Survey: Two-thirds of employees from marginalized groups say they experience racism in the workplace

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Recent research sheds light on how racism shows up in the workplace and what organizations can do about it.

Catalyst surveyed over 5,000 women, men, transgender, and nonbinary employees for “How Racism Shows Up at Work—And the Antiracist Actions Your Organization Can Take” and discovered that two-thirds, or 66%, of employees from marginalized racial and ethnic groups in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States have experienced racism at work. 

Half of those polled, or 52%, have encountered racism at their current workplace.

“When whiteness is the default at work, people from marginalized racial and ethnic groups are pressured to conform to white standards of leadership, presentation, and self-expression,” said Joy Ohm, vice president, knowledge architect, and writer at Catalyst. “Our research shows that racism is a lever that leaders, colleagues, and customers pull to apply this pressure and maintain the status quo.”

Catalyst discovered that one of the most common expressions — 48% — of racism are workplace harassment, such as racist jokes, slurs, and other derogatory comments. There was 32% of employment and professional inequities, where respondents experienced pay gaps, were passed over for promotion or were assigned a different amount of work than their colleagues because of race.

Participants also reported racism in the form of derogatory criticism about their bodies or cultures and racial stereotypes, including judgments about a person’s intellect, hygiene, or linguistic talents, as well as responsibility for COVID-19. 

Equal percentages of men and women at 50% and 51%, respectively, have faced workplace racism. In contrast, most trans and nonbinary employees, or 69%, experienced a higher degree of racism.

Respondents often named 41% of leaders as the instigators of racism, but co-workers, 36%, and customers and clients, 23%, also engage in racist acts. Women and men are equally likely to initiate acts of racism, while trans and nonbinary people were never cited as instigators.

White people initiate four out of five acts of racism, and non-white people instigate one out of five.

Studies suggest that whiteness is a central element in work settings, acting as a lens through which employees, organizational policies, and business strategies are analyzed, evaluated, and prioritized. 

One example is clothing restrictions that do not accommodate natural Black hair or performance evaluation standards that favor white types of leadership over others.

Catalyst provides leaders with tangible strategies to effect systemic organizational changes, starting with a commitment to confronting racism and acknowledging how whiteness is centered in work contexts. 

The global nonprofit said companies must create rules that minimize racial workplace disparities, such as removing bias from recruiting, development, and promotion procedures and teaching managers to recognize and respond when employees encounter racism from colleagues, customers, or bosses. 

Fostering an atmosphere of mutual respect in the workplace, setting norms of behavior for clients and consumers, and understanding emotional tax are other vital elements.

“Our findings show that racism in the workplace is deeply embedded, often flying under the radar in the form of offhand comments or other exclusionary behaviors,” said Catalyst President and CEO Lorraine Hariton. “It’s imperative that leaders at every level of an organization act to combat racism and build antiracist workplaces, address racist and discriminatory incidents, and create environments of physical and psychological safety that enable employees to report racist experiences.”

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