Anti- Asian violence is harming work life

They face racism, microaggressions, fear

Asian and Pacific Islander professionals say surging anti- Asian violence during the COVID- 19 pandemic has had profound effects on their work lives, from racist incidents and microaggressions to safety fears.

Nearly two- thirds of Asian and Asian American professionals say the ongoing violence against their communities has negatively affected their mental health and nearly half say it has negatively affected their physical health, according to a new report “Strangers at Home: The Asian and Asian American Professional Experience.”

Half of the professionals surveyed by think tank Coqual say the racially motivated violence has made it difficult to focus at work and 62% say they feel unsafe while commuting, the report found.

Nearly half of them say it’s very or extremely important for their companies to address violence against the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. Yet only about 1 in 4 say their company is vocal about it.

Corporate silence and inaction are harmful as Asian and Asian American professionals fear for their psychological and physical safety, Coqual CEO Lanaya Irvin told USA TODAY.

“This cohort is experiencing a material impact to their mental health and their capacity to be productive contributors in their organizations,” Irvin said in an interview. “This has long- term implications for one’s ability to advance, to thrive.”

More than 1 in 3 Asian professionals have experienced racism at work

Brutal images of Asians and Asian Americans being beaten, spit on, or called slurs have forced corporate professionals to open up about what they routinely experience at work.

More than 1 in 3 Asian and Asian American professionals say they have experienced racial prejudice at their current or former companies, the Coqual study found. The rates are similar for members of the East ( 37%), South ( 38%), and Southeast Asian ( 32%) groups.

According to Irvin, Asian professionals routinely encounter microaggressions such as being seen as the “perpetual foreigner,” as in colleagues assuming they were not born in the U. S. and asking “where are you really from?” or commenting “your English is really good.”

Harmful stereotypes popularized by the model minority myth – the perception that Asian Americans are so hardworking and successful that they don't face racism at work – are also pervasive, Irvin said.

Too few Asian executives in big corporations, especially women

At the root of the problem? Too few Asians in corporate leadership, according to Irvin.

Studies show that no matter how much education and experience they attain, Asians are not fairly represented at the management and executive levels.

According to workforce diversity data collected by USA TODAY from S& P 100 companies, Asian representation drops by almost half from the professional to executive ranks.

That slide is even steeper for Asian women. Asian women are half as likely as white women to hold an executive role, according to a USA TODAY analysis. The disparity is on par with statistics for Black women and Latinas.

“This cohort is surrounded by colleagues and leaders who don't know how to support them,” Irvin said.

While Asian Americans as a whole are the nation's best- educated and highest- earning major racial or ethnic group, they are not a monolith. They hail from different countries and cultures, class backgrounds and immigration paths. The sharp underrepresentation of Pacific Islanders has relegated them to invisibility, erasure and exclusion in the corporate world, Irvin said.

Irvin, who advises corporate leaders on diversity, equity and inclusion matters, says she's urging companies to diversify their leadership ranks.

Asian and Asian American professionals are the least likely of any racial group surveyed by Coqual ( 29%) to say they have role models at their company, least likely to say they have strong networks ( 17%) and least likely to have a sponsor ( 21%).

Having advocates in powerful positions is critical to advance the next generation of diverse corporate leaders, according to Irvin.

“Bring them into the conversation and think about ways you can better deliver on the promise of advancement and development,” Irvin said.

DAMIAN DOVARGANES/ AP A demonstrator participates at a rally “Love Our Communities: Build Collective Power” to raise awareness of anti- Asian violence outside the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles on March 13, 2021.