INITIATIVE

WERE:Advancing Racial Equity in the Workplace

Challenge Seattle is a founding sponsor of Washington Employers for Racial Equity (WERE), a coalition of dozens of organizations that represent over 250,000 employees who are taking action toward racial equity in the workplace and in our communities.

WERE website

The Challenge

In 2020, Challenge Seattle and Washington Roundtable partnered with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to examine racial equity in Washington across five areas: healthcare, education, criminal justice, personal finance, and the corporate workplace.

The findings were stark and clear: Black Washingtonians and their families experience significant disadvantages across multiple facets of life, the effects of which compound over time and across generations. Disparities exist regardless of socioeconomic status or education level and point to inequities across systems, structures, and policies. Specifically in the workplace, three key findings emerged:

Black talent is underrepresented in higher-paying and leadership positions.

Black employees face barriers to promotion and career advancement.

Black-owned businesses make up a disproportionately small share of corporate spending.

Less Likely to Advance in Washington State

% Likelyhood of a college graduate reaching executive level:

0

SOURCE: American Community Survey 1-year estimate (2018); U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Boston Consulting Group analysis

Lower Promotion Rates up the Career Ladder

college to professional

WHITE77%

BLACK50.3%

professional to manager

WHITE27.2%

BLACK24.9%

manager to executive

WHITE4.9%

BLACK2.6%

SOURCE: American Community Survey 1-year estimate (2018); U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Boston Consulting Group analysis

Under-Representation in Business Ownership

BLACK WORKING AGE POPULATION4.3%

BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES1%

TOTAL REVENUES FROM BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES0.2%

SOURCE: American Business Survey, 2017

Greater Financial Insecurity

Black employees face greater risk of financial insecurity than their White peers:

0

less earned on the dollar (74¢)

0

less accumulated in net worth

0

less likely to own a home

0

less likely to transfer wealth to the next generation

SOURCES: U.S. Office of Minority Health, WA Office of Public Instruction, US Census—Current Population Survey & American Community Survey, Center for Employment Equity, Federal Reserve Board of Governors, EdBuild, Kaiser Family Foundation, Journal of the American College of Surgeons, ACLU WA; BCG analysis.

Our Focus

As a founding sponsor of WERE, all Challenge Seattle members are part of this coalition of employers from across Washington State who are working to achieve equity in the area where we believe we can have the most impact: the workplace.

Our Work

Sharing a strong desire to support long-term change, all coalition members signed an ambitious Commitment to Progress, setting specific goals to advance racial equity in their workplaces and committing to advocate for racial equity statewide. The main areas of focus are hiring, pay, and promotion for Black Washingtonians and supporting Black-owned businesses, and all members additionally committed to advocating for public policies that advance racial equity in our state. The WERE organization measures and publicly reports on collective progress every two years, and regularly releases reports on the best and promising business practices in our areas of focus that can accelerate equity.

WERE website

All Racial Equity Reports

Pursuit of Racial Equity in the Workplace: Baseline for Progress

March 2023

Washington Employers for Racial Equity members were surveyed in 2021 and again at the end of 2022 to establish a baseline against which to measure progress…

More

https://challengeseattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Screen-Shot-2023-07-12-at-4.05.19-PM.png 848 1098 Challenge Seattle Challenge Seattle https://challengeseattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Screen-Shot-2023-07-12-at-4.05.19-PM.png March 2023 September 2023

The Commitment to Progress: An Equitable Future for Washington

December 2020

Our coalition is committed to listening, learning, and partnering with Black Washingtonians and all communities affected by inequity to support action and advance equity for all…