A question that has come up in my work as an investigator, which prompted me to research the issue (and now blog about it), is: whether it is racist to not want to talk about race? And, what if someone takes it a step further, and judges or penalizes an employee for wanting to talk about race?
The Royal Bank of Canada (“RBC”) made headlines last year when they fired two executives, over allegations of an undisclosed relationship between them that led to preferential treatment. One executive was junior to the other and had received significant promotions and pay increases, allegedly with the other’s influence.
Recently, my partners, Janice Rubin and Christine Thomlinson, and I presented Rubin Thomlinson’s “Top 10 Workplace Investigation Cases of 2024” webinar. We had a packed agenda and, as a result, we were unable to get to two cases that revisited two arbitral decisions that had been “top cases” in previous webinars.
I remember it like it happened yesterday. My colleague and I were packing our briefcases at the end of a long day. Another colleague approached and offered to carry my colleague’s briefcase. She declined his offer, and he offered again. She refused again, and he said, “But you’re such a little thing.” I remember this incident so clearly, even though it happened several years ago. It was disorienting and awkward.
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