Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Fortune
Some Black workers say if they stopped code switching at work it would hurt their careers
By Emma Burleigh,
2024-02-01
Over a third of Black workers say they have changed their language, tone of voice, and appearance to fit work culture.
Code switching is a well known phenomenon in U.S. workplaces. Usually a burden shouldered by workers of color, the term refers to the practice of changing your language, tone of voice, or physical appearance to fit in with the dominant culture.
And although the last few years have given rise to more discussions about employees bringing their whole selves to work, code switching is still prevalent, according to a new survey from Indeed.
Around 34% of Black workers say they have code switched at work, and about 15% say they are more likely than workers on average to think that code switching is necessary. That’s compared to around 35% of Hispanic workers, and 12% of white workers. And around 40% of Black workers say that if they stopped code switching at work, it would negatively impact their careers.
“Anytime, you can’t really be your authentic self, anytime you have to really have it in front of your mind, ‘This is who I have to be in this space,’ that chips away at a lot, chips away at confidence” says LaFawn Davis, senior vice president of social and governance at Indeed. “Feeling like you belong has scientific and biological impacts.”
While once a little-known idea in mainstream culture, there is now an increased awareness that code switching is an encumbrance on people of color not experienced by their white counterparts. It can also be detrimental to workers’ emotional and mental well being, hindering their cognitive performance and leading to burnout. About one in five Black employees say code switching had a negative impact on their mental health, according to Indeed’s survey.
DEI as a whole is currently under attack right now, but Davis says that while many leaders can get behind the idea of “inclusion,” they have a harder time with the idea of “belonging.”
“Understanding people, and the stories of people who are different from you, is something that is so important for the future success of your workforce,” she says.
Fortune is always trying to make CHRO Daily a more valuable newsletter for our readers. If you could take a couple of minutes to give your honest feedback and answer a few questions about your experience, I’d appreciate it! It shouldn’t take you more than five minutes. You can find the link below. Thanks!
Emma Burleigh
emma.burleigh@fortune.com
Around the Table
A round-up of the most important HR headlines.
- UPS recently joined a slew of companies demanding a return to five days in office in a trend showing how determined executives are to return to pre-pandemic work life. —Wall Street Journal
- Late 2023 saw the slowest pay and benefits growth for U.S. workers in the last two and a half years—another sign of a cooling job market. —Associated Press
- Mothers returning to work after parental leave fear being left behind or phased out. Here’s how companies are creating reboarding programs to help them get back to work. —Wall Street Journal
Watercooler
Everything you need to know from Fortune.
Four-day fears.Germany is piloting a four-day work week over the next six months—but economists think a condensed schedule will hurt prosperity. —Prarthana Prakash
New leaders. The newly created executive role of chief artificial intelligence officers (CAIOs) comes with compensation averages above $1 million. —Orianna Rosa Royle
(Un)critical weakness.Corporate leaders crave critical thinkers in their workforce, but a majority of junior employees say that skill isn’t quite developed yet. —Jane Thier
I’d “code shift” if it came with preference in hiring. Cry me a river
David Hossa
04-07
Many white workers say that if they stop code switching at work, it would hurt their careers. Team environments apparently benefit those who conform to their mates engaged in a collective purpose. I'm shocked.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.