Jul 6, 2021
By Mark Sutcliffe, Ottawa Citizen
Despite a heightened level of awareness and discussion about bias, discrimination and micro-aggressions in the workplace, the experience for many racialized employees hasn’t changed.
It’s usually a pretty straightforward process, at least if you’re a middle-aged white guy. You win an award, you post about it on social media, and you get an avalanche of congratulatory comments. But when Nathan Hall, the CEO of Simple Story, was named to Ottawa’s Forty Under 40, among the many supportive responses he received on LinkedIn was a racially motivated attack.
It certainly wasn’t Hall’s first experience with bigotry. But it came within weeks of the death of George Floyd, and it sparked a wider conversation about racism that led Hall to launch a social impact business devoted to supporting victims educating organizations on diversity and inclusion.
Now, one year later, Hall has observed a heightened level of awareness and discussion about bias, discrimination and micro-aggressions in the workplace. But despite the increased attention, the experience for many racialized employees hasn’t changed.