76% of workers think racism is a problem at U.S. workplaces but only 44% think it’s a problem at their workplace

Three-fourths of American workers (76%) think racism and discrimination is an issue at U.S. workplaces, but fewer than half (44%) think it’s an issue at their company, according to a survey released June 10 by Clutch, a B2B ratings and reviews platform.

Clutch found that just 14% of workers say racism and discrimination is a major problem at their own workplace, compared to 43% who think it’s a major problem at U.S. companies overall.

Two-thirds of African-American workers (64%), however, say racism and discrimination is a problem at their workplace.

Many people may be discriminating without knowing it. These “microaggressions” are small actions, comments and gestures people make that only marginalized groups may notice.

Workers may not think their company is discriminatory, but many likely don’t understand common workplace microaggressions.

Most Workers Want Companies to Actively Address the Death of George Floyd and the Resulting Protests

Most people are supportive of the current anti-racism protests and companies that are responding to the race issues people are protesting.

Nearly two-thirds of workers (62%) support the current protests that resulted from the death of George Floyd, and 55% think their company should respond directly to the issues of the protests.

To address the anti-racism protests, companies have:

• Released a public statement (30%)
• Held an open discussion with leadership (19%)
• Donated to causes (10%)
• Promised to hire a more diverse workforce (7%)
• Made it easier for employees to take time off (6%)

Angel Mills, owner of Angel Mills Brand Strategy, a marketing agency that specializes in brand development, is sharing emails and social media posts about the protests and is planning a forum for clients to discuss the issues surrounding George Floyd’s death and how they affect black entrepreneurs.

“I think that it would be extremely tone-deaf and inconsiderate to refuse to acknowledge how the death of George Floyd is affecting the black community specifically and the world at large,” Mills said. “It is imperative that companies speak up and begin to take action to do their part to dismantle racism.”

Large Businesses More Likely to Address the Death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter Protests

Two-thirds of businesses with more than 500 employees (67%) have addressed the recent anti-racism protests, compared to 34% of companies with 2-500 employees.

Most large companies (51%) have released a public statement about their stance on racism and the actions they plan to take to address it, compared to 14% of smaller companies.

Overall, 65% of workers think their company has done enough to address the death of George Floyd and the resulting protests.

Read the full report here: https://clutch.co/hr/resources/how-businesses-are-responding-george-floyd-death-resulting-protests.