Ethnic minority workers ‘hiding career decision due to cultural expectations’

Four in 10 ethnic minority workers have lied about or hidden career decisions due to cultural expectations – more than twice as many as white workers.

A poll of 1,568 employed adults - including those from Asian, Black, Arab, and white communities - found 67 per cent of non-white workers felt pressure to pursue specific job roles by family.

In contrast, just 31 per cent of white workers felt this way – a difference of 36 per cent.

And the pressure those feel from loved ones appears to take its toll – especially on ethnic minorities, with it being detrimental to confidence (37 per cent) and sense of independence (40 per cent).

The research was commissioned by Samsung.

Diversity, equity and inclusion consultant 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.”

Regardless of ethnicity, roles deemed to meet the expectations of family include being a medical doctor, lawyer, and accountant.

But cultural pressure doesn’t just come from family – 47 per cent of ethnic minority workers claim to have been treated unfairly due to cultural background.

And as such, 56 per cent admitted to feeling obliged to change aspects of identity or heritage to fit in at work.

This includes adopting a new accent (32 per cent) and changing eating habits (28 per cent) - just to avoid being seen as different.

In contrast, just 15 per of white workers have felt ‘forced’ to change aspects of cultural identity to become valued in the workplace.

Carried out through OnePoll, the study also found 71 per cent of ethnic minority workers claim to have to worker harder than white British employees who have the same or similar job role.

This includes needing to work more efficiently (47 per cent), being expected to produce work of a higher standard (38 per cent), and working more hours (29 per cent).

Dave Thompson, from Samsung, said: “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.

“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.”