New recruit complaining about lack of employees from ethnic minorities

[Dickieanddolly]

I work for an environment-focussed agency in one of the smaller UK countries. My team covers one of the more rural regions where the population is 99% white. Last year needed to recruit someone with specific qualifications and experience and the best candidate applied from India. She was the only applicant with the qualifications we were were looking for. She'd been to university in London, then returned to India where she'd gained several years of relevant experience. I interviewed her remotely and I and the HR rep talked to her about how our area was very different from her university city experience and may present challenges. She brushed off our concerns: she said she knew the UK and didn't anticipate any issues.

Within a couple of weeks of her starting the job I had feedback from her manager that she had talked several times about her discomfort at finding she was the only minority ethnic person on the team. I had an informal 'how's it going' chat with her when I encountered her in the office at the beginning of June and she said she was struggling, seeing so few people like her around. I asked her about her experience with colleagues and with the stakeholders she encounters in her work: was she encountering racism? She said no, everyone she'd met had been very nice and any minor 'off' comments were made out of ignorance and not intentionally. I asked if there was anything we could do to make the transition easier for her and she shrugged.

Yesterday a member of the team dropped in to update me on a new project. I was pleased to hear that our new recruit is working well and has come up with some ideas that will be trialled. Great. But apparently several of the team are on eggshells around her because of regular comments about how white everyone is. Several members of the team, appreciating the culture shock she must be experiencing, have done what they can to make her feel welcome. Many of us have had work experience abroad, often in developing countries (I spent a year in Malawi, for example), and know how hard it can be. She's been invited into peoples' homes, invited out at the weekend and her colleagues have introduced her to other people of colour elsewhere in the organisation and in town — and then worried that that might be seen as racist.

Any ideas on what more we can do to help her feel more at home? Anything I need to look out for/ be aware of?

Are you pronouncing her name right? 😊
I am the only brown person in my workplace and in several settings. Doesnt bother me. I think you are doing all you can. Culture shock takes a while to get over but she needs to put effort in as well.
In one workplace someone insinuated I had got my job because of DEI. That was racist.

She shouldnt be making comments about how white everyone is. Thats not on.
I don't make such comments.

I'm white myself but I'm planning to leave my current job because it's too white! I didn't realise it would even be an issue for me but it is. I've stuck it out for a year but still feel uncomfortable.

Every once in a while we'll have a student who isn't white and sometimes staff will make well meaning but clumsy comments that shows their ignorance and lack of knowledge about other cultures and belief systems. To the point where one of the students did a presentation on the country where they were from, making the point that white people always look down on the country as being in poverty when actually not all parts are poor and there are lots of great things about it too. It was so cringey seeing how shocked and surprised staff were to hear that a lot of people in that country lived similar lives to them - going to work, school, out clubbing with mates.

I think for someone who has always been around people from different backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, etc, it's really weird to be surrounded by only white people all day everyday - even if those white people are lovely.

I can see where she's coming from, I feel uncomfortable so I can only imagine how she's feeling. However, she's being rude to keep mentioning it, she'd be better off quietly finding a job in a more diverse area.

You pointed out to her that the area isn't like a great multicultural connurbation. The rest is on her.

As long as you are all pronouncing her name right, not being deliberately racist etc, then she needs to get on with it. Or move somewhere that suits her wishes - just like the rest of us do.

There is certainly a great deal of ignorance about India..People see it as a poor, miserable country that everyone is trying to escape. Not true. They also see Indian women as put upon slaves. Also not true.
.
Maybe that's what she means. Not racism but ignorance. Which is hard to change.

This seems a remarkably specific situation to post about on a public internet forum.

It feels very unprofessional to share such a detailed account. How many managers can there be who work for an environment focused agency, in a smaller UK country, in a highly white area, with an employee from India who hasn't settled well? Both you and she are highly identifiable from this post.

If the tabloids were to pick this up - which does happen with controversial Mumsnet posts - you could be looking at a disciplinary process. I think I'd be asking Mumsnet to remove it if I were you, it doesn't show your management skills and judgement in a good light.

I’m brown and have never had this situation but can imagine it would feel uncomfortable.

