Workplace Discrimination Essays (Examples)

Discrimination in the Modern Workplace
With the 21st century workplace ahead of us and a country full of diversity surrounding us, the changing ethnic, racial, age, and gender composition of the workforce will become more evident in the years to come. This modern workplace will bring in a group of diverse employees to accompany tighter labor markets and changing worker demographics. These changes in the modern workplace will have important implications for employers across the country. "High skills and knowledge are important to American firms competing in a global economy." (Dresser, 1996) As always, the best measure of an employee or potential employee is skills and knowledge. But we all know that it doesn't always work that way. And, while the U.S. workforce as a whole has a higher educational level than ever, some problems evolving in the modern workplace are clear; discrimination is part of the problem. All the…

I have been discriminated against, which has caused my self-esteem to fall, and now I am stuck, with few role models to follow. Bill's success has probably been thwarted by more sources than the today's average black or female, but there is no provision in preferential hiring for him. Just like no one can control his or her race or skin color, Bill's obesity is caused by a medical problem beyond treatment. Selective preferential hiring won't work. Even if one doesn't accept the fact that preferential hiring discriminates against the white male, one must accept the fact that preferential hiring discriminates against Bill (Cordes, 1994).
Now let's assume that this argumentation is invalid for one reason or another. Let's assume the lack of self-confidence and self-respect that today's blacks and women are suffering from may deserve some compensation. But before continuing, it seems necessary to narrow the range of who…

Professionalism in the Workplace
Prejudice is a favorable or unfavorable judgment or opinion toward a person or group based on one's perception of an individual, group, or situation. Prejudice and discrimination in the working environment are severe offenses that could contribute in serious penalties. Prejudice in the workplace usually arises because the working environment is made of people from varying social, cultural, and racial backgrounds. These individuals tend not have much in common except the fact that they simply work together. While prejudice sometimes emerges as intentional unfavorable judgment, it can sometimes emerge as comments or behaviors that are said or conducted innocently but are misunderstood.

Sample Prejudice Scenario

An example of a scenario in which an employee may feel as though he has been treated with prejudice involves a gay worker who is regularly talked about at work as if he is not present ("esolving Human ights Issues in…

Preventing Workplace Discrimination
The relevance of enhancing equality at the workplace cannot be overstated. It is important to note, from the onset, that discrimination at the workplace could assume various forms. These include, but they are not limited to, discrimination on the basis of religion, gender, race, handicap or impairment, or some other disposition. This text concerns itself with the prevention of workplace discrimination.

What are some of the measures a company may take to reasonably accommodate people with disabilities, or those with a known drug abuse problem?

To begin with, a company should have in place a policy that adheres to both the letter and spirit of Title VII. Preferably, the copies of the said company discrimination policy or manual ought to be distributed across the organization. As it has been pointed out in the simulation, as per the provisions of Title VII, the company should ensure that no…

Preventing orkplace Discrimination
The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990 and since then has been the main instrument to make employment opportunities available to as many people as possible, even if it meant that the employer had to go out of its way to make accommodations for "the special needs of a particular employee." (Licht) In the past it has been up to the courts to decide what is considered a "special need," and these have included such things as installing equipment such as fans and air purifiers for those with respiratory disabilities. It has also been decided that the law requires companies to reassign those who cannot lift or carry heavy weights to other duties that do not require such lifting, as well as allowing for employees to alter their work schedule due to a disability, redesigning offices to suit their needs, even allowing an employee…

Fair treatment of workers is a priority for any employee given that it is a right guaranteed by the Constitution and protected by labor laws. Since this right is protected by the Constitution and existing federal and state laws, employers face the need to establish work settings and procedures the ensure all employees are treated in a fair and equal manner. Existing labor laws protect employees from discrimination, unfair treatment, retaliation, and other work-related issues. For this large company, making business decisions in consideration of employment protections is essential toward ensuring fair treatment of employees. The significance of fair treatment of all employees in this large company with respect to applicable federal antidiscrimination laws, federal health and safety laws, and state laws is discussed. Recent Federal Legislative Protections/Laws
Workplace discrimination is a term used to refer to any practice or procedures in the working environment that seek to segregate an…

