Harassment related to race is illegal under the Equality Act 2010. Harassment related to race includes harassment related to colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins. The following are some examples of activities that might constitute harassment related to race:
- Derogatory name-calling:
- A co-worker refers to an employee of a different racial background using offensive racial slurs or nicknames instead of their actual name, based on their ethnicity.
- Insults, threats, and racist jokes:
- In the office, colleagues tell racist jokes, making fun of specific ethnic groups, or use insults like "You don’t belong here" directed at an employee of a particular race, making the environment hostile. A co-worker threatens a colleague with phrases like, "People like you should go back to where you came from."
- Ridicule of an individual for racial or ethnic differences:
- A colleague ridicules another employee for cultural practices, such as mocking their accent, food choices, or traditional clothing, often imitating or exaggerating these differences to embarrass them in front of others.
- Racist graffiti, images, or insignia:
- Someone defaces a common area, such as a bathroom or breakroom, with racist graffiti, swastikas, or other hate symbols targeting particular ethnic or racial groups, creating a hostile and unsafe work environment.
- Microaggressions, including asking persistent questions such as where a person is really from:
- A colleague repeatedly asks an employee of a different ethnicity, “No, but where are you really from?” even after they’ve explained that they were born locally, implying that their racial background makes them an outsider.
- Making persistent comments about appearance, command of language, or stereotypical assumptions based on race:
- A manager frequently comments on an employee’s hair, skin tone, or traditional attire, saying things like, “Your hair is so exotic,” or expresses surprise at the employee’s English proficiency by saying, “Wow, you speak so well for someone from your background.”
- Not using the individual’s name or adopting a nickname:
- Instead of using a colleague’s actual name, which may be of non-Western origin, co-workers adopt an "easier" nickname without the employee’s consent or call them by a generic term related to their ethnicity rather than learning their real name.