A new report by the Society for Human Resource Management found that nearly half of Black HR professionals believe that race- or ethnicity-based discrimination exists in their workplaces while relatively few of their white counterparts believe the same.

The report, released Monday, kicked off SHRM's "Together Forward @Work" initiative, which seeks to eliminate racial inequality from the workplace, according to an association statement. In addition to the study, the group unveiled a television commercial to draw attention to the problem and plans to continue to work toward making workplaces more diverse and inclusive.

"We have the ability—and the obligation—to use our professional expertise in solving a significant workplace equity crisis in America," SHRM CEO Johnny Taylor said. "While some workplaces excel in this area, we can all be bold in broadening our commitments; calling for accountabilities; and creating real, measurable and lasting impact. In this substantial way, we demonstrate the power of HR and elevate perceptions of the value we bring to the organizations we serve."

SHRM surveyed 1,275 active HR professionals on their views about workplace bias. Forty-nine percent of Black HR professionals believed bias was a problem in their workplaces while only 13% of white HR professional thought the same.

The group also surveyed 1,257 U.S. workers with an oversample of Black respondents. Key findings include:

• 46% of Black employees do not think their workplace is doing enough to provide career opportunities for Black employees.

• 21% of white employees do not think their workplace is doing enough to provide career opportunities for Black employees.

• 54% of Black employees feel their workplace is not doing enough to promote racial justice in the world.

• 29% of white employees feel their workplace is not doing enough to promote racial justice in the world.

"Those more likely to suffer from discrimination tend to be more critical of their organizations' commitment to enhancing racial diversity," SHRM noted in its report.

Another issue raised by the report was that businesses and organizations are not talking to employees about social justice, according to the association. More than two-thirds of organizations have not asked employees about their opinions on racial injustice and the corresponding Black Lives Matter protests, with 45% of Black workers and 30% of white workers saying their workplaces discouraged such discussions.

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