In light of recent racial injustices, murders of Black individuals, like George Floyd and nationwide protests, companies, along with their employees, realize that now is not the time to be silent. Although the cultural unrest has been jarring to experience, employees and organizations are sparking conversations around the need for diversity and inclusion within the workplace while working through difficult dialogues around racial inequalities.
Although many companies and executive leadership have issued blanketed statements in support of their Black employees and the Black Lives Matter movement, employees are looking for action. Organizations now have the unique opportunity to not only diversify their workforce but also to rethink how they will handle systematic racism within their organizations and global social justice issues. Although diversity and inclusion roles have decreased due to COVID-19, our research shows that employees across the United States are more vocal about racism in and out of the workplace in efforts to spark racial equality and improve ongoing diversity and inclusion efforts, beyond the protests and media attention.
A new study, led by the Glassdoor Economic Research team delves into the Glassdoor reviews to receive an in-depth understanding of how employers are striving to improve diversity and inclusion efforts within their workplaces. This exploration takes a look into how employees feel about their companies’ responses to recent racial injustices across the country.
The study conducted by the Glassdoor Economic Research team examines Glassdoor reviews to understand better how employers are communicating and acting on commitments to improve diversity & inclusion within their workplaces. This analysis provides a crucial, unique look at how employees feel about their companies’ responses and actions.
Here are the key findings from the Glassdoor Economic Research study entitled Diversity Now: How Companies and Workers Are Bringing Nationwide Social Justice Protests to the Workplace:
Diversity & Inclusion Roles Have Taken a Hit During COVID-19
Diversity and inclusion-related job openings declined at twice the rate (-60%) as overall job postings following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic from March through early June. This drop is partially due to the nature of D&I-related jobs. Most D&I jobs are in HR departments, which typically are hit hard during recessions. However, D&I job openings have since rebounded 55 percent as racial justice has taken center stage. Another encouraging sign is that job openings for D&I executive and leadership roles such as “Chief Diversity Officer”, “Head of Diversity & Inclusion” and “Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion”, have more than doubled since early June, increasing 2.6 times. This signals that companies increasingly are making diversity and inclusion a priority at the highest levels.
Companies Are Calling Out Racial Inequality
More companies (300+) expressed support for the Black Lives Matter movement and acknowledged the reality of systemic racism and racial injustice, something that hadn’t happened before May’s protests. Many companies issued statements in the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing and the ensuing protests. Notably, companies are shifting their language. Phrases like “racial injustice” and “systemic racism” that had never been used previously in company updates on Glassdoor appeared in dozens of statements in May and June. Similarly, 92 companies posted explicitly about “Black Lives Matter”, compared to 0 across all of 2019. Many released personal statements from their CEOs, offering support to Black employees and committing to improving diversity and inclusion efforts within their companies.
Employees Are Becoming More Vocal About Workplace Equality Efforts
Employee reviews on Glassdoor discussing diversity, racial justice, Black Lives Matter, and similar topics rose 63 percent following the week of May 25, as nationwide protests stirred dialogue about racial inequality among employees and leaders. 71 percent of these reviews expressed concern or dissatisfaction with companies’ responses. These sustained references in employee reviews to diversity and race reveal that employees are mostly dissatisfied with either companies’ current efforts and responses to the protests, with many reviews describing personal experiences with workplace inequality.
To read the full report and learn about methodology, visit Glassdoor Economic Research.