On average, Black employees rate their job satisfaction lower than their non-Black coworkers, according to new data from Glassdoor. Apple is the notable exception, but there are caveats.
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February 18, 2021 3 min read
This story originally appeared on PCMag
Black employees at top U.S. companies are, on average, less satisfied at work than their non-Black counterparts, according to a new report from Glassdoor. One notable exception: Apple.
Glassdoor reviewed scores for 28 companies that had ratings from at least 15 Black employees, including Amazon, Apple, AT&T and Verizon. It found that job satisfaction among Black workers was lower at 11 of the 28 compared to their non-Black coworkers. When comparing Black employees’ ratings to Glassdoor’s overall company averages, which include people of all races, job satisfaction for Black employees was lower than everyone else at 21 of the 28 companies.
Glassdoor notes that “this shows how workplace experiences are varied for Black or African American workers — there is no single ‘Black or African American experience at work’ and every company is different.” It’s also early days for Glassdoor’s demographic analysis; it only started collecting this information last fall, so averages “may not reflect patterns in the full workforces at these employers,” it says.
Among top-rated employers, “Apple had the highest overall company rating” from Black employees with a 4.2 out of 5, Glassdoor says. That’s 8% higher than the 3.9 rating from Apple employees who do not identify as Black, though only 16 Black Apple employees rated the company. Apple’s overall Glassdoor score is 4.3.
Amazon had 69 responses from Black employees, who gave it a 3.2 satisfaction score. The average rating from non-Black employees is 3.3; overall score from everyone is 3.9.
AT&T had 44 responses for a score of 3.3 from Black employees. The lowest-scoring company is not a tech giant; it’s Macy’s at 2.7 based on 29 ratings from Black employees. Other tech companies on the list include Comcast (3.2), IBM (3.7) and Verizon (3.5).
Glassdoor itself only classified three of the 28 companies on its list as being in the “big tech” space, though it didn’t specify which ones (Apple, Amazon and IBM, probably). “This is partly due to underrepresentation by Black or African Americans in tech,” according to Glassdoor. “For example, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Black and African Americans accounted for just 9% of workers in information technology occupations in 2019, despite making up nearly 13% of the U.S. workforce.”
Another factor: Most major U.S. tech employers had insufficient data on Glassdoor from Black or African American employees to be included in today’s report, Glassdoor says.
Related: How Can You Truly Make a Difference for Black History Month?
To see how your office or a prospective employer ranks, Glassdoor now lets you filter reviews by race/ethnicity, gender identity, parental or caregiver status, disability, sexual orientation and veteran status.
“For example, people can see and compare how Black employees at a company rate their company’s culture or career opportunities, how LGBTQ+ employees rate senior leadership at a company or what the average salary is for those who identify as female, male or non-binary in a particular role,” according to Glassdoor.