Coming together

In the first of our new series profiling colleagues from our black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) community, Wimbledon delivery office manager, Angelica Wallace, shares her story...

‘One thing I would say is, I have never walked around consciously seeing myself as a young black female. I’m aware that I am, of course, but I have been brought up to not see or judge people based on their skin colour, religion, gender etc, but to perceive people based on how they treat me and others. So, let’s say, if I walk into a room full of white colleagues, I don’t feel uneasy or feel as if I’m the only black individual in the room.

‘I have, however, noticed that perhaps due to the longevity of some colleagues in Royal Mail and the rapport they have with each other, sometimes comments or “banter,” which would ordinarily be perceived to an outsider as racist - or have racial undertones - are prominent or have at least, been normalised. This is the culture that we are working tirelessly to try and break in our units.

‘I have not experienced racism myself as such, but as mentioned, sometimes some of this “banter” can be quite questionable. Similar to the numbers of women in senior roles in many organisations, people from BAME backgrounds still make up a small fraction of the senior leader population. I feel that if BAME individuals are not applying for these roles then BAME manager levels will never be representative.

‘I took part in one of our BAME Spring Forward courses previously and it was all about empowering BAME colleagues so that they feel they can apply for such roles. We acknowledged that sometimes English isn’t someone’s first language, so their ability to communicate or articulate themselves well at interview stage is hindered. Support for these types of issues as such, could be potentially incorporated within the BAME steering group and endorsed by the senior leadership team.

‘The death of George Floyd in America was devastating, and it is painful to know that someone being killed in this manner is the only way that these issues can be tackled or acknowledged as this type of incident occurs far too regularly. I’m happy that people have been coming together to support the Black Lives Matter movement and equally I’m in awe that people from different races, all walks of life, and big organisations, are supporting the protests. It’s wonderful to see this kind of unity.’

Supporting BAME colleagues

Making our business a place where black, Asian and minority ethnic colleagues can achieve their potential remains a priority.

Career progression is a key focus as we work towards improving the representation of colleagues from BAME backgrounds across all levels of the business. We need to build greater awareness that the network exists and is there to support our people and shine a light on all the good positive things we are doing across the business. 

If you are thinking about holding a BAME cultural event in your unit, and need some help, please reach out to the BAME steering group, or volunteer to help out with their activities. You can contact the group by emailing bame@royalmail.com.