Asian Americans are more likely to participate in employee affinity organizations, but don’t feel sufficiently supported within their companies, a new survey shows.
Research recently published by AAPI data and survey firm Momentive found that despite their particularly high levels of participation in employee-led resource groups (ERGs), twice the rate of workers overall, Asian Americans continue to feel left out of initiatives corporate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
The study, which examined the diversity in American life, found that Asian Americans participate in employee-led groups at 16%, far exceeding the 8% of workers overall. While more than half were motivated to do so to connect with others, 44% said they were driven by career growth opportunities and 39% cited the opportunity to build awareness and inclusion within their organization.
Still, nearly a quarter of Asian-American workers reported feeling left out of diversity and inclusion discussions in their workplace. These feelings of inadequate support also show up in discussions of leadership roles, with only about a quarter saying they have seen themselves represented in leadership positions in the workplace, a lower proportion than any other race. A similar percentage of Asian Americans surveyed reported feeling supported in taking on leadership opportunities.
While ERGs typically exist to foster a sense of belonging and connection in the workplace, they can also help build leadership momentum and offer mentorship opportunities. But this doesn’t always translate for Asian Americans, said Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder of AAPI Data.
“The pattern that they see is that regardless of whether they are involved in these ERGs, they don’t see a lot of progress in terms of people being promoted to executive and leadership positions within the company,” Ramakrishnan said.
Citing leadership statistics, Ramakrishnan said Asian Americans «feel left out because they are.» Analysis published by management consulting firm McKinsey in September found that despite being overrepresented by more than twice their share of the population at the entry level, Asian American representation drops by more than half in at the level of the board of directors. Asian American women, the analysis showed, are doubly penalized for both their gender and race, experiencing an 80% drop at the board level.
Michael Chui, a McKinsey partner and co-author of the September study, previously told NBC News that few initiatives have been taken by companies to remedy glaring disparities, in part because many DEI initiatives, which often focus on recruiting and retention, they do not include Asian Americans first «because of the myth that they are already well represented in senior positions.»
“In terms of feeling unsupported and unrepresented, Asian Americans are very off the charts in a bad way,” Ramakrishnan said. “I think it’s important to see that a lot of improvement is needed in the way that corporations provide leadership opportunities and also communicate effectively with their Asian American workers.”
However, that’s not to say that employee resource groups aren’t meaningful venues for Asian Americans. Ramarkishnan said these groups often serve as places for workers of color to confidentially share and connect on issues they may not feel comfortable expressing in a larger group setting. Often, they can also find some peer support and potentially organize to make their businesses work better, he said.
“What we also saw was the rise in anti-Asian violence and anti-Asian hate, these ERGs have also provided a venue for people to understand what was happening even outside of work,” Ramakrishnan said. «I mean, first of all, microaggressions and discrimination in the workplace, but also outside of the workplace.»
The study also looked at other issues, including gun violence in the wake of the two mass shootings in California earlier this year, which targeted the Asian community. Asian Americans reported the highest levels of fear of becoming a victim of a mass shooting at 84%, compared to 74% of Black, Latino, and Native Hawaiian Americans. Peaceful. Whites showed the lowest percentage with 59%. Of the groups, Asians and African Americans showed the greatest support for stricter gun control laws and a national ban on assault weapons.