New research by Samsung UK & Ireland reveals Arab workers are over four times more likely, and Black workers are three times more likely to lie to their family and friends about what they do for a living due to family expectations.
Exacerbated by wider cultural pressures, workers are also adjusting the way they show up to work, with 28% changing what they eat and 32% of ethnic minorities adjusting their accent to fit in.
The survey of 1,568 UK workers (1,000 White, 568 from ethnic minority groups) not only looked at how ethnicity bias is showing up in the workplace, but it also examined the cultural barriers and considerations present when making early career decisions.
One of the starkest findings is that cultural pressures weigh twice as heavy for talent from historically underrepresented ethnic communities compared to their White peers (70% vs 31%) when deciding which career to pursue. However, workers in general agree that close family members such as their mum (50%) and dad (51%) put the most pressure on them to make certain decisions about career direction.
Cultural barriers ethnic minority groups face when choosing a career
The research also found that workers from the Black community feel the weight of financial burden far more than other workers, with almost half (49%) citing ‘providing financially for their family’, as a key expectation.
The emotional toll of these pressures is palpable. Respondents from ethnic minorities say they feel controlled (40%), restricted in their choices (35%), lacking in confidence (37%), and unfulfilled (27%) when told what job or career path they should, or should not, pursue.
When looking at the most acceptable career paths, becoming a doctor, lawyer or accountant were professional routes deemed most prestigious; felt particularly strongly by those from Asian origins.
| Career | All total | Whiteworkers | Asianworkers | Blackworkers | Arabworkers | Mixed raceworkers |
| Medicine (doctor/surgeon) | 35% | 22% | 45% | 38% | 54% | 38% |
| Law | 22% | 17% | 23% | 23% | 27% | 27% |
| Accounting/ finance/banking | 13% | 12% | 15% | 12% | 11% | 13% |
| Scientist | 12% | 14% | 8% | 11% | 11% | 16% |
| Engineer | 11% | 10% | 8% | 14% | 14% | 16% |
| Dentistry | 11% | 10% | 12% | 13% | 13% | 11% |
| Teacher | 11% | 14% | 8% | 6% | 10% | 11% |
| Real Estate | 8% | 11% | 7% | 8% | 3% | 4% |
| Construction/tradesperson | 8% | 14% | 1% | 5% | 3% | 4% |
| Computing | 8% | 9% | 9% | 5% | 7% | 4% |
| Fitness/training | 7% | 11% | 1% | 7% | 6% | 7% |
Table: Careers deemed most acceptable by family by ethnicity
Working in the services industry (17%) and creative industries (13%) came out on top as some of the most desirable jobs if there were no financial, cultural or family expectations. Interestingly, the research also found that for Asian (11%) and Black employees (8%), accounting and finance was still the industry they’d most like to go into, even if money was no object.
“If we are to break down the barriers to open doors to careers outside of medicine, finance and law, and see more professions as viable and celebrated career options, there must be acknowledgment from industries to help shift perceptions such as those from ethnic minorities – and their families” said Dave Thompson, Head of Training at Samsung UK & Ireland, and founder of the Black Professionals @ Samsung Employee Resource Group (ERG). “If we want everyone to bring their authentic selves to work and thrive in their jobs, we must take steps to not only understand, but also challenge the current state of play. Workplaces can help by building out sustainable careers across their business, subsidiaries and strategic partners to ensure the best practices are in place to drive equity, diversity and belonging at the centre of everything they do. At Samsung, we know there’s still work to be done to make all workers feel they can be heard and valued, but we’re committed to continuing our journey”, continued Dave Thompson.
Bias at work: 4 in 5 Black and Arab employees say they must ‘work harder’ than their White colleagues
According to the research, Black and Arab employees reportedly feel the most marginalised, with 59% and 61% respectively, saying they have been treated differently due to their cultural background.
Shockingly, half (50%) of ethnic minorities have been a victim of unconscious racism at work, with this felt by 45% of Asian workers, over half (53%) of Black employees and rising to 60% when we look at Arab workers. Over a third (36) of ethnic minority workers have said they have also experienced blatant racism (rising to 46% for Arab workers and 44% for Black workers), with 35% of those from ethnic minority backgrounds told they should ‘smile more’.
Founder of Dope Black Dads and ED&I agency BELOVD Marvyn Harrison, said “We have a generational issue of workers in ethnic communities being pressured into high paying and traditional job roles as a way of navigating systemic inequality. From my own experience, Black families specifically have stopped believing their children will have equality without creating a perceived value in their career. This prevents a diversification of the types of roles people commit to at the highest level, and an important sense of belonging once they get there. The impact of this mental load means Black employees are not showing up as their full self and experiencing imposter syndrome which prevents them from excelling and progressing at the rate their talent deserves. We need a generational shift of all races and ethnicities pursuing roles which suit their passions and consider their neurodiversity, mental health, class, gender, religion and sexuality, as well as being fully accepted for who they are.”
The research found a staggering number of workers feel they must ‘work harder’ compared to their White British colleagues in the same role: 82% of Arab workers, 80% Black workers, and 66% of Asian workers. In fact, ethnic minority employees reported doing this by working more efficiently (46%), feeling the expectation to produce a higher standard of work (38%), and having an in-built desire to do the best job they can (33%). Over half of Asian workers (51%) reported doing this by working more efficiently. 43% of Black workers carry the expectation to produce a higher standard of work, and 41% of Arab workers take on work outside of their job role – demonstrating just some of the ways that ethnic minorities are going the extra yard at work in order to be heard and valued.
Experiences of ethnic minorities in the workplace, include:
Another key way behaviour has changed for ethnic minority workers is that they have had to adapt their personality almost four times more than their White peers, to fit in at work (58% vs 15%). 66% of Black workers felt this. Overall, this is because UK workers:
What organisations should be doing to be more inclusive
With just over one fifth (22%) of workers strongly agreeing that their place of work is culturally diverse and committed to carving out a positive path forward, employees said companies need to do more to attract talent from historically underrepresented ethnic communities, including the below actions:
“These research findings align with what we’ve known to be the experiences of many of those from historically underrepresented ethnic communities at work – and that is one of challenge, discrimination and being repeatedly misunderstood. If organisations truly want to benefit from ethnic diversity, a focus on true inclusion is vital. This means challenging entrenched stereotypes and focusing daily on equity in processes and interactions. Individuals from historically underrepresented ethnic communities must be provided with access to opportunities, the most relevant development support, mentorship and the space to be their true selves. In addition, managers and teams need to learn how to have open, honest, direct and authentic conversations where topics like culture, background and personal experiences can be shared to develop greater trust ” said. Edleen John, Board member at the Tech Talent Charter.
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