Workplace discrimination can be understood as an inappropriate, unjustifiable treatment towards a person or a set of people at the workplace. Such undesirable treatment is based more often on people's race, ethnicity, age, marital status, sex or other describing characteristics (Australian Human Rights Commission, n.d). Workplace discrimination can give the impression of a repudiation of particular civil liberties, neglectful treatment, deliberate undervaluing of an employee's character or work outcomes and attainments. Workplace discrimination is not only done by the employee but by the fellow employees or peers and other superiors as well. Workplace discrimination, although often not as blatant as in previous periods, continues to proliferate across organizations and on a global level. Fittingly regarded as modern discrimination, discriminatory behavior in the present day is time and again categorized by elusive and clandestine behaviors that can edge below regulations and organizational guidelines (Marchiondo et al., 2015). Types of Discrimination in…

Workplace discrimination leads to a mismatch between qualified workers and their jobs, and it carries significant economic consequences in the American workplace.
Okechukwu, Souza, Davis and Castro (2014) define workplace discrimination as unfair rules and conditions that impair the ability of group members. It is motivated by inferiority and mistreatment of the disadvantaged group over the dominant group. It is based on races and even occurs among disadvantaged groups themselves. For example, some ethnic groups are favored than immigrant workers. Discrimination does exist with respect to age, gender, and disabilities as well. Though Americans prohibit societal and historical influences among the workers through the Disabilities Act, it does persist. Workplace discrimination is unequal treatment of employees whereas workplace harassment involves negative actions toward a worker with respect to race/ethnicity, gender, etc. Sexual harassment includes sexist behavior, sexual hostility, unwanted sexual attention, and sexual coercion in which one's gender or sex…

Individuals with disabilities may experience mental anguish, but also feelings of embarrassment about their ability, or inability to perform tasks that they normally might were they not disabled. These feelings may lead to depression or feelings of worthlessness, guilt or sadness, which are unacceptable in a society that promotes equality and fair treatment under the law. People with disabilities incorporate a large segment of the population, including people with HIV, cancer or physical handicaps resulting from chronic illnesses like multiple sclerosis (DDA DirectGov).

Other characteristics of individuals who feel discriminated against may include fear, as in the case of women who are discriminated against sexually (Gregory, 2003). As part of our research, we note that more women are fighting back, thanks to feminist movements encouraging women to speak out when they feel discriminated against. Any type of discrimination, as evidenced by our research, interferes with a person's ability to lead…

.....social injustice and inequality. First, literature related to the fundamentals of discrimination and descriptions of gender discrimination are discussed in the literature. Following a detailed discussion of what the literature says about gender discrimination, the literature review shifts toward the quantifiable effects of gender discrimination in the workplace. Effects are examined both in terms of measurable effects on organizations and individuals.
Fundamentals of Discrimination

Discrimination is unfortunately pervasive in the workplace. Described as an "inaccurate perception of differences," discrimination can be based on independent variables like race, gender, language, and other demographics (Cleveland, Vescio & Barnes-Farrell, p. 149). The differences perceived are "inaccurate," and also have a direct impact on status, access to power, and access to avenues of promotion or pay increases. Most literature frames discrimination as being "subtle and covert," well concealed from the realms of legal scrutiny, and often difficult to define precisely (Marchiondo, Ran & Cortina,…

Discrimination and Harassment
Discrimination is an act of prejudice where unfairness towards a person or group of persons is demonstrated. It is an act of unreasonably treating a person less fairly as compared to how others are treated. Discrimination can manifest itself in many instances in our lives, either within the social environment, workplace, school, and many others. In reference and respect to every person's human rights, discrimination is prohibited under human rights and constitutional laws. According to an online source, this especially includes discrimination based on the following attributes.

race, colour, sex, age, trade union activity, religion, criminal record, political opinion, marital status, impairment (including HIV status), disability (including physical and intellectual), medical record, national extraction, nationality, social origin, sexual orientation, gender identity inc. transexuality

Harassment, on the other hand, is a form of abusing or injuring a person or group of persons, either physically, mentally, or emotionally. As…

Case Statement
This case involved a white woman and a black man who had an encounter in a parking lot and there was controversy if discriminatory action ensued. The two, Hope and Dillon, gave two different versions of the encounter.

