I have so many things to say about how Indeed treats their black employees and few of them are good. Let me start by saying, I have worked at Indeed for many years and I have yet to meet another black person who doesn’t feel similarly to the things I will say in this post. I will also say, there aren’t a lot of black employees at Indeed, so if you’re black and looking to join Indeed, don’t expect to see anyone that looks like you and don’t expect the company to listen to what you have to say. Because we are the smallest minority, Indeed disregards us in favor of more “popular” minorities.
First and foremost, every single day, black employees have to pretend to be someone we’re not so we are easier to digest for the vast majority of white people that run the company. That means, we oftentimes have to water down our personalities so we don’t come off as “too much” for the white people we interact with. For example, if we push for our message to get across, we’re aggressive, not assertive. If we question a decision, we’re uncollaborative, not inquisitive. If we tell our manager we disagree with them, we’re uncontrollable, not providing feedback.
We have to work three times as hard to be considered on the same level as white employees who don’t care about their job. We also have to be hyper-aware of our emotions and how we are being perceived because we are always one mistake away from being labeled an angry black wo/man or a ratchet hoodlum. It’s truly exhausting.
Second, I would guess 90% of managers at Indeed have never interacted with black people before and have developed their understanding of black people and black culture based on what they see on TV. In turn, they make assumptions about our interests and how they think they can relate to us. Most of which are grossly wrong.
On top of that, managers are never taught to manage different types of people, so they manage how they want to manage, instead of how their employees want to be managed. Keep in mind, a majority of Indeed employees are referrals. Who do people refer? Their friends and network. Most Indeed employees are like-minded people with a frat-boy mentality who are incentivized to perform better with promises of happy hours where they can get “white-girl wasted.” Also, because most of Indeed’s employee base consists of these types of people, they’re more likely to become managers and work their way up the ranks.
Imagine being a black person who didn’t grow up with a frat boy mentality. Imagine being managed by a person who only knows how to socialize and interact with those types of people. Black employees do our best to shift the way we work so we fit in, but at what point will Indeed say enough is enough and be okay with accepting us as is? Why are only black employees changing how they act to fit in? Shouldn’t managers be doing their best to cater their management style based on the preferences of the employee? The company really needs to invest more time and money into diversity management immediately.
Third, the company refuses to acknowledge current events that affect their black employee base, but are quick to act when a more digestible group, for example the LGBTQ community, is affected. I am writing to let Indeed know that your black employees were and are still scared from all the deaths that happen in our community, the protests against us, the vocal hatred of us simply because of the color of our skin. We wanted something from you, an email, a note, something. You didn’t even have to address the entire company in a message to us. You only had to talk to us, your black employees.
It breaks my heart to say Indeed was and continues to be silent and pretends that what happens in the world of black people, doesn’t affect Indeed. Newsflash: if it affects your employees, it affects Indeed.
Fourth, our company is scared of the word “diversity” and only wants to focus on the word “inclusion.” Fine, but how do you get to inclusion without there being a diverse employee base? I have seen with my own eyes new offices open up and immediately get filled with all white people. Those were opportunities to build diverse (excuse me, inclusive) offices from the ground up, but of course, Indeed failed to realize that. No matter how successful Indeed sees those offices, to me, they will always be a failure because they are not reflective of the diverse work force we’re supposedly trying to help get jobs.
We spend a majority of our time at work. Do you know how frustrating it is to be surrounded by people who don’t look like you for 40 hours a week? Do you know how frustrating it is to worry that you can’t relate to anyone on your team because your tastes in music, TV, activities, are vastly different? Do you know how frustrating it is that jokes you sometimes make fall on deaf ears because they didn’t grow up black and can’t relate to or identify with what you’re saying? For white people, you don’t know how frustrating it is because you are the majority at Indeed.
Fifth, and my final point, Senior leadership seems to only focus on women when they define any issue with inclusion. They have made it one of, if not their main, priority in attracting a more inclusive workforce to Indeed. While I am all for women’s rights, as a black person, it is incredibly disappointing to see the company prioritize one minority over another and pitch it as more important. Indeed has also never officially recognized blacks as a minority. In speeches, Senior leadership has mentioned a lack of women, initiatives with LGBTQ, but nothing about blacks. It’s like “black” is such a sensitive word and they’d rather dance around it than come out and say it.
I will say, people love working for Indeed, and I truly want to be one of those people again. I used to be, but my pride in this company has dwindled so dramatically over the years as my voice, and the voice of other blacks within the company, are ignored. When Indeed asks if I would recommend a friend to work here, my answer is always a firm “no.” My friends are black and I would never suggest they join a company where they will feel isolated, unwanted, and easily replaced.
To my fellow black Indeedians, I STAND WITH YOU AND I AM PROUD OF YOU. I know Indeed is scared of saying that so I wanted to make sure you heard it from someone who recognizes you for who you are - a strong, resilient people.
To Indeed, I know change doesn't come overnight. However, actions speak louder than words, and your lack of action to make black employees feel included speaks volumes.
To those reading this that are considering working at Indeed, there are a few managers who I wholeheartedly enjoy working with and interacting with. Unfortunately, the poor lack of action of Indeed as a whole outweighs the positive experiences I've had with those managers.
