To have been “racially” profiled by HR

[Donotfitin]

I don’t have a British name (like at all), so HR assumed I needed a right to work code, so asked for one, rather than asking if I was a citizen or not.

As a UK citizen I only need to provide my passport, so the whole thing took me completely by surprise!

Its the first time in my whole life that it was assumed that I wasn’t a citizen. I’ve

So calling out a racism is a form of bullying?! Honestly, MN has become Farage Central.

@Donotfitinyou've had the patience of a saint on this thread. I've worked in HR for 15 years and I'd be mortified to have made such a clumsy error - it's not on, best way is to ask for right to work. No assumptions are necessary! I'm pleased you've taken it as a clumsy error and nothing more, I hope your reply made them have a think about the wording.

Always nice to see the usual HR bashing on this thread by some though, always appreciated!

OP hasnt magnified the mistake - she responded very sensibly and in a way that will hopefully lead to this not happening again. It's some of the commentators on this thread. They sound like they work for Farage since they are doing their best to make anyone who might possibly be seen as non British unlikeable. .

Exactly, I can't believe people actually carry on like this!

It must be exhausting.

Yes, it is exhausting having to constantly deal with ignorant and close minded people who struggle with the idea of British people having a variety of names and consisting of a variety of cultures and religions.

The absolute worst case scenario is that someone has assumed she isn’t British.
That’s the absolute WORST case scenario.

Since when was not being British a bad thing?

Many places ask everyone, my son had to undertake a right to work check. They don’t just ask people with a non British sounding name.

AAAAAAAAAARRRGHHHHHHH!

🙄

It’s bad when it’s used as a weapon to say you’re not truly British and therefore don’t belong.

Not sure why that is such a hard concept to understand and trying to minimise that by saying “what’s the big deal” doesn’t make you clever.

And where has that been done?

Because it certainly wasn’t done to OP.

🤦🏻‍♀️

Being deliberately obtuse doesn’t actually work…

So why are you persevering with it as a tactic?

Not a tactic. Just responding to what I’m given.

Clearly you’re someone who is in the category of denying racism exists so all I can say is do better. Life is too short to be so full of hate.

I have no interest in spending any more time engaging with you tonight so good night.

“Life is too short to be so full of hate.”

You think? Interesting theory for someone who has done nothing but insult.

Racism exits. It’s horrific and needs to be stamped out.

Assuming someone might not be British is not the end of the world. That is all that happened here.

Treating someone badly because you assume they’re not British is racism and horrific, but this didn’t happen here.

Well I am having to ask everyone in my 5% not British and 95% British team and check their passports even though I have known some of them for decades. So tedious.

Nice try but I'm a POC who has a not traditionally British surname. My opinion remains that it must be exhausting to be constantly offended and outraged at situations like this which seem to be genuine mistakes with no malicious intent. A simple 'here's my passport as I don't have a share code' would suffice.

Guess what…I’m also a POC with a non-British sounding surname, so I don’t need the lecture. This isn’t about “being offended.” It’s about the fact that these so called “genuine mistakes” happen far too often. That repetition is what’s exhausting and it creates a constant sense of othering. It reminds people that they are different and seen as different.

Pointing it out isn’t outrage; it’s recognising a pattern and challenging the kind of unconscious bias that’s still too easily accepted.

These things happen to everyone. My husband was annoyed about the reaction he got when he went with our DD to the male doctor and the doctor insisted on getting a female chaperone to look at her ankle. I said I think that is policy if I’d been there as well. It is strange world we live in.

At risk of derailing a hilarious thread (sorry @Donotfitin )

What evidence can a person provide that they have ‘never been outside London’, and why would someone never go outside London?

As I understand from MN outside of m25 is savage land. M25 is essentially The Wall just without the ice😂

Just to add a serious note. They interviewe everyone because one can be hite with britiwh passport and still be victim of forced marriage or undue pressure. While rarer, it happens. It's also to confim identity.

At least they found each other!

I don't think anyone answered this question. If you don't have a passport then you have to provide your birth/adoption certificate AND an official letter from a government agency or previous employer which ahs your NI number on it.

If you can't produce these documents then there is a Home Office checking service an employer can use, never had to use it myself but I'm guessing it takes longer and is potentially expensive.

Sorry but I don't believe you.

It is very much about being offended. Pulling nonsense like this up for racism very much dilutes the effect of pointing out actual racism.

My white British ds has a really common British name. Think Jack Smith type of common. He has twice been asked for right to work checks recently. And he’s been asked to renew it as well for one of the causal jobs. I can only think that the penalty for employers flouting these checks is major.