I first met Earl Talbot through our wonderful mutual friend Anya Smith, and I’ve been able to connect with him at length. Earl is an entrepreneur, bestselling author, retreat leader, workshop facilitator, and personal development guide. His company, Creative Muscle, empowers people all around the world. His experiences are from living and working in the UK.
Blatant Racism in the Finance Department
Earl’s first corporate job was in the finance department at Ready-Mix Concrete. His line manager was an outright racist.
She made derogatory remarks in public, casually using slurs like “Pakis” when referring to Pakistani people.
She also made disturbing comments toward Earl personally.
“Is it true what they say about Black men’s genitalia?” she once asked, calling out offensive stereotypes.
It was an open floor with about 60 employees across sales, marketing, and finance. Only three of them were Black and of first-generation Caribbean descent.
Earl had no chance of surviving under her leadership.
The Unspoken Reality of Bigoted and Racist Work Environments
Earl noticed a pattern of silence.
Even though everyone around him knew how toxic and inappropriate his manager was, no one ever confronted her directly.
“People would whisper outside of work, ‘Isn’t she awful?’ But no one said it in the moment,” Earl recalled.
As a junior employee, he didn’t have the influence to challenge the system.
“I was made redundant at Ready-Mix Concrete because of my racist boss,” Earl said. “So I had to find another corporate job, hoping for a better experience elsewhere.
Hays Information Management: The Discrimination Lawsuit and the Bonus They Stole
Earl’s next corporate job was at Hays Information Management.
When he arrived, he quickly learned that another Black employee was already suing the company for racial discrimination.
The environment was toxic. Earl worked on a sales floor of 25-30 people—but he was the only Black man. The only other person of color was the Executive Assistant.
The racist banter was constant.
“Hey, it’s just jokes. It’s only banter,” his colleagues would say whenever Earl pushed back.
But what really got to him wasn’t just the racist remarks. They messed with his money.
Earl was given a sales target—and he crushed it.
He outperformed his quota by over 200%.
Meanwhile, two white new business sales reps were only around 50% of their targets (one a little below 50% and one a little above 50%).
After Christmas, the Executive Assistant pulled him aside.
“Look, Earl,” she said, showing him a spreadsheet. “You outperformed by 200%. These guys barely got to around 50%. They got their bonuses. You didn’t.”
Earl was appalled.
When he confronted his manager, the excuse was simple:
“We don’t have the budget for bonuses this year.”
That was a lie.
They had money for bonuses—but only for certain people.
It was systemic. They couldn’t say, “You’re not getting a bonus because you’re Black.”
So instead, they gaslit him and pretended the money wasn’t there.
“It wasn’t just about the comments,” Earl said. “They were actively stopping my career and my earnings.”
The Sales Training & The Silent Room
Another incident stuck out, this one at a different company.
Earl was in a sales training session with 20-25 employees.
A colleague from the Netherlands—a country with its own history of racism—made a comment about Earl’s skin color.
He inferred that Earl wouldn’t be attractive to certain women because of his facial features and complexion.
Earl looked around the room.
The trainer said nothing.
None of his colleagues spoke up.
They all just sat there.
No one even looked uncomfortable. It was normal to them.
“The trainer has a responsibility to shut that down,” Earl said. “But they didn’t. It shows that this stuff is both a societal problem and a company culture problem.”
If senior leadership allows racism and bigotry, then employees think it’s acceptable.
Being Black in the Workplace: The System is Rigged
Earl described how bias shows up in hiring, promotions, and evaluations.
For example, studies show that having a non-white name on your CV makes you 70% less likely to get a job interview.
“They don’t even read your resume if your name doesn’t sound Anglo-Saxon,” Earl said.
The issue is not just about individual racism—it’s about how entire structures are built to keep people out.
“In London, according to a recent Census, around 13.5% of the population is Black and 7.5% is Indian,” Earl said. “When including Pakistani (3.3%) and Bangladeshi (3.7%) communities, the total South Asian population rises to about 14.5%. But in many workplaces, the numbers aren’t even close to reflecting those demographics. You can’t keep hiring people that look exactly like you and then act surprised when your company lacks diversity and varying perspectives.”
In America, it’s just as bad.
“It’s not just race—it’s gender, sexual orientation, everything,” Earl said. “Women and people of color are underrepresented at every level, and if they do get hired, they get held back.”
