Increasing violent racism: What can charity leaders do to support racialised staff?

It is well known and documented that experiencing racism in all its various forms has negative effects on our mental health. The Institute of Health Equality released a report in October 2024 that shows how racism damages racialised people’s mental health by increasing stress and producing an atmosphere of fear. 

In the run-up to our Wellbeing Conference, here are some tips about how leaders can support their colleagues in the face of increasing racism. This advice is inspired by DSC’s Charities Against Hate guide, available to download for free.

Plan your response to a crisis

If you are in a crisis situation, i.e. an individual or a group are currently committing a violent racist attack on your organisation, you should prioritise everyone’s immediate safety. It is a good idea, if you haven’t already, to set up a plan on how to respond. Things to consider include evacuation routes, named staff to lead evacuations, first aid availability and potential coordination with neighbours. Being prepared can make a huge difference to your organisation’s resilience and it will make your racialised staff feel safer. That is not to say that there are not more proactive ways to support staff impacted by racism. 

Learn more about racism in the workplace

It is hard to support our colleagues’ wellbeing if we do not understand the extent of the problem. Here is an example of a survey that Unison created for its branches to use to learn more about racism in the workplace. Whilst drafting your survey, it is beneficial to consult racialised colleagues to ensure that the questions are relevant and appropriate. However, we must be careful to not place the burden of anti-racist work on our colleagues with lived experience of racism and marginalisation. 

Create safe spaces for colleagues to talk

To build an anti-racist environment at work, it can help to create safe spaces for colleagues to talk about their experiences of racism. This will allow colleagues to openly vent about their experiences and share knowledge and advice. The structure of a safe space can be informal or more formal, involve senior staff members or not. There is not one way of hosting or using a safe space. Organisations should adapt safe spaces according to their staff’s needs and wishes. Some questions to ask include: when and how are staff meeting? Are managers invited? Can non-racialised people participate? For further information about safe spaces, visit Race Equality Matter’s website. 

Think about the language you’re using

The language we use matters. By consciously evolving how we talk about each other and our stakeholders, we find another way to foster an actively anti-racist workplace by challenging unjust systems like racism and classism. You can find DSC’s free language guidance on our website. There are other language guides available so it is not necessary to create your own one, but it might be worth enshrining inclusive language in an equality, equity, diversity and inclusion (EEDI) policy.  

Leaders must ensure there is a strong social media strategy

Social media companies have allowed and/or facilitated the spread of racist vitriol. In one case, the National Trust received backlash for daring to address its links to colonialism and historic slavery. Working on these social media accounts can therefore be a risk to mental wellbeing. Organisations should create or strengthen their social media policy: there must be a process to deal with hateful messages and staff must be able to take regular breaks. 

Do you want to learn more about how you can support your colleagues’ wellbeing? Join us for our Wellbeing Conference, taking place via Zoom on Thursday 16th April, for a mix of keynote sessions, panel discussions, expert-led sessions and practical workshops where we’ll explore practical strategies and approaches to foster wellbeing at work in the charity sector. Register here now.