A Message to Black Men Navigating the Workplace:
The Hidden Gap!
If talent determined success in the workplace, Black men would not be earning less, progressing slower and leaving leadership in record numbers.
Across the UK and the United States, the data confirms what many Black men already live. Despite qualifications, experience and performance, Black men face persistent barriers in pay, promotion and opportunity.
Even when education and occupation are equal, Black men are still paid less, promoted more slowly and concentrated in lower-paying roles. Highly qualified Black graduates remain significantly less likely to receive job offers than their White peers, creating a career bottleneck from the very start.
This is not a confidence issue. It is not a culture issue. It is a systems issue.
Research from McKinsey’s Race in the Workplace (US) and CIPD reporting on race inclusion and career progression shows that Black men are more likely to have their skills underestimated and their contributions overlooked, even when their qualifications match or exceed those of colleagues.
Many recognise the subtle undermining. Being asked to “double-check” work that is already correct, having recommendations questioned without evidence, or being held to shifting and unclear standards.
The psychological cost is heavy. Since COVID-19, Black men report increased isolation, heightened vigilance and growing exhaustion from navigating daily microaggressions while carrying leadership expectations in environments not designed with them in mind.
But this is not just a burden it is a blueprint for change.
When Black men begin to document outcomes, demand measurable standards, secure real sponsorship and strengthen peer and professional support networks, the system starts to shift. Your progress becomes evidence and evidence becomes influence.
Your Voice Matters
If this resonates, do not sit with it in silence. Share your experience. Speak your truth. Pass this to someone who needs to hear he is not alone.
Read the full blog here: https://www.nbwn.org/post/the-hidden-gap
This conversation is only just beginning.
