Black Employees Rate Their Satisfaction With 28 Companies, Including Apple, Starbucks and Walgreens

Black employees in the U.S. are less satisfied at work compared to employees of other race and ethnicity groups, according to a new report published by Glassdoor. But in the analysis, which observed 28 employers over the last four months, Glassdoor found that companies like Apple, Capital One, Bank of America and Starbucks are rated among the best workplaces for Black or African American employees.

Participants rated the companies based on how equitable they think pay practices are, opportunity for promotion and several other criteria. Self-identified Black or African American employees rated Apple among the highest of all the companies, at a rating of 4.2 out of 5.0.

Bank of America was rated at the second-highest score at 4.0, with Starbucks and Capital One coming in next, as each scored a 3.9, according to the study.

Contrastingly, Macy's and CVS Health rated the lowest among Black or African American employees, averaging at 2.7 and 2.8, respectively. Walgreens was rated at a 3.0.

However, the overall ratings for these companies were much higher compared to the ratings from exclusively Black employees. Macy's overall rating was 3.4, CVS was 3.0, and Walgreens 3.3.

"We are proud of the consistently high scores that result from our surveys and we strive to continuously improve them," CVS Health spokesman Mike DeAngelis wrote to CBS News in a statement. "We also have a strong commitment to advance employee programs and initiatives designed to attract, grow and develop Black/African American employees." 

CVS Health regularly conducts internal employee surveys about job satisfaction, the company said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch. 

The parent company of Walgreens told the outlet that it is already taking steps to address the findings. Macys also told the outlet that it is working to better its diversity and inclusion practices.

The study also notes that the data is preliminary and "may not reflect the full workforces" at these companies. Among the 28 companies studied, only three were tech-related.

As part of Black History Month, the job-review website has begun publishing employer ratings by race and ethnicity for the first time. 

Glassdoor conducted the research to better understand how employees across different race and ethnicity groups experience company culture.

"While these new data on Glassdoor ratings by race/ethnicity are preliminary, they already reveal important differences in the lived employee experiences by people of different race and ethnic groups in America," the report said.

"It shows in an undeniable way that the lived experience is not the same for all employees inside a company," Andrew Chamberlain, chief economist, told CBS News. "This has always been the case, but it has been hard to measure."

Black or African American employees are overall less satisfied at work compared to their other employees, rating below average at 3.3.

But, the study also found that the job satisfaction varied greatly from company to company, indicating that there is no singular “Black or African American experience at work."

This data reveals stark gaps in Glassdoor employer ratings, specifically highlighting the difference among race and ethnicity groups in the workplace.

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