49% of Black employees are looking to change jobs. What are employers missing?

Companies have been diligent about their commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. But has it been enough to adequately support BIPOC employees? A new study indicates that the answer is no.

While 73% of Black employees agree that DEI training impacts workplace expectations and behaviors, only 47% feel their company's efforts truly reflect their employer's core values, according to a recent report conducted by Indeed. In turn, half of Black respondents said they were currently considering or actively looking for a new job. 

"What this is saying is that the Great Resignation is still happening — our job seekers still have control," says Charlotte Jones, Indeed's global employer brand leader. "But with nearly half of the Black workers looking for a new job, it is an immense talent pool that employers are going to miss out on." 

Read more: Bye bye, DEI? Why NerdWallet's diversity chief wants her job to go away

Forty-three percent of Black workers who said they were thinking about leaving their job reported experiencing microaggressions from coworkers or leadership. When asked what they were looking for from future employers, 78% said pay transparency, 63% want their personal and company values to align and 60% would like a diverse leadership team . 

"Discrimination is still a barrier to entry in the job process and it continues to persist in the workplace," Jones says. "Based on what we've seen in the research, employers are just not prioritizing their DEIB efforts even though it's still a key factor in attracting new talent, and just as important to keep current talent."

For many, absorbing microaggressions is often paired with the burden of educating colleagues about behaviors that create a toxic work environment; 44% of respondents feel expected to educate others on DEIB-related topics, and 42% said it has contributed to burnout at their current job. 

Read more: Does your company have 'diversity fatigue'? How to get out of your DEI slump

"The action that employees of color want [to see] does not always have to be from the same leaders or HR professionals, and it shouldn't be strictly African American employees putting others in place," Jones says. "Here at Indeed we have executive sponsors for ERGs, and we rotate them to ensure it's not always the same people providing that education, and experiencing  that fatigue or burnout." 

Despite economic concerns and waves of layoffs signaling tighter budgets across industries, employees have not reported a pullback in companies' DEIB efforts according to Indeed's data. Jones says employers should be leveraging internal data that underscores the impact and outcome of their DEIB initiatives. They should also be selecting resources and benefits with intention and purpose that focus on the long term needs of all of their employees to keep them from leaving.

"The top reasons Black employees are looking to move are basic factors that a company can 100% control," Jones says. "That means creating a true sense of belonging that requires tailored program policies and resources and all organizational leaders — not just HR professionals — are responsible for moving the needle."