Black Ad Professionals are Emotionally Isolated on the Job
Work relationships are important for both personal and corporate growth. With physical separation in recent years, these relationships have been more difficult to maintain for existing employees, and nearly impossible to cultivate for employees joining new companies and cultures. A sense of belonging is crucial to our life satisfaction, happiness, mental and physical health and even longevity. It gives us a sense of purpose and meaning and it helps teams improve effectiveness. While many corporate employees today are feeling more isolated, Black professionals are disproportionately impacted, according to the latest Myers Report research on the State of the Workforce and Workplace.
In the robust study, 2800+ advertising industry professionals were asked if they felt like they worked with people who had life experiences they could relate to, or who looked like them. On average, 63% of respondents agreed. Among Black professionals, however, only 22% agreed, leaving 78% feeling emotionally isolated on the job. Of all diverse groups measured, Black professionals felt the least included.
Research has shown that loss of belonging has been associated with stress, illness and decreased wellbeing and depression. The ad-supported media industry is already struggling to attract diverse talent to be more in line with the population at large. Blacks make up 12.1% of the U.S. population and only 4.4% of the ad industry professional population, according to the study. We have a ways to go in closing this gap, but perhaps more importantly, in retaining the talent once on board.
For more insights about the workplace and workforce in transition, visit TheMyersReport.com.
Stacey Lynn Schulman
Stacey Lynn Schulman is an award-winning executive at the intersection of marketing and analytics. As the founder of Hi: Human Insight, Schulman is laser-focused on the human aspect to data insights and strategy. She is highly experienced as both a new media…
