ushistory1acrm/workplace

Experimental research by Harvard Business School’s Michael I. Norton and colleagues shows that trying to overcome prejudice by ignoring race is an ineffective strategy that—in many cases—only serves to perpetuate racial bias.  Norton discusses the problems with attempting racial colorblindness in this article by Carmen Nobel, which first appeared on the Harvard Business School Working Knowledge website. 

In the end, racist behavior by employees lands at the door of corporate executives. They face a dilemma: If they admit there's a problem, the company is exposed to lawsuits and negative publicity. But denial only makes matters worse. Until more employers confront the rise of ugly racism head on, Americans will continue to see behavior they thought belonged to a more ignominious age.

But whatever the reason, the bottom line for a worker who experiences such hostility is they are often stuck between a rock and a hard place when such bias occurs. Reporting such behavior often leads to retaliation, an increase in the harassment, or years of litigation, as happened in the recent Lockheed Martin case and employee Charles Daniels.