At its very core, the conflict in the case is about racial discrimination. Legal advocates and scholars have given various definitions to racism and have focused on disparate impact and differential treatment. Their definitions can be crystallized into differential treatment occurring when individuals are accorded unequal treatment because of their race and disparate impact occurring when individuals are subject to the same treatment based on specific predefined procedures and rules, but where the procedures and rules are structured in favor of one group (Devah Pager & Hana Shepherd, 2008).

Issues to Resolve

Where there is a history of discriminative practices, an exchange like the one between Dillon and Hope is…

For instance, if one individual "kept telling another employee sexual jokes that the second employee found offensive, it would be sexual harassment in the workplace. If two employees dated and engaged in consensual sex, this would not be sexual harassment. If one of the two then wanted to terminate the relationship, and the other used the unequal relative terms and conditions of employment of the work place to further the relationship, this would be sexual harassment in the workplace." (Sexual Harassment in the orkplace, 2004) in other words, consent is key -- conceivably a man could be made to feel uncomfortable, perhaps by another man, through repeated exposure to sexual jokes even after the perpetrator of the 'humor' was asked to cease and desist.
orks Cited

Hostile orkplace. (April 1997) it's time: Institute for Management Excellence online newsletter and website. Updated 2001. Retrieved on October 3, 2004 at http://www.itstime.com/apr97.htm.

Sexual…

Discrimination and Affirmative Action
Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) enforced by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) prohibits private and state and local government employers with 15 or more employees from discriminating against individuals on the basis of disability. Title I of the ADA also generally requires covered employers to make reasonable accommodations -- changes in the workplace or in the way things are usually done that provide individuals with disabilities equal employment opportunities." (U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission, 2008) In order to meet the ADA's definition of disability the individual must have a "physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; (2) has a record of such an impairment; or (3) is regarded as having such an impairment. This definition of disability may differ from the definition used in other laws. For example, the term "disabled veteran" means an individual…

The existence of on-site daycare becomes a 'perk' in attracting high-level talent during the peak years of productivity.
Improvement

Statistics make a compelling case: "savings in wages of $150,000 and $250,000 for just two companies that provided on-site day care" underline the advantage of retention and company loyalty through corporate daycare (Hahn 2007). orkers will be less apt to stay home when they cannot find care or a sitter -- also they can monitor a mildly ill child at the facility, rather than stay home. For women, corporate daycare levels the playing field and means they do not have to choose between motherhood and a career. Even fathers can enjoy seeing more of their children. orkers will feel better and less stressed at work. They will sense their company cares about them as human beings, not just as workers.

Investment

Of course, a financial investment in the daycare practice is…

Discrimination and Affirmative Action
DISCIMINATION

The current study investigates gender discrimination and the relationship between organizational commitment and job satisfaction. Women report through survey questions on how they view gender discrimination against women today, their level of commitment to an organization, and their level of agreement on how satisfied they are in their jobs. The purpose of this study is discussing certain issues that pertain particularly to women, because majority of women's find barriers when moving towards the top.

According to the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission, the definition of glass ceiling refers to "the artificial barriers present in the workplace to the advancement of women and minorities." egardless of achievements, the glass ceiling is an "unseen" barrier that keeps minorities and women from rising to the top of the corporate ladder. The glass ceiling still persists in today's society even though the equity gap between men and women in managerial…

Discrimination and Affirmative Action
"Firefighting is a skilled job where all of the skills learned are on the job… It's a really good job, and it's been racially exclusive in most of our major cities…" (John Payton, NAACP) (Liptak, 2009, The New York Times)

orkplace issues that revolve around racial fairness and racial justice typically are highly charged with passion and contentiousness. The now notorious case of the Caucasian firefighters in New Haven, Connecticut -- who sued when they believed they were discriminated against -- is a classic case in point. This paper examines and critiques the many issues surrounding the case the firefighters brought to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The basic background of the case

The city of New Haven, Connecticut made a management decision to base future promotions of its firefighting units on a written test. This was 2003. According to Emily Bazelon (writing in Slate) the city…

Workplace Conflict and Injustice: Mediation Options
It’s difficult to discuss an employee dispute or issue of recent times without thinking of the #timesup and #metoo movements. While these movements have been most visible in Hollywood, they definitely impact women in every industry and workplace scenario. More and more women are refusing to be silent when it comes to dealing with sexual harassment and related toxic behaviors in the workplace—and they shouldn’t have to be. This paper will examine an instance of employee conflict that occurred not within the entertainment world, but within an adjacent industry—the lifestyle and sports apparel industry, concerning one of the giants in the field—Nike.

