More than a third (37%) of black or minority ethnic (BME) workers have been bullied, abused or singled out at work according to research released by the Trades Union Congress. Racism is a pervasive, but often covert problem in the workplace that not only extends into bullying as seen in the stats above but can also lead to fewer offered opportunities and to repercussive effects on employees' mental health.

Bottle worked with the business consultancy Pearn Kandola (PK) to raise the profile of the company when it came to the subject of Racism at Work. This resulted in a six month content-led digital campaign using LinkedIn that included a podcast series and website content.

The campaign centred around the launch of a book Racism at Work: The Danger of Indifference by PK's Senior Partner Professor Binna Kandola OBE. Aimed at advising HR professionals and D&I leaders, Bottle decided to use LinkedIn as the principal platform for engagement where they could stimulate conversation directly with their primary audience.

PK works with companies to advise them on Diversity and Inclusion and encourage them to "see the power of difference." The book, and accompanying digital campaign, pulled out specific themes to start conversations and to also give business leaders the tools they might need to help to create a fair and comfortable working environment for all their staff.

The accompanying six part podcast series, Racism at Work, was an extension to the hub of information that people could find on LinkedIn. Conversations with people like the ex-England winger John Barnes explored the evolution of modern racism, how that manifests in the workplace and what we can all do to address it.

A workplace environment feeds down from the top because it is leaders who set the behavioural tone. Leaders matter, which is why President Trump's latest racist comments about four congresswomen are so disgraceful to read. Trump advised in a tweet that Ilhan Omar of Minnesota; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of Queens, New York; Rashida Tlaib of Michigan; and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, go back to the "crime infested places from which they came." Three of the women were born in the US while one moved to the US as a baby. 

Overt racism such as this is devastating to see but there are also daily micro aggressions that are nigh on impossible to make out unless you're on the receiving end. What campaigns such as this from Pearn Kandola aim to do is give businesses and their leaders the tools to bring about change and to ensure that they maintain a workplace culture that is welcoming, suitable and above all fair for all their employees.