If that instruction was contextually intended to support non-white employees who felt like they had to "play white" in order to succeed, I think the advice is generally good ("be yourself").
If that was contextually directed primarily towards white employees, it's offensive and inherently racist.
I didn't (and now can't) see the context, but context matters. "White before black" is offensive/racist in many contexts, but not in the rules of chess.
If that was contextually directed primarily towards white employees, it's offensive and inherently racist.
I didn't (and now can't) see the context, but context matters. "White before black" is offensive/racist in many contexts, but not in the rules of chess.