The problems at Nike involved inappropriate behavior in the workplace, sexual harassment, and even sexual assault. Women within the company detailed workplace violations such as, “ There were the staff outings that started at restaurants and ended at strip clubs. A supervisor…

In order to assure that workforce advancement for existing disabled veterans is according to federal guidelines, the Bonneville "action program plan" offers classes and training in "resume writing" and "how to prepare for an interview." Each employee, including disabled veterans, are encouraged to complete an individual development plan with their manager, and are also encouraged to utilize career counselors with their departments.
All these things are mentioned because it is apparent that the federal government has gone to great lengths to open the door for disabled veterans. That doesn't mean, again, that any job opening with a federal agency or a contractor who has been hired by the federal government will automatically go to a disabled veteran. Not at all.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has its own version of an "Affirmative Action Program Plan for Disabled Veterans" (www.usda.gov/da/employ/VETPLAN.01.htm);this is very similar to the Bonneville plan, only it appears that…

"
The organization that I work for has many advantages because of its decision to support non-discrimination.

One of the most important elements of life is diversity. By supporting non-discrimination laws the company provides a local atmosphere in which diversity is embraced and the company has a large diverse local pool to draw from for employees.

The support of anti-discrimination laws also sends a strong clear message to the workforce of the company.

We are aware that the company supports and embraces diversity, not because it is mandated to by employment laws, but because it believes it is the right thing to do for mankind.

Everybody in America, at this point is aware that to discriminate based on race, culture, gender or other factors in the workplace is illegal.

It sets the company up for large fines if it is caught practicing or promoting discrimination in the company.

This makes…

.....social injustice and inequality. First, literature related to the fundamentals of discrimination and descriptions of gender discrimination are discussed in the literature. Following a detailed discussion of what the literature says about gender discrimination, the literature review shifts toward the quantifiable effects of gender discrimination in the workplace. Effects are examined both in terms of measurable effects on organizations and individuals.
Fundamentals of Discrimination

Discrimination is unfortunately pervasive in the workplace. Described as an "inaccurate perception of differences," discrimination can be based on independent variables like race, gender, language, and other demographics (Cleveland, Vescio & Barnes-Farrell, p. 149). The differences perceived are "inaccurate," and also have a direct impact on status, access to power, and access to avenues of promotion or pay increases. Most literature frames discrimination as being "subtle and covert," well concealed from the realms of legal scrutiny, and often difficult to define precisely (Marchiondo, Ran & Cortina,…

"For example, the more women considered prejudice to occur across a variety of contexts, the more they reported depression, anxiety, and decreased self-esteem." (Foster & Dixon, 2002, p.1)
These findings about the limits of group conciousness hint that perhaps, rather than focusing on a generalized female conciousness raising outside of the workplace, focusing on specific managerial objectives of female advancement within specific industries and workplaces might be more beneficial. Change the conciousness of managers, specifically male managers, through diversity workshops and penalizing sexism, rather than focus on changing female's perceptions of their competance alone. Create a sense of 'it's everywhere,' one also runs the risk of creating a sense that 'there is nothing I can do' and of learned helplessness in the hearts of female workers. Even from my own unwitting beneficical experience of sexism, I know how difficult it is to be confrontational as an entry-level employee, when one…

Employment Discrimination at Wal-Mart
Foundation of the Study

This study examines the legislative and judicial climate that enables corporations like Wal-Mart to engage in practices that violate workers' rights. The popular consensus is that Wal-Mart, the largest retail store in the United States, displays an inordinate disregard for the human dignity and morale of its employees and, despite continual litigation, continues to blatantly violate the legal rights of its employees. Wal-Mart faces charges of violating The Federal Fair Labor Standards Act (2011) by asking management to adjust time sheets so that overtime will not need to be paid, and so that all employees will work under the hourly limit required by the union in order to obtain membership. Employees were insured, without their knowledge, against their death by Wal-Mart. The company was named beneficiary; following death of an employee, the entire benefit amount was retained by the corporation. Not a…