I have however worked in several teams where I was the only woman (or maybe one other). I’ve always commented and asked what the firm was doing to address the gender balance. It’s telling about the culture of the place as to whether they accept that this might be a problem and how willing they are to address it.

In terms of what you can do to help her, what are you doing to address the ethnic balance? If sounds like there is good work experience to be gained in developing countries so I’m surprised you don’t get more applicants from these regions. What are you doing to encourage applications?

I do think some rural areas can be v tough for non whites. Not so much for me, but DS- a tall muscular hoodie wearing brown man- is often looked upon with suspicion. I tell him not to put his hood up and smile a bit!

It may be that your employee may move to a more diverse city. I wouldnt take offence at being introduced to anyone though.

Visa restrictions, high visa costs and the current mistrust of immigrants do not make for an attractive environment. Plus the CoL.

If I was a member of your team I'd be quite put out being told how white I was. I don't imagine she's being intentionally unkind or racist, and is struggling with the culture shock, but the indigenous population of the UK is white, surely she was aware if this. Your team sound like they are being kind and trying to help her assimilate, but they shouldn't be made to feel uncomfortable like this.

Fuck me - I'd get rid of her ASAP.

If she is playing the race card this quickly, imagine WTF she will be like later.

Sack her off, get in whoever was the next best candidate.

And before anyone claims I am racist - I am an "ethnic minority" too / not white.

Agree
She shouldn’t making such comments and making people feel uneasy

I work for an company that is head office in another xountry, wont say because it is outing. Being the only white person and only woman on my team and department, I was told I was hired as a diversity drive to my face. I mean it did make me think, well times are a changing!!

It kind of does sting a bit if you feel like that, as you think.. do you not think I am good enough on my own merits. I have worked hard to build a good reputation and my team have accepted me.

However, I actually do miss office banter with people like me (mainly women from britakn not necessarily race) a chat about shopping,makeup, clothes, or the pub, it just doesnt happen. It becomes solely about work and a little lonely.

Things we all do connect on are discussing the different celebrations in each country, holidays, and festivals and taking a genuine interest in each others culture. That has really helped to gel us as a team.

Then you should have some idea of how offensive it is to say that someone is playing the 'race card'.

I would give her some time and not panic. She will likely find her place.

The world is flat these days. People from India also watch Netflix, go to the pub, shop at Zara. They have all those there, and therefore much in common with British people.

Thats what the employee from India is doing.

And making her not-from-India colleagues uneasy and clearly unfuckinghappy.

Fact is, she IS playing the race card - and its NOT offensive to say it.

Ok hun, if you say so.

I do.

"Hun".

🤦‍♂️🙄

Just thinking back also to a few jobs afo, I was manager of a team and one of the managers I managed was from India. We got on well and she was brilliantnat her job.
But I am pretty sure she thought I was a barbarian. I ate saltbeef sandwiches at my desk, she was a vegetarian hindu and I stopped eating them as I could tell she was absolutely disgusted 😂
I also was quite young and used to keep a nail file on my desk and occassionally file a jagged edge which she asked me not to do.. fair point but I could tell she also thought thatvwas disgusting.. i agree with her actually.
A few things like that but we rubbed along well and I learned a lot about working closely with someone with different cultural norms by working with her.
I suspect your Indian colleague thinks you are all barbarians too 😂

She sounds like she is really, really hard work.

I had a Russian version of her where I worked once. She was white but expected everyone in the office should behave as she expected in ways that made her feel comfortable and culturally matched what she was used to. It didn’t happen and eventually she changed jobs. Ironically she was racist as hell about people from other cultures who frankly got on with everyone else miles better than she did. Her problems followed her when she moved jobs - same small industry so we’d hear back.

Some people find it impossible to integrate into social groups.

it can be pretty daunting being the only ethnic in the village especially if she studied London its a bit of a culture shock. she'll either get used to it or leave.

Well she shouldn't be constantly making comments about how white everyone is and is coming across as fairly racist herself when everyone seems to be welcoming her.

quite.

You ask what you can do to make her feel more included?

the best person to ask is her.

Listen and do what you can that is reasonable.