Banning talk about social injustices at work is misguided
Some US companies have deemed racial injustice a ‘political’ topic inappropriate for the workplace. Here’s why they are wrong
After the footage of police officer Derek Chauvin murdering George Floyd hit the internet, many organisations lent their support to calls for racial justice. One year later anti-Asian hate crimes, police murders of black Americans and racial discrimination persist, yet some companies are sending signals that they are ready to move on.
Tech companies such as Basecamp and Coinbase have now characterised racial injustice as a “political” topic inappropriate for the workplace. Even the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission — which has publicly denounced systemic racism and is tasked with enforcing laws against workplace discrimination — has told employees that Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a topic that should be limited to “personal conversations”...
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