It’s easy to think that we work in an environment where discrimination never occurs, especially if we are not the ones being discriminated against. In reality, it does occur, and in many cases, workplace discrimination results in relationships being destroyed, careers being impacted, and mental health being diminished. It’s imperative to understand the processes available to the workforce to report and investigate discrimination, and to educate ourselves on how to identify and stop discrimination when we see it. Having the knowledge and tools to do so may prevent incidents from escalating and negatively impacting the Coast Guard’s readiness. Below are tips that can be used to address discrimination when it happens.

1. Recognize what’s happening.  Before one can address workplace discrimination, they must understand what it is. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) refers to discrimination as treating a person differently because of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age (age 40 or older), or genetic information. 

2. Don’t ignore it. It’s easy to let moments pass without commenting because we either don’t know what to say, are afraid to say the wrong thing, or because we have a fear of being excluded ourselves. However, the more we let these incidents go by unchecked, the more likely they are to escalate.  

a. If you believe you have been discriminated against, you have 45 days after the incident to contact a Civil Rights Service Provider for guidance or to file a complaint. An overview of the complaint process can be found here. 

b. If you witness potential discrimination, check in on the person after the incident to acknowledge what happened; telling them you didn’t know how to respond in the moment, but still want to make sure they’re OK goes a long way.¹

c. Call in vs. call out: If you experienced or witnessed discrimination, consider approaching the individual after the incident. saying something like “Do you have a moment to chat?  You may not realize you did this, but it made me (or them) feel singled out and excluded.”  Assume they want to learn, had good (or neutral) intentions, and create the space to have a conversation without blame – that person will be much more receptive to that feedback and hopefully internalize it.¹

d. Use a code: socialize a word or phrase that can be used to indicate someone on your team is feeling uncomfortable (i.e. “yellow light”).  The moment that phrase is used, communicate to the person that what they said or did may be a problem, and it allows them to reflect, adjust, and learn without feeling humiliated.  

3. Use your judgment. There is no checklist that can help us navigate these situations, but it’s important to consider context, potential consequences, and severity before deciding on a course of action. Many of us are paid to exercise our judgment and are even evaluated on it regularly – use it. If you are ever in doubt as to what course of action to take, contact or refer the person to a Civil Rights Service Provider (CRSP) to discuss what happened and receive guidance on next steps.  

_{1. Byrne, Michelle, and Santina Wheat. “How to Spot and Tactfully Handle Discrimination in the Health Care Setting.” AAFP, September 15, 2021. https://www.aafp.org/pubs/fpm/issues/2021/0900/p21.html.}