Why Women of Color Are Leaving Corporate America… Including HR Professionals!

Hello! It’s your girl Camille BThe HR Counselor … so 2021 has been quite a year so far. The COVID-19 has had had a particularly intense impact on people of color which has increased the number of challenges we already encounter in the workplace.

For instance, women of color are more likely to be laid off or furloughed, which affects our financial security and future. The pandemic reinforced the broken rung, which is just a nice way of saying it’s extremely difficult for women to get into management positions so that they can eventually have a seat at the table. For every 100 men promoted to manager, 58 Black women and 71 Latinas are promoted.

Sadly, women of color are continuously on guard and feel that they have to outwork or outperform their coworkers. 61% of Black and 51% of Asian women states they feel the most pressure. So, It’s no surprise that they are thinking of leaving the workforce.

Navigating the workplace is beyond harsh for females of color, even in the industry that centers around people, ie..human resources.

Lack of Support and Never-ending Bias is a major concern, yet Corporate leaders like to think they’re doing everything in their power to implement inclusion and foster diversity. Yet, women of color are underrepresented in many Fortune 500 organizations…with men holding two-thirds of board seats.

In 2020 Working Mother Research Institute report showed that 50 percent of women of color are thinking about leaving their companies within the next 2 years and the most frequent reason discussed was the bro culture aka the boys club… also the lack of support, bias, and nearly non-existent career opportunities.

The workplace is still white male-dominated, which creates a toxic environment where women of color feel stereotyped and Many feel they aren’t smart enough and should work double to prove their worth but rarely see positive results. I personally have felt that way!

Women of color in HR have also encountered microaggression and worry about how they present themselves in spaces with non-minorities. On many occasions, they have to explain they aren’t forcing radical opinions on others but educating them why their existence has the same value as everyone else’s.

When lack of understanding comes from other HR professionals, that can be taxing to the point of causing an emotional and mental strain on women of color.

Making Inclusion a Long-lasting Change Instead of a Trend. Is necessary! For a long time, diversity and inclusion were a nice-to-have. Now… it’s a must, but many companies see it as an obligation rather than a human act of eliminating discrimination and contributing to equity.

f you are a employee or small business and would like to ask an HR question(s) you may reach me at [email protected] or www.bamecc.com

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Camille B The HR Counselor ❤️