The United States Postal Service (USPS) is facing some serious allegations of workplace harassment and retaliation against an employee who reported a racist work environment.
[Carla] Vinson, who is African American, overheard two white colleagues in conversation. Both used racial slurs, according to Vinson and a legal filing submitted by the USPS – which one of them would later repeat to her, directly, when recounting the exchange.
In an interview with the Guardian, Vinson claimed she had been subjected to “stalking, intimidation, bullying” after she complained about the incident. “I feel as though a company that I have invested so many years in has failed me,” she said.
Vinson went on to describe a situation in which her shifts were cut, her pay was lowered, and she faced social stigma in the office for reporting racist interactions. The USPS declined to comment, claiming it doesn’t talk about internal personnel matters.
Beyond the concerning issues of racism and retaliation in the workplace, , there’s another wrinkle here. As a government-run organization that every American has a stake in, the USPS has a responsibility to represent its audience and communicate better about this sort of situation.
As an organization that prides itself on having a workforce that’s more than half people of color, and touts its diversity pride, there is a mismatch in action and words. The best communicators match those two things successfully, and it’s apparent up and down the organizational culture. When they don’t match, the door is open for discord and a myriad of issues that can go right to the cultural core.
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