Black History Month—A Time to Assess

Black History Month is a time to celebrate our black employees but also gives employers the opportunity to examine barriers black employees face in career advancement. Black employees are leaving their jobs at high rates because they aren't being treated fairly or given the opportunities and tools to thrive at work, so they are finding their own ways to pave their success—at other employers.
 
Exodus of Black Employees
Federal data shows that black workers have higher unemployment rates and fewer employment prospects compared with their white counterparts. And just six Black CEOs led Fortune 500 companies in 2022. McKinsey & Co. released a report in 2021 indicating that black workers:

• Experience less fairness and fewer chances to succeed.
• Earn less than $30,000 a year more often than their peers do.
• Are overrepresented in low-wage occupations, such as front-line jobs.

 
Black employees are more likely than white workers to actively search for a new job or plan to search in the next few months, according to a 2022 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). They also continue to experience racism at work, including hair discrimination—although states have begun enacting laws to prohibit hair-related bias in the workplace.

Create Leadership Connection Opportunities
Black professionals, more than any other race, are more likely to experience racial bias. Organizations should assess how microaggressions are addressed and what policies, practices and procedures may be enabling this bad behavior. Think about how microaggressions are dealt with in your workplace and how perpetrators are held accountable. Although microaggressions may seem benign on the surface, they can have a compound effect that contributes to Black employee turnover. Managers that interact with employees more frequently are better able to detect these bad behaviors so companies may want to think about how to implement this management style into the workplace.
 
Mentoring—A Key to Change
Mentoring is a meaningful way to helps black employees learn and grow professionally.
Mentoring can increase a worker's likelihood of being promoted, earning more and being happier in their career. It can also provide new networking opportunities that help black employees advance professionally. But before starting an initiative like this, one must realize that black employees will need different types of support:

• Establish trust. Mentors should get to know their mentee in an environment where the mentee feels safe enough to speak about their background and experiences.
• Engage in uncomfortable conversations. A black mentee may want to navigate issues of race and bias and how these limit their professional growth. Employers who entertain these tough topics will learn valuable information that can increase retention.
• Define success. Establish each mentee's goals and define what success will look like before the first meeting. If a milestone isn't met, ask the mentor and mentee to pause and reflect on the shortcoming. Milestones keep the relationship moving forward, which is key to ensuring the connection is beneficial.
• Periodically assess the mentorship. Evaluating the mentorship every few months allows companies to have honest conversations about accomplishment during their time together and to assess whether it makes sense to continue—or if another mentor may be a better fit.

 
Black History Month isn’t just about celebrating black employees, but is about asking ourselves how can we do better? Are we just going through the motions to illustrate our “wokeness” or are we putting our money where our mouths are?
 
Adapted from SHRM