Sunday Read: Being always on guard because of one's race can tax workers emotionally and mentally

Illustrative Photo by Sodanie Chea Via Flickr Creative Commons

By Louis Chan
ASAM NEWS

JACKIE YOUNG felt highly valued by her company when she was first hired for a sales position, but that quickly changed.

Jackie connected with people she knew to market a company event designed to increase the corporation’s exposure in the public eye and also to bring in new vendors.

“This event had a great turn out, but when my boss stood at the doorway looking in she turned to me and said, “Why are there so many Chinese?” recalled Young to AsAmNews. “I was quite offended as to why she would think this would appear to be an issue with her, and standing before her (me), a Chinese/American. Less than a third of the public in the room were Chinese, so there really weren’t that many.”

Young explained she had used her “personal connections” as she was taught in training and described one of her friends as a Pied Piper” who invited other friends, some who happen to be Asian and others who were not.

“After I explained this to my boss as she stood at the entrance, shook her head and said “'No, no,' and walked away. That was the first sign to me that she has subconscious bias or should I just say she’s racist?”

Young’s experience mirrors that of other people of color, according to a new report released by Catalyst, a nonprofit dedicated to building “workplaces that work for women.”

The report entitled Day-to-Day Experiences of Emotional Tax Among Women and Men of Color in The Workplace found that Asian, Black, Latinx, and multiracial professionals pay an emotional tax at work when they feel they must be on guard to protect against racial and gender bias.

“Emotional Tax is the day-to-day experience of having to be on guard for experiences of bias and the impact of that on the ability to thrive at work and in life,” said Jennifer Thorpe-Moscon of Catalyst to AsAmNews. “We define it as “the combination of feeling different from peers at work because of gender, race, and/or ethnicity and the associated effects on health, well-being, and ability to thrive at work.”’

Out of the 1569 professionals surveyed, 24 percent of the respondents were Asian with the average age of all respondents 35. Women made up 51 percent. 

One respondent identified as Ying, a 27-year old Asian business woman, was among those who took part.

“Once I was given a writing assignment about defensive driving techniques,” said Ying. “Although I liked the subject, I felt very on guard when it was read aloud to me, as well as everyone else in our meeting. I braced myself for the inevitable Asian/woman jokes. When they did come, I coped with it by smiling and shrugging it off so as not to cause tension.”

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In addition to examining women of color, the report's data reveal the Emotional Tax experiences of men of color in US workplaces: over one-quarter of Asian, Black, Latinx and multiracial men who are on guard anticipate bias because of their gender, and, in general, far more experience Emotional Tax. 

According to the Catalyst findings, Asian men experience a sort of double jeopardy. When they act more assertively— contradicting the meek and passive stereotype—they may be penalized in the workplace while white men are commended and promoted for exhibiting the same behavioral traits.

Among the other findings of the survey are:

• Asian, Black, Latinx, and multiracial professionals pay an Emotional Tax at work when they feel they must be on guard to protect against racial and gender bias. 
• This experience was shared by nearly 60% of the women and men of color we surveyed. 
• Employees who feel on guard are most likely to want to leave their employers and face challenges to their well-being. 
• A majority of those who are on guard have a strong drive to contribute and succeed—suggesting that the loss of their talent would be detrimental to the organization. 
• To retain these valuable employees and address potential reasons for being on guard, leaders must cultivate inclusive workplaces.

"Women of color continue to deal with some of the workplace's most entrenched hurdles, such as pay inequities and near invisibility in top leadership roles, as well as daunting roadblocks that stifle the meaningful dialogue that would help make real progress," says Dnika J. Travis, PhD, Catalyst Vice President for Research. 

"Over time, these daily battles take a heavy toll on women of color, creating a damaging link between their health and the workplace. And because of consequences associated with Emotional Tax, companies must begin to take intentional action to avoid possible harm to their businesses and employees' health and well-being."

(Views From the Edge contributed to this report,)

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