"Unapologetically racist" worker sparks extreme-beliefs-at-work debate

This case raises questions about managing employees who hold beliefs that are contrary to an official organisational stance

The exposure of an “unapologetically racist” HMRC employee has raised questions about how HR and recruiters monitor and hire people with extreme political beliefs.

Representatives of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union exposed that a member of the far-right group Patriotic Alternative, whose members have made threats against migrants, was working as part of the civil service’s tax office in Birmingham. The news, published yesterday (29 January), followed a year-long BBC investigation into far right activity that resulted in a documentary aired last Tuesday (21 January).

A representative of HMRC stated that all of its employees were expected to uphold the Civil Service Code, which requires employees to be objective and impartial, as well to deal with the public and their affairs fairly.

The situation raises questions about how HR professionals might manage employees who hold beliefs that may run counter to their official organisational stance. 

Some practitioners point to the Equality Act 2010, which protects beliefs such as religious convictions or philosophies. 

However, Kate Palmer, employment services director at Peninsula, told HR magazine that not all beliefs are protected in the eyes of the law; if someone is manifesting a belief in a way that concerns others, HR leaders might take action over conduct.

She added: “That said, employers should generally treat employees equally regardless of any personal beliefs they hold.”


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Palmer continued that dismissing someone over a belief is hardly likely to be fair; it should be looked at through the lens of whether specific organisational policies are being breached or not.

She added: “A thorough investigation would help an employer determine if dismissal is the appropriate sanction.”

Alison Whitfield, founder and HR strategist at consultancy Cultivate People Services, said that trying to find out whether an employee holds extreme political beliefs is a “very complex issue”. 

Like Palmer, she explained that political views or ideologies are less likely to be protected than religious views, but pointed out that extreme political positions are not necessarily a basis for automatic dismissal.

However, Whitfield added: “In this case, the civil service has a genuine need for employees to be impartial so perhaps there could be a declaration in the recruitment process to advise potential employees that this is the expectation.”

Whitfield continued: “Treating others differently, discriminating, causing conflict, inciting hate – those actions would be problematic and need to be dealt with.”

Organisations might consider how to mitigate against employees with extreme beliefs entering the workplace in the first place, especially if they think that those beliefs might run contra to organisational values or cause harm to colleagues. 

Phil Cookson, director at the recruitment agency Creative Resource, said that it’s difficult for organisations to pick up on personal and political views during hiring.

He told HR magazine: “Normal hiring processes are unlikely to pick this up, although some organisations do check a potential hire’s social media.”

It is a sensitive path to negotiate, Palmer added, as questions about beliefs and views in the hiring process might amount to discrimination.

She added: “Employers can however carry out any relevant, recognised checks required for a role such as a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), or standard reference check.

“These may provide insight into an individual’s actual conduct that could be used in decision-making.”


Read more: How HR can navigate political polarisation in the workplace


Speaking to HR magazine, Binna Kandola, founder of the diversity, equity and inclusion consultancy Pearn Kandola, said that the best approach is to clarify expectations, codes of conduct and values, engage in dialogue over values, and try to speak about how to manage freedom of expression within organisational values, if HR professionals are worried about specific views.

He added: “In the longer term, this creates dialogue with employees, to understand the complexity of balancing personal freedom with the organisations' values.

“If the external views are not expressed or acted upon, then should their privately held views be an issue?”