Slippery Slope Law / Discrimination
The definition of the slope and its legal implications are largely hypothetical. According to Eugene Volokh, an action that is voted in -- say a ban on guns provides with the curtailment of many other things -- like confiscation of guns, costs or data bases and many other legislations that flows into creating a system that was not envisaged in the first place or would have been the primary action. For example the gun control could flow into some other area like searches and restriction and create an altogether different system. The analogy of the slippery slope where an act of a camel causes a slope to flood and grow an oak in consequence -- the original act being something different intended is to be considered. (Volokh, 48) In truth is there such a slippery slope in legislation?

Thesis Statement: "There is no such slope…

To do so, John needs to seek a Notice of ight-to-Sue from the EEOC. This document serves as proof that John filed a complaint with the EEOC, as required by the underlying statutes, and serves as his means of entry into the court system (See generally, EEOC, Filing a lawsuit, 2010).
Even though the laws governing employment discrimination are federal laws, John can file his lawsuit in state court or federal court, assuming that state or local laws also prohibit such discrimination. Frequently, at that stage, John's employer is going to seek removal of the case to the federal system, because federal judges are considered more likely to grant summary judgment in favor of employer-defendants than state-court judges are. Employers are able to receive removal because federal courts have jurisdiction over questions of federal law. Therefore, John's lawsuit might proceed in the federal or state court system.

If John's lawsuit…

Very often workers must choose jobs based upon benefits, not where they wish to work. orkers may decide not to open up small businesses or work for smaller businesses who cannot offer them comprehensive care. and, of course the children of uninsured workers suffer, innocent victims of the system.
Even companies like Safeway that have made heroic efforts to foster healthy living and disease prevention initiatives to cut costs have stated that universal health care is necessary to contain costs and keep their workers healthy enough to work, with as few sick days as possible. (Cohen 2007:4). Unions, companies, and the government must work together to create a healthy, safer and more affordable medical tomorrow.

orks Cited

Cohen, Jonathan. "hat's the One Thing Big Business and the Left Have in Common?" The New York Times Magazine. 1 Apr 2007. [10 Apr 2007]. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/01/magazine/01Healthcare.t.html?pagewanted=6&ei=5070&en=6ff729a7fa6330ac&ex=1176350400

This can also lead to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem.
It is also noted that religious discrimination can be both overt and covert. Overt discrimination is a more obvious form of discrimination, such as name -- calling and physical intimidation ( Perceived eligious Discrimination and its elationship to Anxiety and Paranoia among Muslim Americans). Covert discrimination is often more insidious and psychologically harmful in that it is suggested by innuendo and veiled remarks that are often less able to be attacked or defended against.

It is also claimed that continued stress as a result of discrimination can lead to mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. However, there is a paucity of research in this area; for instance, "Although the effects of discrimination and hate crimes among various minority member's mental health is documented, no research to date examines the correlates of perceived discrimination among Muslim Americans" (Perceived…

These figures dwarfed what other big businesses paid for discriminatory practices. These businesses included Texaco, Inc.; Shoney's, Inc., Winn-Dixie, Stores, Inc.; and CSX Transportation, Inc. Critics saw Coca-Cola's settlement as signaling a major breakthrough among big businesses as coming to terms with diversity in the workplace (King). ecause the company has been a leader in many areas, these critics regarded it as setting an example of greater openness to promotions across races of employees (King).
Settlement terms included $23.7 million as back pay; $58.7 million as compensatory damages; and $10 million as promotional achievement award fund distributed to the complainants. A remaining $20 million went to attorney's fees and $36 million to the implementation of internal program reforms. Coca-Cola would also create an external, seven-member task force to insure that the terms were complied with and to oversee the company's diversity efforts (King).

