communicating directly with the person responsible, explaining how their remarks or behaviour affected you.

If the individual does not acknowledge your concerns, Dunster recommends following up with an email to create a documented record.

From there, escalate the issue to HR, both through email and in person, to ensure it is addressed appropriately.

"If it doesn't get attention internally, then you can take it to the CCMA."

- Boniwe Dunster, HR Executive – Lanseria Airport

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