5 ways Christians can tackle the rise in racism at work

Despite the efforts made to tackle racism in recent decades, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) have published a survey that reveals Black and ethnic minority workers are experiencing rising levels of discrimination in the workplace.

The most common form of abuse remains racist ‘jokes’ and workplace ‘banter’, which has a significant impact on the mental health and wellbeing of Black workers. Reports of physical violence and intimidation have also increased from 19% in 2020 to 26%.

Almost half of all Black workers said they are given harder or less popular tasks at work, with rising levels reporting they had been unfairly passed over for a pay rise, promotion or denied a job.

There has also been an increase in racist content being shared on social media, and racist literature or music being shared in the workplace.

In the face of such abhorrent behaviour, it can hard for Christians to know how to respond. But the Bible clearly shows us another way.

Jesus never ignored the particular hurts people carried or the social patterns that shaped those hurts. He saw how certain groups of people were treated with suspicion, exclusion, hatred and discrimination, and he responded in ways that astonished those around him.

The gospel writers repeatedly name the ethnic identities of the people Jesus encountered, especially when he crossed social boundaries to show love.

Mark introduces one woman as “a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia” before describing her conversation with Jesus. She would have expected rejection from a Jewish teacher, but instead Jesus healed her daughter (Mark 7:26). Matthew similarly describes “a Canaanite woman from that vicinity” who begged Jesus to heal her demon-possessed daughter (Matthew 15:22).

The story of scripture is the story of God’s goodness interrupting evil, again and again

Jesus also praised the faith of a Roman centurion - the representative of an occupying empire - and declared: “I have not found such great faith even in Israel” (Luke 7:9). He repeatedly singled out Samaritans - Israel’s despised “other” - as examples of generosity and faithfulness (Luke 10:33; 17:18).

Ethnic difference was not background detail in Jesus’ ministry. When He asked a Samaritan woman for water, her first response was astonishment: “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman” (John 4:9). His presence alone disrupted assumptions about who belonged near one another.

Throughout scripture, we see that the places we come from, the languages we speak, the cultures that form us, and the people we call ours all matter to God.

God does not ignore ethnic and racial tensions. He moves toward broken relationships to heal them. Christians continue that work by helping repair relationships between individuals and participating in the rebuilding of institutions and communities damaged by injustice.

Following Christ means joining that work of interpersonal and social healing. If we want to demonstrate the gospel, we can start by taking workplace racism seriously.

This calling is not limited to executives, pastors or HR departments. Whether you work as a welder, physical therapist or sound engineer, you - or someone you work with - has likely experienced racism or discrimination. The Jesus story can begin there.

Five ways to model Jesus

1. Get curious

Addressing racism begins by believing people when they describe their experience of it. If you’ve shrugged off someone’s story of racism - or even your own - consider whether it reflects a larger pattern that needs to change.

As Christians, we are called to give and receive grace, but grace does not mean ignoring sin. It begins with recognising it for what it is.

Learn to recognise common behaviour that communicates exclusion or disrespect to particular racial and ethnic groups. Even when unintentional, moments of discrimination can accumulate over time, leaving people exhausted by the constant need to decide how to respond.

Researchers sometimes describe this experience as “racial battle fatigue”. Learning to understand and talk about race may feel intimidating at first, but it becomes easier with practice.

2. Find yourself in the story

For people in majority groups, racism can feel like somebody else’s story. But race has shaped everyone.

Consider setting aside time to reflect on experiences that shaped your beliefs and assumptions about race. When have you experienced moments when your assumptions about society clashed sharply with reality?

Jesus crossed social boundaries to show love

How have you also been shaped by subtler interactions, like comments from relatives indicating what neighbourhoods, schools, or types of people were ‘bad’, ‘dangerous’, or ‘undesirable’?

Tracing the ways you have been shaped by race - whether through harm, silence, privilege, fear or misunderstanding - is a starting point for empathy and responsibility.

3. Know the benefits of diversity

Research consistently shows that workplaces benefit when people from different backgrounds work together. Teams with an array of differences often show increased creativity, problem-solving and decision-making over teams with less diversity.

And yet many people still associate unfamiliar groups - or even the word ‘diversity’ - with anxiety or negativity. Ask yourself: can you name three reasons that diversity is worth striving for?

Learning to value diversity as a strength changes how we approach co-workers, hiring, collaboration and leadership.

4. Keep filling the trust reservoir

One of the most important and enjoyable ways to reduce racism at work is by building honest friendships.

Trust is like a reservoir. Every workplace depends on it. But racist incidents crack that reservoir, draining trust from teams and relationships. It is rebuilt slowly through ordinary, consistent acts that communicate care, respect and reliability.

Who fills the trust reservoir in a workplace? Everyone. You do not need to be a manager to help build trust. Start with the people beside you. Invite someone to lunch. Include co-workers who may feel isolated or overlooked.

Don’t wait until a major racist incident forces people to scramble for trust that was never there in the first place. Build relational capital now. It enables you to advocate for one another in practical ways: making introductions, writing recommendations, connecting co-workers to opportunities or speaking up when someone is repeatedly overlooked.

Trust must move beyond words into action. If someone in your workplace experiences discrimination, trusting relationships make it more likely they will speak honestly about it - and more likely someone else will step in to help.

5. Build an active and abiding hope

One reason people give up trying to address racism is that they lose hope.

Many people begin with unrealistic expectations that a single training initiative or conversation will solve racism. Training may help (when it’s done well), but it is never enough on its own.

Addressing racism require change at the root level - unearthing unconscious bias, adjusting hiring practices, reconsidering promotion methods or more. That takes time, strategy and intentionality.

It will not always be a smooth ride. There are going to be obstacles and setbacks. Hope is going to get hard sometimes. But Christians follow a God who never gives up, even if takes all of history.

The story of scripture is the story of God’s goodness interrupting evil, again and again. That means our hope cannot depend on whether progress feels fast or visible. We participate in a work that began long before us and will continue long after us.

Real change depends upon a God who is always moving toward the vulnerable and mistreated, seeing their stories and writing a better one.

And that God mercifully invites us all to do the same.