According to Social Networks. - Connections in…

prohibiting employee discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Sexual Orientation Defined

As the new assistant to the human resources director, I would define the term sexual orientation as an individual's patterns of romantic, sexual and emotional attraction, as well as his/her sense of social and personal identity founded on these attractions. The sexual orientation of an individual is no black-and-white aspect. ather, it lies across a continuum, and undivided attraction towards the same and opposite sexes lies on opposite ends of this continuum. Homosexuality (attraction towards individuals of one's own gender), heterosexuality (attraction towards people belonging to the opposite gender) and bisexuality (being attracted towards individuals of either gender) represent the three sexual orientation categories most widely discussed. However, they are, in no way, the sole categories of sexual classification labels across the globe (Sexual Orientation -- Psychology Today). (For instance, the umbrella term 'queer' is helpful for being non-specific to…

When we look at the U.S. auto industry and Wall Street and see the utter failure of management vision and the copious quantity of greed and self-serving that has gone along for decades, the question is, are we capable at any level of managing our huge conglomerates and financial institutions? It seems, in my mind, that the articles I studied asked many of these same questions in different ways, but really offered few answers. I think we know what we need to do. The real question is -- can we do it? Do we have the will? Can we care enough?

ibliography

aker, D. (2005, December 16). Foundations for success. Retrieved July 3, 2009, from Industry Week: http://www.industryweek.com/articles/foundations_for_success_11129.aspx

Covi, I. (2009). Management and human resources: Leading the workplace within. Retrieved July 4, 2009, from businessknowhow.com: http://www.businessknowhow.com/manage/leadwithin.htm

Farrell, C. (2009, March 17). Get used to a working retirement. Retrieved July 3,…

Sexual Harassment
orkplace Sexual Harassment: A Legal and Psychological Overview

orkplace Sexual Harassment, as delineated in the text by Anne C. Levy, & Michele A. Paludi (2001) is a complex issue, marrying human psychology and human sexual and cultural assumptions with the daily demands of the business environment, an environment that can be stressful for everyone where personal relations are concerned. This is why Part I of the text explains not only the American legal system regarding sexual harassment and employment law. It also looks at sexual harassment from a psychological perspective, how women have been perceived in the modern, American workplace. The two perspectives are married in many legal instances. For instance, in terms of setting what the courts have variously considered harassment, the courts have eventually evolved what is called a 'reasonable person' standard as to what constitutes harassment. This has changed and evolved, however, as cultural norms…

Question C

Marlene was not discriminated against because of her religion, and unless she proved the union prohibited Catholics from becoming members, which would be a violation of Title VII. However, she has no anti-discrimination grounds on which to sue given there is no evidence either the union or the casino discriminated against Catholics. She could argue that she was being discriminated as the state of Nevada has 'right to work' laws which prohibit discriminating against employees who are not members of unions or who refuse to become members of unions. Merely being a member of a historically-discriminated against group is not grounds to sue -- there must also be evidence of discrimination.

Question D

The female pilots did have grounds to sue. It is illegal to mandate unnecessary requirements for specific types of employment if such requirements have a disparate impact upon protected groups, including women. Even if it…

Mental Health and Stigma
1
Stigma influences the lives of people living with serious mental illnesses in many ways, including via the experience of self-stigma, whereby a person gives intense focus to what others might think about one’s own mental illness, internalizing their conception of the illness (Link, Wells, Phelan & Yang, 2015). Stigma can also come from society, from the workplace, from one’s own family or set of peers, and even from strangers. When an illness is stigmatized in the media, a person who suffers from that illness may feel taboo, ostracized from society, isolated from the “normal” group of people who have normal lives and can function without problem (Corrigan, Druss & Perlick, 2014).

Stigma influences the lives of people living with serious mental illnesses in other ways too. They become afraid to seek medical help because of the fear of being labeled as a person with a…

sexual harassment, and discuss aspects like defenses, judge ruling basis, cause of action, and employee's and employer's civil liability. Both discrimination and employee laws will be applied here.
Sexual Harassment Background Information

The issue of sexual harassment at workplaces poses an ethical problem, with around 50% of all women employees experiencing it during some point of time at their workplace; the effects of sexual harassment on people are always negative, and harmful (Bimrose, 2004). Thus, career guidance has a significant role to play in preparing and supporting working women, who may have already faced, or are currently, facing sexual harassment at work. ecent studies on workplace-related gender inequalities have recommended combating of stereotyping by urging women to take up non-traditional vocational training, education, and jobs.

