Blogs

HR Question: Handling Racially Insensitive Comments

Question: An employee has reported that another employee made a racially insensitive comment in the break room in front of several people. What course of action should we take?

Answer:It is your duty as an employer to immediately stop any behavior that could constitute unlawful harassment, bullying, or workplace violence. Begin by investigating the incident and collect statements where applicable. Acting in good faith, and documenting these efforts, may provide the company with protection against complaints from involved employees. Document all conversations that are part of the investigation. If an investigation finds that comments were made that are against company policy, you should discipline that employee in a manner consistent with how you have disciplined other employees for infractions of a similar severity. Often, a written warning is appropriate in a circumstance such as this.

Q&A provided by ThinkHR, powering the UST HR Workplace for nonprofit HR teams. Have HR questions? Sign your nonprofit up for a free 60-day trial here.

More Blog Entries

UST Quarterly Nonprofit Digest: Employee Engagement Strategies

Welcome to the inaugural issue of UST's Quarterly Nonprofit Digest , a bite-sized...

Preparing Your Nonprofit Workforce for the Future of Work

When looking at the current work environment, we can see that it requires flexibility,...