As a way to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month, which is celebrated in the United States between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15, LinkedIn recently shared some figures that reflect the sentiment of Latinos in their workspaces.

Through the official blog of the social network aimed at business and employment, one of its collaborators, Illiana Acosta, revealed figures that show how employees of Hispanic origin perceive an environment of few opportunities and lack of equity in the working conditions of their current workplaces — a scenario LinkedIn followed up with some solutions.

Like other minorities in the United States, the Hispanic community has had to face greater challenges and a more deeply-rooted adversity to achieve conditions of equality, not only in the public spaces of society, but especially in their workplaces. Even today, many feel discriminated and forced to "hide" features of their cultural diversity to "fit in" and be accepted.

According to LinkedIn data, close to half of the Hispanic adult population, 49% also say that they or a family member have lost their job, have suffered a layoff or have had to adapt to the reduction in their income as a result of the impact of the health and economic emergency caused by COVID-19.

The platform, focused on socializing the academic and work skills of its users, calls for generating workspaces that amplify the voices of each of its members and celebrate differences and diversity. It's all as a strategy for evolution and growth for both personal and business alike. 

Building workplaces that promote inclusion and respect for others should be the corporate mission of any organization, regardless of its business purpose or area of influence. The Hispanic community celebrates this panorama and continues to work day by day to leave behind the barriers and mislabels associated with its roots and culture.

The following are some of the numbers highlighted by LinkedIn that reveal how Hispanics feel in their workspaces. Although the number of professionals, as well as that of Latinos enrolled in universities has grown notably in the United States, they are far from receiving equitable working conditions and there are still active discriminatory practices that restrict opportunities for promotion or to improve working conditions.

- 60% of professionals of Latino origin, ranging in age from 18 to 34, have felt rejected or intentionally ignored due to their race for career advancement opportunities (referring to promotions or raises).

- 44% of Hispanic professionals have had to experience flagrant discrimination and/or "microaggressions" in their workplace, that is nearly one out of every two people.

- 73% of Latinos between the ages of 18 and 34 think that a person's skin tone influences their career progress. Sixty-five percent of Hispanics with a darker skin tone feel they are neglected when trying to advance in their careers.

- 37% of workers with Latino roots are currently thinking of quitting their job due to lack of equality. Fifty-four percent are due to lack of recognition of their work, 44% due to lack of growth opportunities and 31% due to lack of leadership from someone who looks like them and shares similar experiences.

- 66% of Latino professionals say they are more interested in working for an organization that is publicly committed to racial equity and justice.

- 87% of the Hispanic professional community believe that diversity, equity and inclusion are important to their senior leaders, but nearly half of them (43.5%) feel that their workplace does not have an environment conducive to commit.

- 89% of Latino professionals who consider they have a “strong accent” have felt neglected to advance their careers.

- 51% of Hispanic professionals believe that diversity is talked about a lot in their workplace, but no concrete changes are made to make this happen.

It is definitely necessary to understand the depth and breadth of Latino cultures to create workspaces in which Hispanics can acquire a true sense of belonging. And this is not only done by adding names to meet a diversity “quota,” but especially by generating a true change in corporate policies that give way to an organic inclusion process that becomes the DNA of any company, even beyond institutional periods such as Hispanic Heritage Month.