Workplace racial equity depends on job retention as much as job hires to achieve a truly diverse workforce

• One year after the death of George Floyd, many companies are grappling with a “racial reckoning”.
• Racial inequity in the workplace is an ongoing challenge for employers – especially when it comes to retention.
• Leaders can start by looking at their own company through the eyes of Black employees seeking the belonging, support, and trust that all employees need.

A racial reckoning in 2020 prompted many companies, including ours, to acknowledge that existing corporate efforts simply have not done enough to address racial inequity in the workplace or the vast wealth gap between white and Black Americans that reflects and helps reinforce this inequity.

As employers, companies have historically focused their efforts on hiring and job creation. Increasing the number of Black employees clearly matters a great deal. But when we speak to CEOs about their efforts, they consistently cite retention—that is, making sure Black employees stay and thrive—as the biggest hurdle to their diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.

Why is that, and what can companies do about it? Let’s look at the basics that we all need to thrive at work: belonging, support, and trust.

Have you read?

• After the George Floyd protests, what next for racial justice in the US?
• The Chauvin guilty verdict: Experts weigh in on George Floyd and the role of race
• The legacy of George Floyd: Here’s how business can address inequality and promote justice

We stay at companies in which we feel we belong and where we can be our authentic selves. Feeling included and valued gives us confidence to speak up and participate. We need support (tools, training, coaching, feedback) to learn and grow in our roles. And we choose to build careers at the companies we trust: our aspirations are stronger if we have faith that the company we work for will fairly recognize and reward our efforts.

This is not the experience of many Black employees today. They see few company leaders who look like them. They often must work harder than their white peers to fit in, expending considerable energy to construct a workplace identity.

As Black employees navigate the unwritten rules of the workplace, they are less likely to benefit from the guidance of sponsors and mentors, who often gravitate toward employees of their own race. And it is naïve for leaders to assume that employees who regularly experience systemic racism outside the company will automatically trust the hiring, assessment, and promotion systems inside the company. Companies cannot presume trust; they must earn it.

This, then, is where leaders can start: by taking an honest look at their own company through the eyes of Black employees seeking the belonging, support, and trust that all employees need.

Most C-suites lack diversity, so many executives find it difficult to fully understand the ways their company’s structures, processes, or environment fail to offer belonging, support, and trust in equal measure to all. Three simple but tough questions about a company—its leadership, culture, and talent journey—offer some truths.

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