Anti-Asian Racism In The Workplace
As fear flooded the United States last spring amid pandemic shutdowns, it brought with it a wave of hate crimes and incidents targeting Asian Americans.
Big-name tech investors are joining forces to combat racism and hate crimes against Asian-Pacific Islanders in the U.S.
A user on Blind asked the platform, “Has your company said anything about the recent spike in hate crimes against Asians?”
- 71% of professionals say that their company has addressed the recent spike in hate crimes against Asians
- Every Yelp, Lyft, Visa, and Dropbox professional has heard their company address the recent spike in hate crimes against Asians addressed
- Over 90% of Bloomberg, Instacart, and Netflix professionals say that their company has addressed the recent spike in hate crimes against Asians
- 83% of Google professionals say that their company has addressed the recent spike in hate crimes against Asians
A user at Microsoft shared, “Yes, but it seemed more top-down only rather than bottom-up. Didn’t feel as United in delivery. Felt there could have been a longer statement on my end and given more of a deliberate, “hey here are tools to learn more about Asian American history” which would be aligned to a small chunk of effort in what I did for other past upheavals (BLM). Only a few managers echoed the message. So… not convinced on my end.”
A user at Square shared, “It took Square a long time to make a statement.”
A user at Target shared, “Immediately- we have an Asian Business Council.”
Google CEO Sundar Pichai sent an email to full-time employees following the Atlanta shootings, which killed six Asian women. Pichai also offered “time to process” to its full-time employees, nearly half of which identifies as Asian.
After a summer of civil unrest, professionals are still expecting their employers to take genuine, not performative, measures to achieve equality.
Non-Asian American friends and colleagues can show support by checking in with AAPI peers, showing they’re aware of the news, demonstrating care for their wellbeing, and offering specific forms of help.
Asking someone an open-ended question — “how are you feeling?” or “is there anything I can do for you?” — can create an emotional burden for the recipient in their response.
Instead, as a friend, you might offer your time if they want to talk or extend a nice gesture.