The Effects of Race and Worker Productivity on Performance Evaluations

Using personnel data from a large firm, we examine the role of race, supervisor’s race, and worker productivity on performance ratings for a diverse employee population. Controlling for worker productivity and other demographic variables, black employees receive lower ratings than whites. These differences in performance evaluations are associated with the racial composition of the subordinate‐supervisor pair. Racial differences between subordinate and supervisor lead to lower ratings for both black and white subordinates.