Anti-racist action plans for the workplace

Racism is a persistent and evolving threat. Stoked by politicians and spread online, it causes fresh trauma for each new generation. 

A CMI-sponsored event brought together five generations to reflect on shared challenges and set actionable steps that individuals, managers, leaders and organisations can take to create lasting change to combat racism in the workplace. The intergenerational conversation took place at the Black Leadership Group’s (BLG’s) annual conference on 20 March, held at locations around the UK and online. Aimed at fostering anti-racist thought and action, it came a day before the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. 

In a video produced for the Black Leadership Group ahead of the conference, CMI CEO Ann Francke OBE CMgr CCMI FI said she was “delighted that CMI is able to support this year’s conference, because as the professional body for managers and leaders, we know that managers are key to delivering inclusive workplaces, free of racism and discrimination.”

CMI was represented by leading educator and change-maker Rebecca Robins CMgr CCMI at the London strand of the hybrid event, hosted at Google’s Central Saint Giles offices, while CMI-led workshops at each of the locations – which included Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff and Edinburgh – focused on tackling racism in the workplace.

• Read more: what’s holding organisations back from ending racism at work?

Speakers throughout the day repeatedly illustrated the stark reality of racism in 2025. Nineteen per cent of people in England believe people from some races are born less intelligent than others, for example – while figures in 2020 showed a 40% increase in primary school exclusions for racism. 

In the workplace, systemic biases result in unequal hiring practices, promotions and salaries, as well as racist discrimination. CMI’s Walking the Walk? report identified a ‘say-do gap’, in which 79% of HR decision-makers and 67% of employees believe their organisation has an inclusive culture, yet half of HR leaders and a third of employees report having seen discrimination or micro-aggressions. Almost eight in ten (78%) HR leaders believe senior management identifies and deals with inappropriate behaviour in a timely manner, compared to fewer than six in ten (57%) non-manager employees, while only half of employees said they felt like their voice was heard and acted upon by their organisation. 

“This is now, this is urgent, this is a crisis,” said BLG co-founder and director Amarjit Basi to the assembled leaders, activists and anti-racist experts. 

“Look through lenses instead of labels”

Rebecca, the author of Five Generations at Work and a member of CMI Women, delivered a keynote on making the most of generational diversity to create more collaborative and competitive organisations. Addressing the “pervasive divisive discourse” between generations, she made a powerful and hopeful call to action, urging them to work together to harness their full potential and overcome the “complex, urgent and interconnected” nature of modern problems. 

“Age is one dimension of diversity that we all share,” she said. “Imagine what we can make happen together if we take the time to look through lenses instead of labels, and to walk in each other’s footsteps. This is about sustained and systemic change for good that will require more collaborative leadership.”

The power of words to make a positive difference was a key theme of her speech, which encouraged delegates to consider the impact of their actions on future generations. The keynote drew on the words of Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, who spoke about “meaning that secures our difference”. 

We have a choice. Do we accept things the way they are or do we do something about it?

Driving out racism from the workplace

At the London event, the CMI workshop on driving action against racism in the workplace was facilitated by Katie Kelly CMgr CCMI, chair of CMI London. Attended by professionals from further education, finance and other sectors, the session tackled questions including ‘what are the challenges in the workplace?’ and ‘how important is the role of trained and supportive managers in tackling racism?’ Groups of attendees used CMI’s Walking the Walk? report to shape and put together ‘action plans’ in response, focused on important steps to take. These included: