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?

You cannot get rid of someone for this. However persistently making others feel uncomfortable is a warning maybe - when it’s reached tipping point. Or positively recruit in the image of her.

Within 2 years, she can be removed without any reason.

And when shes back in India, do you really think she would stand a chance if she tried to appeal?

Not a chance.

This is why its so important that she is fired and fired immediately.

A majority white team in a majority white town/country made to walk on eggshells because ONE person doesnt like it? She chose to come here - she doesnt have to stay - and nor does the team have to walk on eggshells.

She should fuck off.

@HelplessSoul How unpleasant you are.

We've gone to a lot of trouble and expense to recruit her and the feedback about her work is all good.

Why on earth would we fire someone because they're struggling to settle down and get over the culture shock and feeling. a bit homesick?

So because you're an ethnic minority you couldn't possibly be racist? Is it just white people that are racist then?

@Dickieanddolly

Then surely she needs to stop forcing her colleagues to be on eggshells around her and to stop playing the race and victim card.

If she is struggling to assimilate to life here, she needs to think long and hard whether she can cope being a non white in a white country.

@EternalSunshine19

Nowhere have I claimed white people are racist. Stop saying things that I did not.

Thread is open and clear for all to see - I have never once said that white people are racist.

What I clearly said was that the employee is racist towards white people - her team mates - the ones walking on eggshells, as per OP post.

Suggest you read my posts before launching unsubstantiated BS my way.

@HelplessSoul Maybe use more pleasant language then?

I've not used any language that hasnt been used before on this site.

Levelling false accusations though is straight up unacceptable and @EternalSunshine19 has blatantly fucking lied.

Direct your ire at that poster, not me.

This employee’s behaviour aside, it is very depressing that someone who is supposedly an ethnic minority would say such vile things as “playing the race and victim card”.

(I am Asian myself).

Theres nothing "vile" about it.

I'm calling it for what it is - and this employee is very much playing the race card, making herself to be some sort of pseudo-victim.

She chose to apply to work in a predominantly white country - what was she expecting???

I'll tell you whats depressing, you say you are Asian yourself, yet you cant take the blinkers off your eyes to call out racism when it exists - and this employee is being racist towards her white counterparts and making them walk on eggshells.

Is that someone you would want to work with?

I doubt it.

I posted here in Work because I thought I might get some thoughtful advice from some of the HR professionals/ employers here. And instead we end up with this. Shameful.

@Dickieanddolly You have had some decent advice from some of us. When you talk about race, it’s not surprising extreme views appear.

Realistically you have some options:

manage her via probationary period and review of her employment. You really should do more than just look at her work. How often do you review employee performance and employee relationships? Earlier than you have is better. Explain about office dynamics and that others have rights too at work. Explain that you cannot change the workforce and that you operate recruitment policies legally and fairly. This is the best option I think. Talk to her as part of her ongoing management and the management of her section.

Decide if it’s bad enough to issue a warning. Difficult I think. Draw up an agreed work protocol for her in terms of working with others as part of her management.

Getting rid of her? Extreme but you might consider it. If others won’t tolerate it and want to leave, you must think about it. You could ask your own HR about legalities and possible fall out from such a move. This route has its problems . Don’t get into unfair dismissal territory.

Hope that’s more constructive advice.

The only shameful thing here is your new employee playing the race card, complaining that theres too many white people and making her colleagues, by your own admission, walk on eggshells.

So what if she is an alleged good worker?

What about the morale of the rest of the team who are on edge because of her racist perspective? Have you considered their needs, feelings and listened to their concerns?

You've been given good advice, but you seem only to care for the employee that is being racist and divisive - and if thats the hill you're dying on, no advice here can help you.

I’d tell any employee complaining about lack of diversity, the firm employs in a meritocracy - although, generally the firms in my profession employ people from all over the world. DD2 was the only white person in her workplace - she encountered considerable race and sex discrimination.

HR are going to call her in for a general how's-it-going/ welfare check and gently remind her that commenting on race and colour isn't appropriate. There's the possibility of finding a mentor from her own ethnic background for support. Also, if necessary, counselling. We understand that culture shock can make it difficult to integrate quickly.

The team manager, supported by HR, is going to have a word with the people who've expressed discomfort with her, remind them of how tough it can be for any of us, a long way from home and assure them that their feelings have been heard and action taken.

Given how difficult and expensive it's been to attract applicants with the necessary qualifications and experience, the last thing we want to do is fire her. Her work is good and I want to keep her.

This is the last you'll hear from me.

I think all this is appropriate. Above and beyond. I hope you find a solution.

So despite being educated she is extremely ignorant that in some areas there are mainly white people? Does she understand that if I go to certain parts of India there are predominantly Indian people there?

I would be very careful of this woman as it looks like she is building up to bring a discrimination care in the hope of being financially compensated.

If she isn’t trying it on then she must be very stupid go expect diversity in every area of the U.K.

I live in Gower in an area of low diversity but know if I went into the city centre it is a lot higher.

Maybe she needs further education or she can’t comprehend this.

I think she’s going to cause a whole lot of trouble.

She’d get on my very last nerve.

There’s nothing more boring hearing a new employee go on and on and on about what’s wrong with the company.

I had a recent new employee, who basically criticised how we did everything, and how her old employer was better, and blah, blah, blah.
I wanted to tell her to piss off back there, if it was so brilliant.
You should be on your best behaviour when you join a new company. You only get one chance to make a good first impression.

What does the OP’s new member of staff expect her to do??
Simply conjure up a more ‘diverse workforce’, because the newbie has whinged about it several times.

"The team manager, supported by HR, is going to have a word with the people who've expressed discomfort with her, remind them of how tough it can be for any of us, a long way from home"

JFC.

This is awful - why should the team, treading on eggshells as it is, be lectured about how tough it is/being away from home etc?

The team didnt bring her. The employee chose to accept a job outside of India herself. Stands to reason wherever she went it wouldnt be the same. How is that any of the teams problem?

This is just straight up pandering to the employee and giving ZERO solace and comfort to the white employees treading on eggshells.

Utter farce.

Probably because she has special experience. You won't find that many people with environmental experience working in developing countries outside the cities plus a degree from a UK university. One or the other.

@Dickieanddolly That’s the sensible way forward.

@Dickieanddolly So what was your role in all of this? You have delegated everything to others!

But suspect theres plenty of UK citizens that have a degree in the same subject/s from a UK university...

Starting to wonder if the recruitment of the person from India was nothing more than a diversity tick box exercise because the team is predominantly white.

Fat lot of good that diversity hire has done - its fractured a team, they're all on eggshells and the newest recruit is a racist against white people. 🤦‍♂️

Right. Ok.
Relevant field experience is a DEI exercise. I will leave you to it.