Three-in-Ten African American workers have experienced discrimination or unfair treatment at work

CHICAGO – Thirty percent of African American workers reported they have experienced discrimination or unfair treatment in the workplace, according to a nationwide survey by CareerBuilder.com and Kelly Services, conducted by Harris Interactive. One-in-four (27 percent) report it happens every week. Of those who reported the discrimination or unfair treatment to their employers, more than three-quarters (76 percent) said the offender was not held accountable.

The study, “Diversity in the Workplace,” was designed to gauge the frequency, severity and occasion for perceptions of discrimination or unfair treatment and how diversity impacts hiring, compensation and career advancement. It focused on seven diverse segments including workers with disabilities, African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, women, mature workers age 50 or older and Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender workers. Compared to other racial/ethnic groups in the survey, African American workers are the least satisfied with their career progress.

Severity and Frequency of Discrimination or Unfair Treatment in the Workplace

When asked to judge the severity of the discrimination or unfair treatment at work, one-in-five (22 percent) African American workers categorized it as severe and more than half (54 percent) described it as moderate.

Compared to the other racial/ethnic groups in the survey, African American workers reported the highest level of regular discrimination. Of those African American workers who said they experienced discrimination or unfair treatment, 34 percent reported it happens at least once per month. Twenty-seven percent said it happens at least once per week.

Discriminating or Unfair Behaviors

The most common incidents of discrimination or unfair treatment involved:

• Not having concerns addressed or taken seriously (51 percent)
• Not receiving credit for one’s work (47 percent)
• Feeling ideas or input are ignored (33 percent)
• Co-workers making derogatory comments to or in front of worker (32 percent)
• Being overlooked for a promotion (29 percent)
• Not being provided with the same training as other workers (26 percent)
• Not being assigned projects that provide greater company visibility (25 percent)
• Co-workers talking behind worker’s back (24 percent)
One-in-ten African Americans (11 percent) said they have been directly addressed with a racial slur in the workplace.

“While employers have come a considerable way in implementing fair and equal workplace practices, this study indicates that there is still much room for improvement,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.com. “Ensuring equal and fair treatment across all aspects of employment provides for a stronger corporate environment and more successful corporate performance. It is critical that policies and programs be championed by senior management and communicated to all employees.”

Reporting of Discrimination or Unfair Treatment

Unfortunately, most of the discrimination or unfair treatment goes unaddressed. Nearly half (46 percent) of African American workers who experienced discrimination or unfair treatment said they did not report the incident. Of these workers, 62 percent said they did not think reporting the incident would make a difference, while 18 percent feared being labeled as a trouble-maker and 24 percent feared losing their jobs.

Three-in-ten African American workers (30 percent) did bring attention to the discrimination or unfair treatment by reporting it to their direct supervisor. Another 27 percent reported it to Human Resources while 22 percent reported it to senior management. However, only 26 percent of those who made a claim felt it was taken seriously and, in 76 percent of the cases, the offender was not held accountable. Only three percent ever took legal action against their employer.

Financial considerations tops the list of reasons why African American workers who feel they have been discriminated against stay with their current employer. Of those who reported discrimination, 63 percent said they couldn’t afford to quit and 34 percent said their current job offers better pay and benefits than other companies. One-third (34 percent) thought it was likely they would encounter the same discrimination or unfair behavior at another company and 37 percent said they had too much invested in their current position to leave.
Thirty-one percent of African American workers said they have witnessed discrimination or unfair treatment of a co-worker. Only 21 percent reported it, the lowest of all racial/ethnic groups surveyed.

Sources of Discrimination

Twenty-nine percent of African American workers felt their direct supervisor was the primary instigator of the perceived discrimination and unfair treatment of those with diverse backgrounds in the workplace. Twenty-six percent said co-workers primarily instigate it, while 24 percent pointed to senior management.

“Creating and enforcing a healthy, balanced, diverse work culture starts at the top,” said Nina Ramsey, senior vice president of Human Resources at Kelly Services. “Forty percent of all workers – both diverse and non-diverse – say there is an absence of diverse workers in management in their workplace. In order for an organization to evolve, their hiring, leadership development and succession practices need to evolve and include workers of all backgrounds.”

Diversity – Hiring and Firing

The majority of all diverse workers surveyed said their diverse background does not influence whether someone will hire them, but of all racial/ethnic groups surveyed, African American workers reported the highest incidence of hiring discrimination. Forty-six percent of African American workers surveyed believed their diversity background worked against them, compared to 36 percent of all ethnically diverse workers surveyed. On the other hand, 16 percent of African American workers said the diversity of their background works in their favor.

In terms of involuntary termination, nearly one-in-ten African American workers (10 percent) said they believed had been fired at some point in their career based on their diverse background.

Impact on Career Advancement and Compensation

Forty-five percent of African American workers reported dissatisfaction with career progress – the highest of all diverse segments surveyed. Half of African American workers believe there is an absence of diverse workers in their management structure and 52 percent feel they have to work harder than co-workers without diverse backgrounds in order to gain the respect of senior management.

Nearly two-in-five (37 percent) of African American workers feel they have fewer career advancement opportunities than Caucasian co-workers who have the same skills and experience; only one percent feel they have more; 53 percent feel it is the same. One-in-ten (11 percent) African American workers believe they have received lower performance reviews because of their ethnicity.

In terms of compensation, one-third (33 percent) of African American workers feel they are paid less than Caucasian co-workers who have the same skills and experience, while seven percent feel they are paid more and over half (54 percent) feel they are paid the same.