Not just a bad day at work

When the pitch becomes a battleground: What Jess Carter’s story tells us about racism at work

Jess Carter should’ve been celebrating. Instead, after a tough match at the UEFA Women’s Euros, she found herself logging off social media — not because she missed a penalty or misread a play, but because of the colour of her skin.

Let that sink in.

A professional, representing her country on one of the biggest stages in sport, received a torrent of racial abuse online — all because of a bad day at work.

Sound familiar?

Because here’s the thing. While most of us aren’t scoring goals under stadium lights, many people of colour are navigating a different kind of pitch: the workplace. And what Jess went through is a stark reminder that racism doesn’t just live on social media. It lives in offices, on shop floors, in Zoom calls and Slack channels. It lives in silence. It lives in the systems we don’t question. It lives in us, if we’re not paying attention.

Racism at work is real — even if you don’t see it

No one wants to think their company is part of the problem. But microaggressions, gaslighting, biased performance reviews, being spoken over in meetings, or being overlooked for promotions — these are all forms of workplace racism. And they happen all the time.

What happened to Jess wasn’t an isolated online incident. It’s part of a much wider issue that bleeds into the world of work. Because if someone performing at the highest level, wearing the England badge, still gets abuse based on their skin colour — what does that say about the rest of us?

We can't clap for players on Sunday and stay silent on Monday

When the Lionesses rallied around Jess, they nailed it in one line: “It is not right that while we are doing that, some of us are treated differently simply because of the colour of our skin.”

This goes beyond football. That statement belongs in every boardroom, on every company’s values page, and in every HR playbook.

So, what can workplaces actually do?

Here’s where to start — no fluff, no finger-pointing, just action:

Set the standard

Be crystal clear about your values. Write a zero-tolerance policy for racism and enforce it. Don’t let it slide when it’s a ‘big client’ or someone ‘didn’t mean it like that’.

Train like you mean it

No more unconscious bias e-learning modules that leave people eye-rolling. Deliver real, practical, lived-experience-led training that teaches your people how to spot racism, speak up, and support each other.

Listen. Then act.

If someone raises a concern, don’t sweep it under the rug or launch a vague “we’ll look into it” statement. Investigate, involve the right people, and be transparent about what’s changing.

Show up

Representation matters. If your leadership team doesn’t reflect the diversity of your wider workforce, ask yourself why. And fix it.

This isn’t about being ‘woke’. It’s about being decent.

At the end of the day, people just want to show up to work, do a great job and go home without being judged for their race, gender, sexuality, or background.

Jess Carter is one of many. She just happens to be visible. For every public figure speaking out, there are hundreds of your colleagues, teammates, friends and staff quietly enduring the same thing. Every day.

So next time someone says racism is a thing of the past, remind them: if it’s still happening to England’s best and brightest on the global stage, it’s definitely still happening on yours.

And that’s why change isn’t optional.

It’s urgent.