Discrimination in the Workplace: How to Solve It

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Literature Review
Discrimination Case
Discussion and Analysis
Conclusion
Reference List

Introduction

Globalization is the development of international expansion of companies, which not only helps people interact but also leads to a variety of problems and concerns. An essential topic now is environmental ethics, that is, the awareness of the affection of people’s actions on nature. It is critical considering the number of natural disasters in the modern world. International development also creates an issue of fair trade, that is, the prices should correspond to the quality of products and efforts spent on their creation. Another problem arises because large organisations and MNCs hire people from different communities and cultures, creating multinational teams. On the one hand, this allows employers to bring together the best employees from around the world. On the other hand, this leads to conflicts on different grounds, in particular, to various types of discrimination. Some companies can successfully solve these problems by creating a healthy work environment, but not every organisation pays sufficient attention to the discrimination issue (Plickert and Sterling, 2017). The purpose of this paper is to describe the current state of the problem of discrimination and identify ways to solve it.

Literature Review

There is a wealth of research on various aspects of workplace discrimination. They are devoted to its various manifestations and use different methods, and their number emphasizes the topic’s relevance. Researchers pay attention to the basic human rights for freedom, respect, and equality. These principles create a healthy and ethical atmosphere within organisations if managers and employees follow them strictly. For example, according to a Roscigno study (2019, para. 22), “more than 5 percent respond in the affirmative when it comes to racial discrimination, more than 6 percent relative to gender discrimination, and more than 8 percent relative to age discrimination.” Hence, the problem is acute and requires interventions within any company. In particular, it is crucial to emphasize the relevance of the issue of age discrimination. Indeed, the current pace of technology development forces people to master as much information as possible, and with age, it becomes more difficult. Consequently, people of the older generations lose the opportunity to move up the career ladder, even if they are professional specialists.

However, age is not the only reason for discrimination in the workplace. For example, Fekedulegn et al. (2019, para. 1) found that “middle age and older wage-employed blacks and women experience the highest prevalence of workplace discrimination and mistreatment.” In other words, any deviations from the employer’s standard ideas about an employee cause negative attitudes. An example of research on one of these aspects is the article by Veit and Thijsen. According to the authors, some employers are convinced that “ethnic minorities have less favourable productivity characteristics on average than the majority, for example, due to language problems and higher unemployment rates” (Veit and Thijsen, 2019, para. 10). Undoubtedly, representatives of any ethnic group have opportunities to receive a quality education and work experience to become competitive employees. However, due to common stereotypes, they do not get the positions they want.

An article by Kern et al. (2020) is devoted to studying discrimination against employees in the scientific environment. The researchers argue that even in this seemingly noble and intellectual atmosphere, more than half of the employees are subjected to discrimination and harassment. Notably, women are more likely to face this problem than men; thus, gender is another significant area of work. Even with modern society’s attempts to eradicate sexism, many people still think based on it. This also affects the employment of people of different genders, so employers should reconsider their attitude towards this issue.

One of the critical problems related to discrimination in the workplace is the health status of employees. Persistent negative attitudes can harm people’s psyche, which, in turn, can lead to wider health troubles. According to Brouwers et al. (2016), discrimination has a significant negative impact on people with major depressive disorder. More than 60% of them experience regular discrimination. Moreover, some of them tend to avoid work-related situations because they anticipate negative attitudes. Therefore, this has a detrimental effect on the health of these employees. On the one hand, they need to work in a team because it will help them escape from depressive moods and feel needed (Kim et al., 2020). However, on the other hand, persistent pressure can increase the severity of the disease. Therefore, significant levels of discrimination directly affect people’s health (Xu & Chopik, 2020). Hence, it must be eradicated to keep people healthy, safe, and satisfied.

Hence, discrimination in the workplace is an urgent problem in the modern world. It affects wages, life satisfaction, and even the health of people of all ages, genders, and nationalities. In such a situation, it is crucial to understand that humanity’s main task is productive development. It is impossible when certain sections of society do not receive due respect. Otherwise, these people would have much more opportunities for self-realization, which would contribute to humanity’s all-around development. Therefore, every employee and employer must be attentive to colleagues and avoid any discrimination.

Discrimination Case

A prime example of gender-based discrimination is the regular sexual harassment at McDonald’s. This problem is acute and regular; in particular, numerous cases of harassment were reported in 2019 (Gonzales, 2019). The point of the scandal is that women working in this company are regularly harassed. At the same time, the events were hushed up for a long time, probably because the victims were afraid to make the case public. Some women try to sue or draw public attention to this issue in other ways; however, they do not always succeed.

According to Gonzales, the company received 23 workplace discrimination claims in 2019. Two of them are related to previous claims, indicating the length of the unresolved issue. In particular, one of the victims, Jamelia Fairley, noted that she had been harassed for several months. Moreover, she heard unpleasant comments even about her one-year-old daughter. Unfortunately, the woman was unable to achieve success in her attempts to eradicate discrimination. After her complaint, her working hours were reduced and the names of the people she reported were withheld. Thus, this situation shows the attitude of managers to such cases and speaks of the severity of the problem. As a result, the behaviour of the McDonalds workers is unpunished; thus, women need to invent new ways to defend their rights and receive compensation.

This case study is a prime example of workplace discrimination. It is essential to note that this is not just an isolated and innocent event, but a regular abuse by a significant number of men. There may be many reasons for this behaviour, such as a lack of communication with women or a sense of power among managers. However, it is not the justification that is important, but the result, which is visible in the number of victims and their inability to fight the problem. Such situations should not be allowed because it contributes to the development of inequality in society.

