Why Black workers are afraid to speak out

David McQueen
Sep 3, 2018 · 8 min read
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This is the second in a six part series of articles that I am writing to express some unfiltered views on the steps that companies can take to embrace inclusive cultures. They form the core of a keynote that I give call Minding the Gap, which focuses on how companies can create inclusive cultures.

(In case you missed part one, Stop making crap excuses, is here.)

According to the 2011 census, Black people in the UK make up 3.4% of the population of some 64 plus million. The term Black here refers to those who define themselves as being of Black Caribbean, Black African, Black British or a combination of any those described as other.

Even with this small population, there are high incidences of unemployment, especially in youth employment. Black male graduates earn on average 17 per cent less than white men, the equivalent of £7,000 when working full-time. The Guardian reporting on The Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex, found that “in terms of earnings, Black Caribbean, Pakistani and Bangladeshi women were at the greatest disadvantage and could expect to earn between 3% and 7% less than white British women from similar backgrounds with similar qualifications. Three-and-a-half years after graduation, the disparity in earnings between the two groups had stretched to almost 10%.”

This background is to give context to how the land lies for many Black professionals. Be sure it is not all doom and gloom, and I am fortunate to be part of a group of outliers who have kinda bucked the trend. I say kinda, in that we many of us still have not had the kind of default privileges that come with being white and middle class in this country. This is not to decry those who are, but being honest about how the land lies.

As a speaker, and wannabe writer, I get an incredible platform to talk about how progressive leadership can make a difference in the workplace. While I can approach the issue of cultural inclusion from a broad view I am also more attuned to the plight of many of my Black peers. Often through informal conversations offline as well as working with Employee Resource Groups and more recently through a nascent leadership network exploring the plight of Black professionals in the UK.

One of the things that has been quite prominent for many years is the reluctance of Black professionals to address inequality within the workplace. Understandably so if job security is front and centre and there are no visible sponsors or champions who will support this outspokenness.

I have witnessed Black professionals employed at the leading broadcasters, top consultancies, advertising and media companies, banking and technology companies who have had their confidence eroded. All the while these very institutions espousing their brands as diverse and inclusive. Individuals who were enticed into these organisations through a variety of graduate and leadership programmes, some even headhunted, to arrive at a place and realise their opportunities were severely limited. Hitting concrete not glass ceilings.

Noting that many of the home grown talent have had to witness as Black talent from the US or sub Saharan Africa are brought into helm certain roles while they, local talent, were passed over. Encouraged to hold tight for opportunities while witnessing less talented personnel come in and be promoted over them into middle and senior leadership.

Conversely I know contacts at these same firms who have approached me in both formal and informal situations, puzzled as to why so many talented Black professionals leave when they get to a certain level. Others not so puzzled as they await the outcomes of tribunals with the threat hanging over their heads of being blackballed (ironic term huh) within their industries.

This heady mix has meant that many who have chipped through those concrete ceilings and others who have smashed the glass ceilings have had to do so quite gingerly. Remaining tight lipped in the open on issues of advocacy and avoiding anything that remotely looks or sounds like controversy while collecting awards and nominations applenty. Rather than seeing this as a slight I am cognitive that this is the roadmap for those who want to progress. Only having reached a certain nadir can most then speak freely. Stepping outside of that path is the exception that very few dare to tread.

As someone who has always been able to speak out on these things quite freely I recognise that privilege is something I don’t take for granted. It is not easy to get into blue chip companies or public sector spaces with many of the challenging views I have if it would frighten people away.

A case in point. A number of years ago I spoke for two BAME employee resource groups. The speech was called A Room Full of White Men. It tackled communication and assumption. The basic premise was that if you saw a picture of a room full of white men you would on the face of it not know the gender, orientation, class or religious status of the men in that room just by looking at the photo. This was a luxury not afforded other groups who fell outside of this definition. However it would be unfair to make assumptions about those men until we knew more about them. My premise was it is important to have a conversation rather than go down the avenue of “pale, male and stale” and unfortunate trope that has not helped to alienate a group who already feel maligned by most diversity and inclusion initiatives.

