I have been appalled at the social media reports on the attitude of some members of the public towards each other over the EU Referendum. People from different ethnic background are suffering abuse, bullying, racist remarks.
It is difficult to believe that I am really writing this. The UK is a multi cultural country and has been for decades. The majority of the country respect each others beliefs and values. The minority, which, lets be honest, is present in most countries globally, show this horrendous side at times of stress.
Will this appear in your workplace? And what to do if it does? It is for businesses to stop this in its track at work. But how?
- Give a clear message to employees that you understand that they may be finding the change difficult.
- Clearly state that any type of bullying or racist behaviour will not be tolerated by the company under any circumstances.
- Encourage employees who may be suffering any kind of abuse at work to let you know of the issues so that you can deal with them. They should be able to feel safe if they wish to raise grievances and secure in the knowledge that you will deal with the issue fairly and promptly.
- Invoke your disciplinary procedure whenever it is needed - this will reiterate your messaging.
Hopefully, we will have calmer times ahead as people adjust, but please be vigilant.
Feel free to call me if you have any queries.