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Recent research suggests that supportive relationships between coworkers benefit worker well-being. Less is known about the distribution of social support among different groups of workers. In this article, we use data from a random sample of state employees to examine whether black and white workers differ in the number of ties they have to coworkers, the quality of these ties, and the effects of social support on workplace emotional experiences. Our findings suggest that compared to their white counterparts, African Americans are disadvantaged in terms of workplace social ties and perceived coworker support. Race differences in job characteristics do not explain these differences; however, there is some evidence that the racial composition of the workplace may influence the formation of workplace social ties. In addition, both black and white workers experience similar emotional benefits of social support.
Sloan et al. (Sun,) studied this question.