State: It's OK to say 'nigger' in the workplace

A state official repeatedly referred to Chocolate Babies as "Nigger Babies" to several employees in the workplace. /Courtesy photo

Rus Lodi, one of my best mentors in journalism, had a unique perspective on the hiring of top managers drawn from his view of the coaching profession in the National Football League: It's surprisingly easy to screw up at one team and have another team hand you the keys to the organization.

Based on the recent experience of a family member, I have a similar theory. When a longtime manager commits gross misconduct in the workplace, it's suprisingly easy for organizations to decide it's easier to promote that manager to a new office than to terminate employment.

Here's the scenario.

My family member works in state government. On more than one occasion and in discussion with more than one other employee, her manager used the term "nigger" in the workplace. In at least one instance, the manager referred to the president of the United States as a "nigger." My family member is a person of color and, along with the workers who were subjected to this foul racial slur, she filed formal complaints with her state agency.

After a months-long internal investigation, state officials determined the following: my family member's manager did use the term "nigger" in the workplace on several occasions, there is no law barring state employees from using racial slurs in the workplace, and the creation of a hostile work environment only applies in sexual harassment cases.

This week, the obviously racist manager was promoted to lead an office in another part of the state.

I have drawn the following conclusions:
- The state in question, which has an overwhelmingly Caucasian population and is not located in the Deep South, has a problem when it comes to addressing racism.
- It's amazing how blatantly wrongful conduct in the workplace can be tolerated, even enabled, if an employer decides there's no solid legal grounds to do the right thing. (This conclusion is based on accepting the state's account of its decision-making at face value. In 2013, it's hard to believe an employer could not find legal grounds to discipline or terminate an employee for repeatedly using the term "nigger" in the workplace.)
- When it comes to investigating allegations of racism in the workplace, the state in question does not take the cases seriously. In this particular investigation, not only was the accused racist manager allowed to continue working in the office where her alleged misconduct had occurred, but also my family member had to fight to report to a new manager during the investigation.
- My family member needs to find a new job, preferably in a state that does not tolerate racism in the workplace.