When the slide deck went up in the boardrooms for both of those presentations, the BAME groups recoiled in horror at the title. Of course this was my expected response. Not because of the content per se but how the title would land with the senior sponsors in the room, White men, and any employees outside of the demographic looking in. Yet when I explained everyone took a deep breath because the context was clear. It is important to note that the White men in the room where very keen and curious to hear what I had to say. Certain privileges and powers mean that those things don’t phase you.

Now I think it important at this stage to declare I don’t expect Black people to become the spokespeople for inclusion in their workplaces. Indeed I prefer that they don’t become the default spokespersons. Having worked as hard, or been instructed to work twice as hard, to develop their domain skills, being singled out for attention, whether it be for diversity training, diverse leadership initiatives or any other specialisation based on their ethnicity and lack of representation is uncomfortable for many Black professionals. Indeed in my experience any grouping deemed as non White.

The flipside is that there are a number, and again this is anecdotal, of Black professionals in the workplace who will just keep their head down to get ahead. Who will not only refuse to lift their head above the parapet for a collective issue around inequality and discrimination, but will also remain quiet when it comes to issues that affect their prospects directly. Afraid and wary of those who would accuse them of playing the race card.

A younger more vocal generation struggle with this too but are not as afraid to speak out. Challenging the notion of their parents and grandparents who would encourage obsequience and not be afraid to challenge inequity. To coin a millenial phrase they “are not afraid to shake the table”. And yet this same generation under pseudonyms on social media or within the safe spaces of their peers will register frustrations and anxieties that after following the rules of the game, working hard, head down, not getting into trouble, learning how to code switch, the double consciousness of toning down their assertiveness so they are not seen as the “angry Black person” still wonder what more they have to give to get an equal slice of the pie.

And yet, organisations over the country who clamour for best place to work or most diverse company have a bank of such professionals who are afraid to bring their whole self to work. To walk through into those offices were apparently “the door is always open”. How do such organisations ensure that professionals of Black backgrounds feel comfortable to express themselves and conversely how do such Black professionals have agency to do this without fear.

In the March 2018 issue of HBR, and article titled, Why Black Employees Hesitate to Open Up. It highlighted a number of the issues Black Americans or African Americans, or whatever the preferred nomenclature is, face in corporate America. Suggesting frameworks for socialising, learning and mentorship to be able to address this.

And yet here in the UK, the Race in the Workplace (McGregor Smith Review) highlighted that there were different although similar Black professionals face here. Recent ethnic pay gap reports have identified this is not just a fanciful idea but something baked into the live experience of Black professionals. Addressing this issue, like any other subject that makes any employee feel included takes listening to some of the uncomfortable experiences. This listening, like with any group requires active listening and engagement. No quick fixes but a contemplation on how all of the moving parts of a given organisation can endeavour to make it worthwhile for all who do work there.

Highlighting a specific section such as Black professionals navigating this space is but one area. While I write this I realise in many ways the dominant lens through which I see this is as Black male and the nuance of Black females may have totally been missed by me on this, albeit non intentionally.

I realise even as I write this there will be some members of the Black community who will not be happy that I have “aired the dirty laundry”. That some members of the non Black community will not see this as an opportunity for learning but rather another example of someone with a chip on their shoulder. And that’s OK. All views are valid, even if they are not vital. It is possible to actually chew gum and walk at the same time.


For me all areas of workplace inclusion where we can learn from are important. Some will take precedence in my mind more than others because that is where I have experience. Yet I am aware that there is so much learning when we can empathize with the lived experiences of others. My personal learning journey around inclusion for LGBT+ employees and those with disabilities has been very steep the more I learn about workplace inclusion. I am not afraid to get it wrong. No one has all the answers.

Highlighting specific stories and viewpoints are all part of the frisson. The joy of learning about how we work together. When we step outside of the safe boundaries of homophily, even if it is for the hours at work, to see how diverse populations under strategic and intentional leadership can best serve the customers and clients we say we serve.

That ladies and gentlemen, is what excites me no end about doing the work I do and seeing the impact it has on providing bottom line results for organisations while opening many people to worlds outside of the closed ones they are used to.


In my next piece, I want to tackle gender diversity and inclusion, but through the provocation of asking how it is White Women benefit most from gender diversity.

Frankly Speaking

Outspoken views on leadership, effective communication and workplace culture

David McQueen

Written by

Writing without filter.

Frankly Speaking

Outspoken views on leadership, effective communication and workplace culture

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