Hispanic and Latin talent struggle to overcome biases and stereotyping in the workplace, which is holding them back from career advancement and feeling a sense of belonging. Whenever the perspective that this talented group is not diverse and not proficient in English takes root, bias thrives. -By Sharon Ross

Every Hispanic is from Mexico. Right? Most Hispanics are undocumented. Right? Hispanics are mostly farm workers. Right? These are wrong assumptions on all counts. The Hispanic and Latino/a population is diverse and represents many different countries. The Latino Donor Collaborative and other organizations estimate that 87% are either legal citizens or legally in the country. The surveys also found that 48% of non-Latinos work primarily as laborers or farmworkers, therefore leaving millions holding professional and other non-labor or agricultural jobs. These false assumptions add unnecessary barriers for Hispanic and Latin employees in the workplace. https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/all-things-work/pages/hispanic-executives-closing-the-gap.aspx

Begin With Facts and Not Assumptions

Hispanic Heritage Month is a good starting point for changing the narrative about Hispanic and Latin workers and understanding their perspectives on work, family, and community. First, it is essential to begin with facts, and the first fact is that not all Hispanics are from Mexico. The 2020 U.S. Census reported that 5.8 million Puerto Ricans live in the continental U.S. The Spanish-speaking U.S. population includes people from or with origins in Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Columbia, Honduras, Venezuela, and Ecuador, plus others. Here is another fact: 91% of U.S.-born Hispanics speak proficient English, and 37% of foreign-born Latinos speak English proficiently. In both cases, the rate of people developing English proficiency is increasing.

Stereotyping hurts everyone, and people are inundated with stereotyping in and out of the workplace. For example, Juliana Araque says that some stereotypes develop due to movies and media showing countries one way. Araque was born in Columbia, immigrated to the U.S. at 10, and is now an Immigration & Compliance Specialist at Insight Global. She notes that Columbia is usually portrayed as a country of drug cartels, but is “filled with geographical beauty and amazing food.”

Edgar Escobar, Lead Recruiter at Insight Global’s Miami office, says that language barrier concerns lead to Hispanics and Latins being overlooked for promotions or not being hired. Yet, he notes, many native English speakers do not speak perfect English either. He also mentions that employers fear rapport-building because of cultural differences and experiences. One of his recommendations is to hire people from less-prestigious backgrounds. “Many individuals from our community do everything possible to be able to afford college and may come from a university that isn’t top-ranked or well-known,” he said. If employers were polled, how many would say that only half or less of Latinos are U.S. citizens? The facts are that 4 of every 5 Latinos/as are citizens. That includes 93% of Spaniards, 88% of Panamanians, and 81% of Mexicans. Harboring stereotypes hurts the ability of employers to attract and retain top Hispanic and Latino/a talent. It also places many qualified and talented employees in lower-paying jobs. For example, Latina women are more likely to be hired into service occupations (29.7%) than all U.S. women (19.6%). They are less likely to make it into management, professional, and related occupations, 29.9% for Latinas compared to 46.9% for all women.

No Place for Common Stereotypes

Verywell Mind lists six common stereotypes about Latin Americans that also apply to Hispanics. One is that the heritage of all people of Hispanic descent is the same. The truth is that they have origins in many different countries, and each country has unique traditions and cultures. The Mexican culture is different from the Brazilian culture, and so on. Another stereotype is that Latin immigrants are stealing American jobs. The Bell Policy Center found that each undocumented immigrant worker hired leads to a 0.8 FTE position created.

The third common stereotype is that Latino men are dominant and violent, a concept based on machismo and simply not true. Neither is the next stereotype that says Latin American women are always the home caretakers and are not interested in working, a stereotype that persists even though millions of Latin American women hold professional-level jobs. The issue is that too many Latinas are blocked from accessing some jobs and have difficulty moving into leadership positions. The fifth stereotype is that Latin Americans have large families, but statistics show that young women average two children. Sixth, there is a stereotype that says Latinos/as do not want to learn English, which is false. Some may hesitate to speak English out of fear of their accent being disparaged, but that does not mean they do not understand English.

How can the narrative be changed to eliminate stereotyping and biases about Hispanic and Latino/a job candidates and employees? Illianna Acosta is the Senior Manager, Channel Sales manager and global co-chair of the Hispanic Employee Resource Group at LinkedIn. The ERG is called the Hispanics of LinkedIn Alliance (HOLA) Employee Resource Group. It is always best to approach the challenges of Hispanic and Latino/a employees by listening to the very people who must maneuver through the challenges.

Acosta is focused on creating spaces where Hispanic and Latino/a employees can be authentic. One of her first pieces of advice is recognizing that this group of employees is diverse. They are not, what she calls, a monolith. Lumping people together makes it possible to avoid celebrating and supporting differences. Her second piece of advice is to build an authentic culture of belonging through every part of the business. While celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month is great, there are 11 more months in the year. General Motors, for example, recruits throughout the year at Hispanic Serving Institutions and professional Hispanic organizations, and then supports the new employees’ professional journeys as they progress. Developing leadership skills in trust building and creating dialogue about the challenges and experiences of Hispanic and Latino/a job candidates, employees, and community members is critical to eliminating biases and stereotyping.

Eres Muy Bienvenido or Bienvenida

Hispanic Heritage Month is an ideal time to begin changing the narrative. Employers can acknowledge the breadth of cultures, evaluate the representation of employees at all levels of the organization and in mentoring programs, create forums that provide regular opportunities to share experiences and ideas and educate the workforce on recognizing unconscious biases, stereotypes, and microaggressions. One employee telling a coworker applying for a promotion, “At least you don’t look like a Hispanic,” is a microaggression, because it implies that “looking like a Hispanic” is a bad thing and increases the chances of being promoted. Each employer should ensure the company’s discrimination policies are updated, employees and managers and supervisors get communication and harassment training, and the talent management system is maintained as bias-free by holding recruitment and hiring leaders accountable. Planning to ensure Hispanic and Latino/a employees are in the promotion pipeline and getting the opportunities needed to advance into management and executive positions is also crucial. There is much that can be done, but make sure that celebrating the richness of Hispanic and Latino/a cultures is included. Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to highlight achievements, diversity, and historical contributions and discuss what it means to be Hispanic, Latino, or Latina in the workplace and communities. It is a month that can lay the foundation for real change going forward.