Discussion and Analysis

In the described case, one can trace the connection between the functioning of society, organisation, and state. First, the role of society should be defined in what had happened. Undoubtedly, sexist principles are ingrained in the minds of many people. Therefore, this phenomenon is quite common; it can still be considered one of modern society’s basic principles. Thus, both the guilty party and the victims of the harassment became hostages of these social attitudes. To truly eradicate such phenomena, it is crucial to rebuild the principles of people’s thinking. Relationships in any team should be built on mutual respect, but not on a hierarchy that is not related with professional qualities.

The organisational aspect is no less important in the described case. An essential issue is that the events took place within a big company which is supposed to be an example for others. First, it is critical to note that such situations should not happen within a properly functioning company. Second, it is significant that even after reporting, victims do not receive any compensation. This suggests that the organisation’s structure and principles are not conducive to freedom of speech and equality. It can be seen that, being victims, women do not feel protected and able to resist abuse. Hence, there is a need to change the principles of functioning of such companies to ensure a comfortable work environment.

The role of the state is no less important in the case under study. Unfortunately, this situation cannot be called successful in terms of combating sexism. The women tried to reach out to senior managers, but did not achieve significant progress and compensation. Whereas, being persistent and confident in their rights, they could do more with the help of the court. Thus, even being offended and helpless, women would be able to solve their problems with higher authorities’ help. This opportunity is indisputably vital in any difficult life situation. Even with an unfair distribution of power, many people have the chance to seek protection from the state (Blackham, 2019). As a rule, they receive the assistance they need, thus, it is essential to trust the law enforcement agencies and not refuse their help.

This distribution of forces speaks of the broad opportunities for the correlation of business, society, and the state. People do not always feel comfortable in the workplace, but they can get support from community organisations (Colella & King, 2018). Sometimes the state develops programs to help oppressed people. In other situations, without community support, people successfully find jobs in empathic and open-minded companies. Therefore, the most important action that can be taken when discriminated against is to find those who can help. Undoubtedly, this will take time, communication with different segments of the population, and effort. However, it is vital to remember that at least one of these structures may provide the necessary assistance and support.

It is within the power of every person to make their problems known to other people. In many situations, this can be useful for solving them. Women who were harassed can receive compensation and bring the issue to the attention of the news and society. This knowledge of what is happening has a significant impact on society. Looking at such events, many people experience negative emotions and therefore begin to fight against injustice. This happens even when they did not find themselves in similar situations, but for them, the harmonious coexistence of all strata of society is important (Shah, 2016). Thanks to this attentive attitude, discrimination can be eradicated both in the workplace and in any other spheres of life.

Conclusion

In our times, discrimination is one of the most common human rights violations. It is based on the rejection of differences between people and disrespect for the principle of equality of human rights and freedoms. Discrimination penetrates into different spheres of public life, takes on various forms, and arises on different grounds. Some of the most inhuman forms of discrimination generate persistent social censure and rejection. For instance, these are racial discrimination – the infringement of some people’s rights over the situation of others, depending on their belonging to a particular race. Other manifestations of discrimination often do not cause such censure. As a result, in the public consciousness, they are perceived as something commonplace, inevitable, harmless for citizens and society as a whole, and ultimately acceptable. Moreover, many of these manifestations of discrimination take place in the sphere of social and labour relations. Some employers who do not discriminate against employees believe that in this way, they can manage their workforce more effectively and achieve better business results. In some cases, they can really get a slight, immediate benefit, but in general, this opinion is erroneous.

Labour relations should be based on the employer and employees’ mutual respect, fair and honest attitude to each other. They should be built on the principles of strict observance of the law. Only then will the employees’ sense of self-esteem be strengthened, and their moral level and motivation to work increase. With such an organisation of labour relations, companies are more productive and loyal to employers, which positively affects their performance and competitiveness. At the same time, discrimination creates stressful situations for workers, infringes on self-esteem, and lowers their morale; in other words, it contributes to their degradation. In addition, discrimination generates social tension in the team, which translates into labour conflicts that do not improve financial results. Therefore, it is necessary to stay attentive and careful to managers, employees, and colleagues to achieve significant work and life results.

Reference List

Blackham, A. (2019) Empirical research and workplace discrimination law. Leiden: BRILL.

Brouwers, E.P.M. et al. (2016) ‘Discrimination in the workplace, reported by people with major depressive disorder: a cross-sectional study in 35 countries’, BMJ Open, Web.

Colella, A. and King, E. B. (2018) The Oxford handbook of workplace discrimination. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Fekedulegn, D. et al. (2019) ‘Prevalence of workplace discrimination and mistreatment in a national sample of older U.S. workers: the REGARDS cohort study’, SSM – population health, Web.

Gonzales, R. (2019) McDonald’s facing new charges of sexual harassment. Web.

Kern, C. C. et al. (2020) ‘Discrimination and career satisfaction: perceptions from US Forest Service scientists’, Journal of Forestry, 118(1), 44-58, Web.

Kim, G. et al. (2020) ‘Multidimensional gender discrimination in workplace and depressive symptoms’, PLoS ONE, 15(7), Web.

Plickert, G. and Sterling, J. (2017) ‘Gender still matters: effects of workplace discrimination on employment schedules of young professionals’, Laws, 6(4), p. 28, Web.

Roscigno, V. J. (2019) ‘Discrimination, sexual harassment, and the impact of workplace power’, Socius, 5, pp. 1-21, Web.

Shah, V. (2016) Basic concepts of discrimination at work. A literature review. Munich: GRIN Verlag.

Veit, S. and Thijsen, L. (2019) ‘Almost identical but still treated differently: hiring discrimination against foreign-born and domestic-born minorities’, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Web.

Xu, Y. E. and Chopik, W. J. (2020) ‘Identifying moderators in the link between workplace discrimination and health/well-being’, Frontiers in Psychology, 11, Web.

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