Last week saw some more discussion on racism in Britain in the light of the Stephen Lawrence case, Anuj Bidve’s murder and a series of race rows in football. Meanwhile, the government is proposing ‘anonymous CVs’ and it has emerged that most employers still fail to support workers with mental health difficulties.
Race and racism in Britain was still very much in discussion for all of last week. The sentencing of two of Stephen Lawrence’s murderers has brought up the question of how much things have improved for BME communities in the UK. Citing the recent example of Anuj Bidve’s murder in Salford, an article in the Independent argues that Britain has a long way to go before it can call itself a ‘colour-blind’ country.
Prof Mary Evans’ article, on our blog, is also very relevant here. She speaks of Stephen Lawrence’s case as a case that “involves us all” and discusses the challenges citizens have faced and still face today in challenging powerful institutions and seeking redress.
After a series of race rows in football in recent weeks, an influential parliamentary inquiry to investigate racism in sport has been announced. England captain John Terry, among others, has been accused of racially abusing a player. Steve Rotheram, Labour MP for Liverpool Walton and a member of the Committee, said:
Sport should be rightly proud that in many ways it has led the field in tackling social issues such as racism, homophobia and sectarianism and it will be interesting to see what conclusions the Select Committee draw from the evidence session.
Meanwhile, as part of the Social Mobility Strategy, government has set up a Business Compact with some of the biggest companies in Britain. One of the proposals in the agreement is to make CVs anonymous to end discrimination. This would mean job seekers leaving out their names and schools from their CVs/application forms. It is intended to ensure that all candidates are assessed at a level playing field and to eliminate ‘old boys network’ in recruitment.
Last, an important research carried out by the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development has revealed that most workers still feel employers fail to deal with mental health issues. The survey revealed that only four in ten employees would feel able to discuss mental health problems with their employer. Only a quarter of respondents said that their employer encouraged staff to be open about such problems.
For resources on dealing with mental health problems and managing stress at work, see ACAS guidance on health, work and wellbeing.
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