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Racism remains a major concern for most Americans, but according to the newly released Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Business & Racial Justice, government and the media are failing to adequately confront the issue. Who are succeeding? Employers.
The report cites “My Employer” as the institution most trusted to address racial injustice, with 62 percent saying their employer does a good job at “addressing racism in this country.” That far outpaces the 38 percent who said they expected their employers to take the lead on this issue.
With the government and the media, on the other hand, performance falls short of employee expectations. While 54 percent of survey respondents said they expect the government to take the lead in confronting racism, only 23 percent said that they think it actually does a good job at that. As regards the media, 36 percent of respondents expected them to take a leading role, but only 28 percent thought they came through on the promise.
This is all happening in an environment in which the threat posed by racism is greater than ever. While 41 percent of those surveyed by Edelman in September 2020 said that they “have experienced racism,” that number rose to 50 percent in the new study.
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It’s also taking place against the backdrop of a workplace environment in which diversity, equity and inclusion are in demand. More than a third of the respondents in this year’s study (38 percent) say that their feelings about formal diversity, equity and inclusion programs have become more positive in the past 3 to 5 years, as opposed to only 17 percent who say their feelings about such programs have become more negative.
The perceived value of diversity is also strong outside the workplace. More than three quarters (76 percent) of respondents said that when organizations have diverse workforces, they connect better with the public, including such factors as: building trust with community and customers, making products that appeal to diverse customers and being less likely to make decisions that worsen racial injustice.
So how can businesses step up their game when it comes to diversity? One way the report suggests is to invite input from across an organization. Another is to use plain language, rather than jargon, to deliver your DEI messaging. Plus, the report stresses making the positive business impact of DEI programs clear.
It also stresses that organizations put their money where their mouth is when it comes to developing DEI programs—and that those programs are often a key factor in keeping employees at an organization for the long term. For example, at companies with fewer (less than 7) DEI initiatives, 48 percent of Black respondents said they want to remain working for their organization for many years, while at companies with more DEI initiatives (8-16), that number rose to 80 percent.
Edelman surveyed more than 3,200 people for its report between May 9-24.
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