50% Latinx Employees Experience Discrimination or Bias at Work

One in every two Latinx employees (50%) have felt or witnessed discrimination or bias in their workplace, according to a new survey.

The survey, carried out by diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) technology platform, Kanarys Inc and Prospanica, the US association of Hispanic MBAs and business professionals, has revealed that while more than six out of 10 Latinx professionals (65%) agreed that their company does a good job of providing training and education related to DE&I, 50% have personally witnessed or experienced discrimination or bias in their workplace. This data shows a large number of Latinx employees are experiencing discrimination even while reporting appreciation for company DE&I trainings. This is consistent with Havard Business Review research that shows DE&I trainings do not correlate with decreasing discrimination or eradicating biased behaviour.

LATINX WORKPLACE EXPERIENCE

The first-of-its-kind study of Latinx employees in the US, uncovered valuable insights into the experiences of underrepresented professionals in corporate America. Additional key insights from the survey reveal that:

• Most Latinx employees feel they’re being compensated fairly, but the reality is they are not. Many studies indicate a massive pay gap for Latinx workers,;but nearly one in three Americans are not aware of it. This is aligned with the 66% of respondents who believe they are being compensated fairly; which indicates a lack of pay transparency. 
• Latinx employees are having a negative experience in the workplace. Latinx professionals are 35% less likely than non-Latinx professionals to have a favourable DE&I experience at their workplaces. Focusing on race and gender intersectionality, the assessment found that Latinx women have the least favourable experience, as they are 50% less likely than all non-Latinx individuals to feel positively about their workplace DE&I experiences.
• While most Latinx employees feel their companies are making strides in diversity, there is still more work to be done in the areas of inclusion and equity. Only 20% had positive comments about inclusion; and only 18% had positive comments about equity.
• The burden of arranging DE&I training and implementing DE&I programmes is unfairly delegated to Latinx employees. More than six out of 10 Latinx employees (63%) indicated that they felt the burden of teaching or explaining DE&I issues to their colleagues.
• Latina professionals feel less empowered to express themselves in the workplace. They are 53% less likely to feel comfortable expressing all aspects of their identities in the workplace; when compared to non-Latinx professionals.
• Latinx employees scored overall lower on feelings of inclusion. When asked if they believe people of all backgrounds can succeed at their organisations, Latinx employees were 47% less likely than non-Latinx individuals to feel they could succeed.

SLOW DE&I PROGRESS

“In order to move the needle in DE&I, we must address DE&I challenges from a systemic standpoint. The key to doing so is gathering data on employees’ lived experiences to inform an intentional strategy from the ground up,” stated Mandy Price, Co-founder and CEO of Kanarys. “Our joint assessment with Prospanica creates a baseline in evaluating the progress companies have made in supporting Latinx employees and the work that still remains to drive inclusion. Our hope is that companies will utilise this data to better inform their DE&I initiatives to help Latinx employees succeed in corporate America.”

Though the business case is stronger than ever for DE&I work, the reality is that progress is slow; and the programmes that companies launch are not yet yielding the results expected. In fact, although nearly all companies have diversity programmes in place, research shows only about a quarter of employees in diverse groups said that they have personally benefited from these programmes. Disseminating data is essential for companies that are prioritising DE&I in their organisations as this informs the strategies they will implement moving forward.

SUPPORTING LATINX EMPLOYEES TO SUCCEED

“For more than three decades, Prospanica has actively supported Hispanic business professionals and empowered them to reach their full educational, economic, and social potential,” added Thomas Savino, CEO of Prospanica. “Through this research and assessment with Kanarys, we can now precisely pinpoint what our members, and the Latino community at large need in the workplace to thrive; ultimately enabling us to open more doors and opportunities for them.”

Last October, Kanarys announced their partnerships with several leading national advocacy organisations designed to help underrepresented employees succeed in the corporate setting; including Prospanica, National Urban League, Ascend, Black IDEA Coalition, INROADS and the National Society of Black Engineers. The partnerships allow these organisations to utilise the Kanarys platform; give a voice to their underrepresented members; and utilise the data to influence workplaces everywhere.

The report assesses diversity efforts in a variety of corporate workplaces for Latinx employees. This includes assessing how their experiences differ based on their race, ethnicity, gender, LGBTQ+, parental, religious, disability and professional status; with a focus on how the intersectionality of their identities impacted their experience. The University of Texas at Austin’s Division of Diversity and Community Engagement also contributed to the report. For more information, check out the 2021 Prospanica Workplace Inclusion & Equity Report here.

In fact, according to another report, over 2/3 of employees of colour have reported being “on guard” at work to protect against racial bias and unfair treatment; specifically because of their race or ethnicity. Click here to read more.