Let’s bring some statistics to the conversation to show how prevalent this problem is:
- According to the United Nations, approximately one in six people globally experience discrimination on various grounds, with racial discrimination being among the most common.
- A Gallup poll indicates that one in four Black workers in the United States report experiencing discrimination at work in the past year; a University of Cambridge survey found that 88% of Black individuals reported racial discrimination at work in the UK.
- Catalyst’s research reveals that 51% of women from marginalized racial and ethnic groups experience racism at work, with higher rates among queer (63%) and transgender (67%) women.
Mind-blowing. Unthinkable Appalling.
It’s time for real change, isn’t it?
When Racism & Ageism Collide
In Earl’s most recent job, he faced a different kind of discrimination: Ageism.
“If I tried to apply for a sales job now, my age would be a problem,” Earl said.
Not because of performance—he was still sharp and highly skilled.
But companies want younger employees because they’re seen as easier to mold, more energetic, and less likely to challenge leadership.
“You see this a lot in tech,” Earl explained. “They hire loads of young people because they’re pliable. Meanwhile, the older, more experienced employees get overlooked.”
Earl saw firsthand how younger workers were treated better than their older colleagues.
“I was lucky to have a good direct manager,” he said. “But my boss’s boss? They saw me as a threat.”
The reason?
Earl’s experience and wisdom meant that colleagues came to him for advice.
And when people trust someone more than their actual boss, that makes leaders insecure.
“A lot of ageism comes from leaders who feel threatened,” Earl said. “If the people around them respect you more, they want to push you out.”
“This is so powerful,” I said. “And really shines a light on the psychology of it. Some people assume that because someone is older, they might be less qualified. The truth is often the opposite, and the strong skills and experience make some of the less-skilled managers out there feel uneasy.”
The Redundancy That Shouldn’t Have Happened
Earl’s last company made him redundant—but it wasn’t a fair redundancy.
His manager made it clear that he wanted to keep someone else, even though Earl outperformed that person.
Even a senior leader at the company admitted that the manager had done this to others before.
It wasn’t about performance.
It was about who they wanted to stay, based on a level of nepotism—supporting the people you are friends with.
Why People Don’t Fight Back
Earl could have sued multiple companies for discrimination.
But he didn’t.
And neither do most people.
Why?
Because the system isn’t built to support them. Lawsuits take years. They cost a fortune. Even if you win, you’re often blacklisted from the industry.
“In my opinion and experience, only about 1 in 25 people actually fight these cases,” Earl said. “And even the few who win usually get silenced by NDAs. Jeff, the fact that you defeated a corrupt company and can talk openly about it is rare.”
“Thank you,” I said to Earl.
“Regarding my former colleague at Hays Information Management who sued the company for racism,” Earl said, “he won. He got a payout. But he couldn’t talk about it. The company made sure of that.
“There’s no advocacy for us inside these organizations. They protect the abusers, not the victims.”
The statistics back up Earl’s experience. A 2022 report indicates that 61% of U.S. employees have experienced or witnessed workplace discrimination. But despite the high incidence of discrimination, a significant number of individuals don’t file formal complaints. In fact, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reported receiving 61,331 charges of workplace discrimination in fiscal year 2022.
A study by Forbes also highlights that 33% to 57% of U.S. workers are bound by NDAs or similar agreements, which can limit their ability to speak out about issues like discrimination. NDAs often deter individuals from reporting abuse, as they fear legal repercussions or job loss. Many organizations use these agreements to conceal workplace issues such as sexual harassment and discrimination.
Retaliation is another major concern. Employees who report abuse often face job loss or further discrimination, which makes them reluctant to file complaints. The American Bar Association notes that those who report mistreatment are sometimes vilified as “snitches” or labeled as disloyal employees.
The Culture of Cowardice
Earl left me with one last powerful insight.
“You’ve met me in person, Jeff,” Earl said. “I’m not a small guy.”
“What’s interesting is that these people wouldn’t dare say these things to me outside of work. They weren’t big, strong, or brave. But at work? They felt protected. They knew the company culture would protect them over me.”
And that’s what corporate racism and bigotry look like.
It’s not just individual bias. It’s a system that empowers abusers—and silences the people they harm.
This is the truth. A truth that most companies want to hide.
Earl is the Founder of Creative Muscle, a company focused on empowering others, leading retreats to help others get to the next level of success, and conducting powerful workshops on personal development, resiliency. He is a bestselling author and a trusted advisor to top entrepreneurs.
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