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

Of course they can… if they assume things about their behaviours, abilities etc based on the assumption of their nationality/ race.

Sorry can you explain to me like I am an idiot what you meant by this then
How can you assume racial “bias” if you haven’t assumed the race of the HR woman? Since you are aware that anyone, not just whote British, can be biased against anyone.
And why should OP's clarification on race of the HR person change people's minds?

I do wonder if you read what I said and the context... Or just skimmed over? (Which seems to be an incredibly common theme on this whole thread! Poor OP).

I said that structural racism means that it is not who is making the microaggression that is always relevant - but to whom it is directed. In this case the OP. Where it is assumed she is not British based purely on a name.

This morning's Assumption layer cake, sandwiched with WhataButtery cream and garnished with Quotemark sprinkles, is shaping up to be a thing of Olympian glory.

People make terrible clumsy mistakes.

Not everything is due to racism.

I think it’s very sad for your wellbeing that you immediately jump to that conclusion.

You’ll probably assume I’m racist, but I’m not at all. I dearly love all of my friends and colleagues who come from all over the world.

I never said the were racism, just that they applied a bias.

You are being waaaaaay overly sensitive OP.

My 2 sons have both recently applied for jobs (one as a part time cleaner and one as a
volunteer for a charity). They both have what would be considered English (historically Hebrew/biblical) names. Both were asked for a right to work code AFTER interview so they had been seen (fair hair & blue eyes), both were asked for so much evidence to prove they are legally allowed to work in the UK. There was a lot of confusion over the right to work code as they don’t need one and had never heard of it.

Up until a year ago neither had any photographic ID so, if they’d applied for jobs back then, neither would have been able to provide the ID required. A birth certificate apparently isn’t considered enough evidence as right to work.

How do you know she is not white?

A birth certificate apparently isn’t considered enough evidence as right to work.

That would be because it is not proof of right to work. Nor is NI. People can have these and not have RTW

LinkedIn!

Except that’s a completely different scenario to the one the op experienced. May try re-reading the op.

I think it might change perspective for some people. Perhaps the op is biased against black and Asian people and therefore more likely to feel slighted by the error. Perhaps posters who thought the op should lodge a complaint may now have changed their minds.

Why does it have to be one of these things? A ‘huge fuss’ or shut up and swallow it?

You can also gently but firmly re-educate.

“It sounds like you are assuming I’m not a citizen. Perhaps because of my name? This doesn’t feel great for me. Please find attached an image of my UK passport for your records.”

“It sounds like you are assuming I’m not a citizen. Perhaps because of my name? This doesn’t feel great for me. Please find attached an image of my UK passport for your records.”

That's way too rude!

"Nobody expects the English Linked-InQuisition!"

Nope

You are right it’s bad for people’s wellbeing but that doesn’t mean it is on them.

An equivalent is that women are frequently worried about their safety on the streets at night. Sometimes we are right to worry. Sometimes we didn’t need to. That doesn’t make us paranoid. Worrying is bad for our wellbeing. But that’s not on us. It’s one of the psychological weights we need to carry existing in a world that has high rates of misogyny and violence against women. Walking in a normal street without worrying about safety is a male privilege.

similarly, if you are white, having some HR person send you this dumb request would not set off the same concern. That doesn’t mean the OP is wrong to be concerned. I think it’s highly likely this dumb request is born from bias/racism. But even if it’s not, it’s not on her. Having to ask yourself whether it is, is the weight you carry as a person of colour, or with a ‘foreign name’ living in a racist world.

Generally, I think women have a pretty good gut sense at knowing when something is amiss. Similarly I think it shows profound disrespect to people of colour to think they don’t have a well attuned gut sense and to think you can correct them, and dismiss their concerns as imagined.

no, not everything is racism. But OP has given no indication that she believes she is experiencing racism in all cases all the time (and indeed she didn’t even use the word racism even in this instance). So how is saying it is not ALWAYS racism at all relevant? That’s like saying women don’t ALWAYS get attacked in the streets. Racism and xenophobia are a very frequent reality at play in our society. Don’t gaslight OP by dismissing it and telling us about your friends of ‘from everywhere in the world’….. I mean really!?

Do I think you are racist in the sense you abuse people and go out campaigning for an all white Britain? No. Do I think you sound blind to your own privilege in dismissing and gaslighting a woman with a non Anglo-Saxon name into believing she is paranoid, because you are strangely invested in believing what happened was NOT based in bias? Yes.

They didn't ask IF she had a code. They asked FOR it, assuming that she had one.

There is a huge difference.

They asked for the code.

That’s it.

That’s the worst thing.

It’s the implication of it. And I’m not butt hurt or anything it’s more of an “ok…..” reaction.

even my DH (who always thinks the best of people) thought it was odd.

I can't believe this has gone on for 20 pages

You are correct OP.

They must ask about right to work.

They should ask you to provide proof from list of options.

Anything else is wrong. No matter how they came to that decision.