Discrimination in the workplace: Gabrielle Union’s Experience with NBC teaches us that no on is immune

Discrimination in the workplace has recently been front and center in the news again.

During the week when many Americans were giving thanks and gathering around the table with relatives and friends, entertainment outlet Variety shared an exclusive article on the toxic culture at the highly-rated talent show “America’s Got Talent” and how the actress and recently-released guest host Gabrielle Union was bullied, belittled and ultimately fired. The article is worth a read in itself; if you are short on time, here are some highlights:

• Union is told multiple times that her hairstyles, made versatile by wigs and weaves, were “too black” for the AGT audience
• Jay Leno, the previous host of Late Night on NBC, the same network that airs “America’s Got Talent,” made a racist joke about Asian culture in a recorded video for the show. Union encouraged the AGT staff to inform leadership, but the incident went unreported.
• Despite having a social media following larger than all the other hosts combined and helping to contribute to the increased social media following of the show’s accounts, a metric that was tracked by Nielsen Social, Union was relieved of her role after one season.

How management can ensure microaggressions and discrimination in the workplace aren’t disruptive

Black and brown actors in Hollywood have raised their voices for years about the lack of diversity in multiple creative roles, including in front of the camera and behind it. While the diversity efforts have created some change, there is still plenty of room left to improve, as this UCLA study found.

While we may think that actors who make millions of dollars for their work would be exempt from the struggles of diversity and inclusion issues, it’s clear that money doesn’t insulate underrepresented groups from a negative workplace culture. Microaggressions, like comments about hair and “jokes” similar to Jay Leno’s alleged remark, are a reality for 64 percent of women in the workplace, according to McKinsey and LeanIn.org “Women in the Workplace” 2018 report. Men also report experiences with microaggressions, specifically LGBTQ men and men of color reporting issues with coworkers misrepresenting or questioning their seniority or role in the business. In Gabrielle Union’s situation, she has the backing of the public and her industry’s union, Screen Actors Guild American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, to advocate on her behalf and reach an understanding and settlement with the America’s Got Talent and NBC teams. For workers in the typical corporate space, it can feel like no one has their back, and if they bring up issues of microaggressions and discrimination, they will be labeled as a troublemaker or dramatic.

How management can ensure microaggressions don’t disrupt the workplace:

• Don’t sweep instances under the rug: acknowledge the situation, provide correction to the transgressor and support to the offended party
• Provide a support system for employees to report incidents and an accountability process to bring a conclusion to any investigation
• Develop a culture where discrimination in the workplace is an anomaly and employees understand microaggressions do not belong

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