Survey: 61% of employees have witnessed or experienced workplace discrimination

PHOTO EDITED BY WE REP STEM.

An October 2019 survey of more than 1,100 employees in the U.S., U.K., France, and Germany, reveals 61 per cent — or 3 in 5 people — have either witnessed or experienced on-the-job discrimination.

The data, compiled by the job site Glassdoor, is reminiscent of a separate, U.K.-based study focusing on LGBTQ workers in STEM fields. In that survey, about a third of the 600 respondents said they had considered quitting their jobs due to discrimination.

Discrimination can manifest in several ways, from outright bullying to “microaggressions” — subtle and casual comments that reveal and reinforce unconscious bias.

Based on the participant’s responses:

Forty-two per cent of adults working in the U.S. have experienced or witnessed racism in the workplace, the highest percentage of all the countries included in the survey.
Ageism is the most experienced or witnessed form of discrimination in both the U.S. and the UK, at 45 per cent and 39 per cent respectively.
In France and Germany, gender was the most commonly witnessed or experienced form of discrimination at 30 per cent and 24 per cent respectively.

“Creating a company culture that celebrates and respects people for their diverse backgrounds and experiences should be a top priority for all employers,” said Carina Cortez, Glassdoor’s chief people officer, in a statement.

“Employees must feel comfortable bringing their full selves to work, without the fear of prejudice or ridicule, whether intentional or not. It’s critical for employers to actively listen to how their employees feel about what it’s like to work at their company. More importantly, employers must be willing and ready to take action to foster a workplace environment in which all people feel they belong.”

Here’s a breakdown of the data from the Glassdoor survey. Our inspiration for creating this graphic comes from Statista.