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Home • Money & Career

Black Employees No Longer Believe Hard Work Will Get Them Anywhere

63% of Black Americans in the workforce are rethinking how to get ahead according to a new study.
Black Employees No Longer  Believe Hard Work Will Get Them Anywhere
Portrait of senior man at desktop computer in home office
By Jasmine Browley · Updated April 6, 2023

Hard work pays off. Or at least that’s what we’ve always been told, but employees are thinking differently nowadays.

According to new findings from a Real Estate Witch report, respondents offered insight into their workforce outlook and related issues. Roughly 63% of Black employees shared they don’t believe hard work will help them get ahead in corporate America, Black Enterprise points out in an analysis of the data.

“Traditionally, workers of color have had to work twice as hard to get half as far,” Clever Real Estate content writer Jamie Seale shared with the outlet. “That’s not only discouraging, but it can lead to more stress and burnout, leading to quiet quitting as a result.”

As Black Enterprise points out, 62% of Black workers don’t consider themselves quiet quitters, 84% have taken actions that constitute quiet quitting.

As ESSENCE previously reported, burnout has disproportionately plagued Black employees battling many challenges compounded by societal stressors that impede their progress at work.

According to a 2021 study from Future Forum, only 3% of white-collar, Black professionals want to return to the office full-time following the pandemic. According to mental health experts, trauma from civil unrest in the Summer of 2020 and fears of microaggressions post-pandemic have caused Black Americans to prioritize their mental health more than ever. 

“Following the murder of George Floyd and the racial traumas of the last year with COVID-19, more Black Americans are choosing to prioritize their mental health,” said Veronda Bellamy, therapist, and owner of The Relevancy Factor in a statement. “Particularly in settings where there are fewer Black Americans, the return to work can signal anxiety,” she continued. “In this case, many are choosing to manage their anxiety – and their overall mental health – by opting for a hybrid return to work model or a full work-from-home plan that allows them to avoid those sticky situations.”

Beyond work life balance, Black employees’ feelings of being undervalued at work has led their dismal outlook on the work force.

Real Estate Witch’s report findings show that 49% of Black workers feel underpaid, and 36% say they’re under-appreciated. Another 64% of Black workers report they will not do more work without extra pay, versus 55% of all workers who say the same; 33% of Black workers also had a negative opinion of their supervisor, and 29% resent their job.

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