Several recommendations given for immediate, long-term improvement
Black government services workers are subject to racism in the workplace – even if they reach the executive ranks, according to a report.
Black leaders have faced a deeply hostile environment marked by threats, abuse, cruelty, subjugation, insubordination, intimidation, baseless complaints, and relentless harassment.
The report was commissioned by the Black Executive Network – an employee group within the federal government housed at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. It was written by Dr. Rachel Zellars, who interviews 73 executives in total, including 63 current Black executives.
Overall, 62% of Black leaders experienced workplace harassment, intimidation, or the threat of reputational harm from supervisors or senior leaders. Over half (51%) spoke at length about ways they were explicitly denied career-advancing opportunities. Nearly a third described being severely punished for mistakes.
“These accounts are disturbing but not surprising because they echo what we have been hearing from Black public service workers for years,” says Nicholas Marcus Thompson, CEO of the Black Class Action Secretariat. “Even when Black workers make it into executive positions, they are met with unbearably hostile working environments, insubordination from direct reports, and career stagnation.”
More than seven in 10 (72%) of Black employees still experience some form of racism at work, according to a 2023 report from KPMG Canada.
Zellars’s report – titled A Study on the Black Executive Community in the Federal Public Service – notes that Black executives face the following barriers at work:
The study recounts a number of shocking incidents, including one executive having police called on her for a “stolen governmental laptop”, when she had merely taken it with her after moving to another division. Another recalled an incident where a white colleague raised a chair at him and threatened to “beat the ni**er out of him” in front of others, without recourse.
Both men and women reported being called the N-word at some point in their career with the public service, according to the report.
Black, Indigenous and other peoples of colour (BIPOC) in Canada see racial discrimination as a barrier to a successful career, according to a previous report.
The report also shared ways that employers can effectively support Black executives.
One of those things is sponsorship and mentorship. However, while 47% of all current executives stated that they had sponsors during their careers, the number is far higher among white men.
Source: A Study on the Black Executive Community in the Federal Public Service
Also, only 28 executives or 42% stated that they have relied on an executive coach during their careers. Only half of the senior most leaders mentioned executive coaching during interviews.
“We know that this is only the tip of the Iceberg, because this study is just the latest in a long list of federal reports commissioned by the government, confirming systemic discrimination in the public service,” says Alisha Kang, national president for the Union of National Employees. “We heard it in the Senate Report on discrimination in the Canadian Human Rights Commission, and we heard it in the internal audit on discrimination in the Privy Council Office.”
To address the problem, Zellars shared the following recommendations for the federal government:
Immediate:
Medium - long term: