In 2010, seven warehouse workers filed a lawsuit against a trucking company charging them with segregating black workers from white workers in the plant. They were abused by fellow employees and supervisors with racial slurs such as “lazy, stupid Africans” and were frequently called the N-word. When a new station manager was hired, the examples of racism became even more blatant. Her behavior became increasingly malicious, encouraging the ongoing treatment by supervisors and employees. According to the Denver Post, “the plaintiffs, who were part-time workers, were discriminated against at all phases of employment, including hiring, termination, conditions of employment, promotion, vacation pay, furlough, discipline, work shifts, …show more content…
Depending on the nature of the organization and the type of work involved, the possibility/opportunity for this kind of grievous behavior can be amplified. Although written in 1998, a statement by K. Arrow pierces the veil of prejudice we experience in situations like the one noted above, “The main point is that personal interactions occur throughout this process, and therefore there is plenty of room for discriminatory beliefs and preferences to play a role which would be much less likely in a market subject to competitive pressures (Arrow, 1998).” Of the seven plaintiffs, four were from Mali, West Africa and one was from Brazil. With their dark skin, heavy accents and different cultural reference points, they were easy targets for organizations who ignore the value of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and who do not have established policies and practices in that area. This scenario is played out multiple times, in every city, every day. Understanding that this degrading, abusive situation continues to exist demands from each of one of us a deeper awareness and desire for sustained, effective …show more content…
When it is evident that a manager or supervisor acted in a discriminatory manner, the organization can begin to repair the damage done by terminating the employee/employees and instituting diversity practices and policies that conform to the dictates of the law. In doing so, the company can take advantage of this situation to re-evaluate its organizational culture and implement changes. The damages or threat of damages can encourage an organization to make a financial commitment in this area and begin to initiate significant adjustments and revisions. Action steps would include; acknowledging wrong doing, offering apologies and compensation to the victims, appointing an outside consultant or firm to set up appropriate diversity and inclusion policies, practices and implementation guidelines and monitoring on-going
The concept of discrimination is complex in the case of “The Big One” in this case, corporations in the United States of America such as Nike, Spalding, Microsoft and AT&T are not willing to change their ways of manufacturing their goods in third world countries and American detention centres, and this causes perfectly able bodied employees in the United States to become unemployed as more and more companies apply this measure to make additional profit for themsel...
Deitch, E. A., Barsky, A., Butz, R., Chan, S., Brief, A. P., & Bradley, J. C. (2003). Suble yet significant: The existence and impact of everyday racial discrimination in the workplace. Human Relations, 56(11), 1299-1324.
It sometimes give “the perception of ‘token appointments’ [of individuals] who could not be hired or promoted on performance ability alone” (Von Bergen, Soper, & Foster, 2002, p. 242). It can also create more discrimination in the form of reverse discrimination where those formerly believed to be discriminators are now unfairly victimized because of the color of their skin. Diversity training can sometimes be demoralizing and reinforces stereotypes when trainers resort to emphasizing differences that elicits anger and divisiveness (Von Bergen, Soper, & Foster, 2002, p. 245). Businesses can find their legal liabilities have increased when “unorthodox training techniques invade employee privacy and humiliate individuals in front of their co-workers” (Von Bergen, Soper, & Foster, 2002). According to Choi’s research “individuals in diverse groups tend to fell less safe and to trust each other less. Lower trust is more likely to lead to higher conflicts within groups” (Choi, 2008, p.
Institutions in the businesses sector are swarming in racial discrimination, much of which is covert and difficult to detect and prove. Racial discrimination excludes, marginalizes and exploits those citizens who are discriminated against, ceasing any opportunity for economic progress and development. Under certain regulations some businesses are required to diversify their workplace by hiring certain amounts of people of color, but in reality these small quotas do not do much for the overall condition of the people who are being discriminated against. Businesses that fail to take action on racial discrimination tend to have lower levels of productivity. This stems from employees not being interested in working hard, or because people with exceptional talents and skills choose to shy away from certain places of employment due to the fear of racial discrimination. Employees who feel wronged also tend to switch jobs, forcing the organization to spend more time and resources on hiring and training new employees, besides coping with the low productivity of a new employee. (Nayab)The effects of racial discrimination in the American work force could be identified with funded research on the topic. With ample data employers will be able to better understand the negative affects that racial discrimination have
In today’s world, the American still has barriers to overcome in the matter of racial equality. Whether it is being passed over for a promotion at the job or being underpaid, some people have to deal with unfair practice that would prevent someone of color or the opposite sex from having equal opportunity at the job. In 2004, Dukes vs. Wal-Mart Stores Incorporation was a civil rights class-action suite that ruled in favor of the women who worked and did not received promotions, pay and certain job assignments. This proves that some corporations ignore the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which protects workers from discrimination based on sex, race, religion or national origin.
Disparate treatment is a form of discrimination that is prohibited by laws in which all employers must comply, including fire and emergency services. Disparate treatment in the workplace is applicable to many functions of the workplace, including, discipline, promotions, hiring, firing, benefits, layoffs, and testing (Varone, 2012). The claim of disparate treatment arises when a person or group “is treated differently because of a prohibited classification” (Varone, 2012, p. 439). In the 2010 case, Lewis v. City of Chicago, six plaintiffs accused the city of disparate treatment following testing for open positions within the Chicago Fire Department (Lewis v. City of Chicago, 2010). The case is based on the argument that the Chicago Fire Department firefighter candidate testing, which was conducted in 1995, followed an unfair process of grouping eligible candidates, therefore discriminating against candidates of African-American descent.
In today’s workplace, African Americans continue to be subjected to overt discrimination. This can take the form of ethnic jokes, racial slurs and exclusionary behaviors by Euro-American co-workers and managers. Even more disturbing is the verbal abuse, calculated mistreatment and even physical threats experienced by some African Americans while on the job. African Americans have also faced overt acts such as being reassigned to lower level projects, not receiving a promotion even though they were equally qualified and receiving less wages than other employees, even less qualified new hires. The discrimination can be so pervasive that African Americans feel uneasy and threatened, demotivated and disrespected, eventually feeling forced to leave to search for other employment.
Schipani, C. (2013). Class Action Litigation After Dukes: In Search of a Remedy for Gender Discrimination in Employment. University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform, 46(4), 1249-1277.
Thus, our need to implement methods to change our ways is a business necessity. Since discrimination against employees has been a prevalent issue, the best way to eradicate this discrimination at Wal-Mart will be to resolve the core of the issue, which is a lack of knowledge on the supervisor’s part. Hence, supervisors and managers need to be trained specifically for discrimination and diversity. An outside consultant with expertise on federal laws that protect employees such as Title VII and ADA (American Disabilities Act), and explain types of discriminatory behaviors at work should conduct the training. Hopefully, such a training will equip our managers with the right approach in dealing with sensitive issues and also make them aware of their unconscious biases.
Abstract- Racial discrimination happens all the time and most of us are unaware of it. The most common place for this to happen is in the workplace. Now people can be discriminated against because of their race, religion, or any other numerous things. Also, discrimination can occur during the job interview or even after you got the job. This paper will shoe the effects of racial discrimination and how it can be prevented. In addition there are some very important laws that deal specifically with discrimination, like the NAACP or Affirmative Action. These both will be discussed.
There are a range of strategies managers could use to minimise instances of dysfunctional discrimination occurring in their workplace. These selected strategies aim to reduce the frequency of dysfunctional discrimination, rather than the severity. Some of these strategies include; a discrimination audit, enforced policies, selection procedures, and providing an effect complaint handling system.
Abuse has become so common that some people do not realize they are being abused. It is important that this topic is studied because there are many gaps of knowledge to what all an abusive relationship can entail. The goal is to help someone somewhere get out of an abusive relationship before its too late. Whether its emotional or physical abuse, neither is healthy for a person to maintain in. So seeking relationship advice from outside sources, such as popular press articles may be a usual for tool for people who are looking for insight as long as they know to check up on the research involved in the article. This paper will compare and contrast the findings from the article I have chosen to the scholarly research that has been conducted on abusive relationships.
Workplace harassment is unwelcome actions that are based on a person’s race, religion, color, and sex, and gender, country of origin, age, ethnicity or disability. The targets of the harassment are people who are usually perceived as “weaker” or “inferior” by the person who is harassing them. Companies and employers can also be guilty of workplace harassment if they utilize discriminatory practices against persons based on ethnicity, country of origin, religion, race, color, age, disability, or sex. These discriminatory practices have been illegal since the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Civil Rights Act of 1964), and have been amended to be more inclusive of other people who experience discrimination by the Civil Rights Act of 1991 (The Civil Rights Act of 1991), and most recently, President Obama’s signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 (Stolberg, 2009).
Work plays an important role in our daily life, it is considered much more huge part of our personal life. During our daily work we make many relationships throughout our career history. Sometimes these relationships become lasting, and sometimes employment discrimination might happen. This relationships that we thought it last could be cut off by the devastation of claims of discriminatory treatment. Discrimination in the workforce has been an issue since the first people of workers in United States in the present day and as well in the past. Some employees were subjected to a harsh working conditions, verbal abuse, denial of advancement,, and many other injustices. There was also the fact that certain employees were being treated differently than other employees.
Harassment and discrimination can affect a business in many ways. Having a history of harassment and discrimination claims can damage a business’ reputation and affect its bottom line. It can cost the business current and future clients as well as investors and employees. Depending on the gravity of the claim(s), the process of settling the claim(s) can take anywhere from months to years. Meanwhile, the cost of the settlement and other fees continue to add up. A business might have to compensate the affected parties besides paying court fees and lawyers. The EEOC has seen a rise in monetary rewards from 7.5 million to 24.3 million (Glazer, 1996) However, all of these can be avoided by properly educating employers and employees about their rights and what harassment and discrimination entails.