Managing racism in the workplace: the Lancashire County Council approach : Executive coaching and mentoring develop people management skills

Purpose – The paper aims to discuss the management of racism in the workplace in the context of the row over racism in the UK reality‐TV program, Big Brother . Design/methodology/approach – The paper shows how bullying or personality clashes can escalate into claims of racism and gross misconduct. It highlights the importance of establishing a culture where everyone takes responsibility for challenging racial and sexual stereotypes, ageist comments and insensitivity towards people with a disability. The paper describes Lancashire County Council's strategy for developing managers' people‐management skills based around one‐to‐one executive coaching and mentoring. Findings – The paper advances the view that, if all staff feel valued, respected and treated fairly, the organization they work for is unlikely to be characterized by bullying, harassment and discrimination. This requires managers to become more sensitive to people's needs and to improve their leadership skills by gaining insight into how their behaviour affects the people they manage. Practical implications – The paper makes clear that, if bullying, harassment, prejudice and discrimination are present in the workplace, managers must take action, set standards of behaviour and spell out their expectations. Originality/value – The paper highlights the key role of people management and a healthy organizational culture in combating discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, age or disability.