This piece is part of my 2016–2026 archive migration. Some original formatting, content, and external links may be missing, changed, or not be optimized.
“Black Workers Really Do Need to Be Twice as Good”
The never-good-enough dilemma many black workers face in their careers
For decades, black parents have told their children that in order to succeed despite racial discrimination, they need to be “twice as good”: twice as smart, twice as dependable, twice as talented. This advice can be found in everything from literature to television shows to the day-to-day conversation. Now, a new paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research shows that when it comes to getting and keeping jobs, that notion might be more than just a platitude.
There’s data that demonstrates the unfortunate reality: Black workers receive extra scrutiny from bosses, which can lead to worse performance reviews, lower wages, and even job loss. The NBER paper, authored by Costas Cavounidis and Kevin Lang, of Boston University, attempts to demonstrate how discrimination factors into company decisions, and creates a feedback loop, resulting in racial gaps in the labor force.” Source: Gillian B. White, The Atlantic
Ah, the joys of being a black American in the workforce. Thankfully, many companies are changing the game and providing a haven for African-Americans, but so many companies still aren’t.
After reading this article by Gillian (which is perfectly written btw), you can start to grasp why many African-Americans suffer in their careers.
They’re not less talented, less intelligent, less qualified, or less of anything. But they are overwhelmed, anxious, tired, and dealing with constant pressure to be perfect. Some people can thrive under this unrealistic pressure, but others crack hard and continue making mistake after mistake. Sometimes, they’re making mistakes they never made before because they don’t know how to handle all of the pressure they’re receiving from their direct managers and others throughout the company who do not make them feel comfortable or accepted. Hence, they no longer can think straight, and they start second-guessing their every decision – leading other people to do the same. No one can trust them to do their job anymore, and they don’t even trust themselves.
What happens when a black person can no longer think straight or perform well on their job? They get monitored even more closely, they get low-performance reviews, they get questioned more often, and they seem to fail at everything – leading to their exit from companies. It’s a painful realization to accept, but this is the case for many black employees with non-empathetic and unconscious managers who don’t realize how much bias affects their daily interactions with their employees.
How do you think we can change this dynamic in the workplace?
This content is for informational purposes only — not professional advice. Consult a qualified professional before making any major decisions.