Race Equality Week

What is Race Equality Week?

Race Equality Week is a UK campaign that asks its participants to address barriers to race equality in the workplace. The campaign invites organisations and individuals to take part in anti-racist activities such as raising awareness, engaging senior leaders in the importance of anti-racist work cultures and sharing activities throughout the week.

When is Race Equality Week?

In 2024, Race Equality Week takes place from Monday 5th – Sunday 11th February.

Why is there a Race Equality Week?

Recent research has found that two in five Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority colleagues experience racism at work. This includes racist jokes or “banter”, racist remarks, being made to feel uncomfortable at work due to people using stereotypes or commenting on their appearance, and bullying and harassment.

Many employees will experience this type of bullying and harassment, but will choose not to report this behaviour because they do not believe they would be taken seriously, or fear reporting would impact their career or workplace relationships.

Research also suggests that institutional racism impacts performance assessments, disciplinary procedures, who is subject to scrutiny, who is denied promotions and development opportunities. It is important to call out racism to prevent it from impacting our decisions at work.

For more statistics, see our Racism in the Workplace infographic.

Race Equality Week facts you should know

Here are a few quick Race Equality Week facts to know:

• The theme for Race Equality Week 2024 is #ListenActChange and reflects the need for more action to tackle race inequality, not just words.
• There is a 5 day challenge you can participate in during the week.
• Take part in the #MyNameIs campaign

How to celebrate Race Equality Week in the workplace

There are many ways to commemorate Race Equality Week at work, including:

• Organising or attending anti-racism training and webinars or inclusion allies training.
• Learn from colleagues of colour about their experiences with racism.
• Embed an anti-racist work culture with our anti-racism in the workplace toolkit.
• Share our podcast on Anti-racism in the UK to explain why we still need to talk about this topic.
• Use the bitesize inclusion toolkit to facilitate conversations about racism with your colleagues.
• Read our guide on how to prevent microaggressions in the workplace.

If you’re a member and need more support with celebrating Race Equality Week, contact your account manager. If you’re not yet a member, get in touch today to see how we can help.