A NEW service is being launched by a York firm to help employers uncover racism in their workplace - amid warnings that the problem has worsened in the wake of the Brexit referendum.

Mind Matters Corporate Counselling, whose team of 600 mental health counsellors help staff at some of the UK’s biggest companies, says racism can lead to stress and depression, absenteeism, and lower productivity.

It can even led to legal action from staff aggrieved at companies failing to protect them.

Director David Leckie said racism was on the rise, particularly towards Eastern European workers. “We are seeing a clear increase in the number of clients from Eastern Europe telling us that racism in the workplace has become a major problem for them,” he said.

“Many of these people have been in this country for several years but it is only since the Brexit decision that racist abuse has become an issue for them.

“I suspect that we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg and that a very serious situation is festering in many businesses in Yorkshire and indeed across the UK.”

He said most victims did not want to talk about racism and it was often only uncovered as part of the firm’s counselling services for people suffering from stress and depression.

“Apart from the suffering to individual victims there can be serious consequences for businesses who may be affected by an increase in absenteeism or a drop in productivity,” he said.

“Worse still, they may be leaving themselves open to legal action for failing to protect staff from racist bullying. The difficulty for employers and their managers is that it is not always easy to see that staff are having problems.

“We will work with clients to provide advice on how to spot tell tale signs such as employees suffering a change in character, possibly becoming quieter and spending break times alone.

“Racism at work can lead to serious mental health issues and it is important that the symptoms are identified as quickly as possible so a recovery plan can be put in place.”