Though the above solution is pertinent, the problem of workplace sexual harassment is not accorded due recognition. There are several reasons for this; the foremost…

As described in Chapter 4 of Mosser (2014), from a deontological ethical perspective not discriminating against older workers is clearly justified. Older workers have made an investment of time and effort into their professions and the economy, and they should not be deprived of the ability to capitalize upon those benefits, nor should their previous societal contributions be ignored. Ethically, it is also immoral to discriminate against an entire class of human beings. But even from a utilitarian perspective, older workers can offer value to the organization. Older workers bring the values of experience to the workplace, and can actively mentor younger employees. Furthermore, youth is merely a temporary state, and all workers will be old workers eventually. If younger workers lobby for discrimination now, they may face discrimination themselves in the future. Nondiscrimination secures the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Finally, having a large population of…

Race, class, gender, ethnicity, and religion are all variables that impact a person’s identity, worldview, communication style, and behaviors. Applying the sociological imagination to the workplace environment enables a greater understanding of how these factors impact daily interactions and events, with the goals of promoting harmony and resolving conflict. Being aware of race, gender, and religion has helped me function better in teams. The times that I neglected to recognize race, religion, and gender taught me valuable lessons and helped me to become more emotionally and socially intelligent. Race, gender, and religion are all socially constructed variables rather than being absolute categories; therefore it is always important to remember the fluidity of these constructs and to relate to each person individually as opposed to making sweeping generalizations based on stereotypes and assumptions. Moreover, categories and definitions of race, gender, and religion are not monolithic. What it means to be white,…

marketplace, employers recognize that success requires attracting a talented workforce. Talent comes from all sources. Doing more than simply accommodating changing demographics, successful organizations have come to value the contributions that people from differing backgrounds bring to the workplace. To recruit and maintain a diverse workforce, an employer must have a plan for creating a work environment that makes all of its employees feel welcome."
In corporate settings, demographics of the organization play a large part in the workings of that organization.

Large corporate settings by and large indicate hierarchies and bureaucracy and, in many cases, people within the organization can feel that their diverse viewpoints, needs and backgrounds are stifled or simply not heard.

Also, problems of stereotyping, sexism, racism, and lack of upward mobility are problems that affect many members of a diverse workforce.

These problems often breed inefficiency in the workplace and at times, workplace conflict.

In…

Discrimination
Unintentional Discrimination

Unintentional discrimination occurs when a company's policies uncritically reflect prejudicial stereotypes yet do not involve overt racial prejudices of its managers or executives. Does legislation to verify voter identification fall under the domain of unintentional or intentional discrimination? Explain your views.

The voter verification effects that are currently being proposed, predominately in Conservative lead states, are both unintentional and intentional discrimination. They are unintentional in their best case given that legislators have reasonable assumptions to make the passage of these verification requirements mandatory for all potential voters. Some analysts believe that voter fraud is a real threat to the political system. Although there have only been a handful of voter fraud cases ever prosecuted in the United States, there might be a seemingly legitimate argument to support voter identification initiatives. For example, J. Christian Adams, an election lawyer in Alexandria, Va., and advocate for voter-ID laws who…

Discrimination
Employment Discrimination esearch Project

Employment Discrimination in the United States

What I already knew/What I wanted to know

The Federal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws were established, during the civil rights movement, to protect employees from discrimination. According to Title VII of the Civil ights Act, employment discrimination because of race, color, religion, gender, and national origin is illegal. The Equal Pay Act protects workers against sex bias and salary discrimination. In addition, there are laws which protect people with disabilities, and employees over 40 years old from discrimination; such as, The Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the ehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Discrimination against people on the basis of their genetic information is also illegal. The Civil ights Act of 1991 allows employees who are intentionally discriminated against to receive monetary damages (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2009).

In my opinion, the government has made significant…

History Of Discrimination From Legislation to the Present Day
There are various form of discrimination that have been in existence over the decades, racism is just one of the oldest and most prevailing kind of discrimination. acism is the belief that a race of people is inferior to another. Various practices in the U.S. are seen to be motivated by racism and these include the slave trade where humans are treated as property that is disposable, without any rights and privileges. It was mainly practiced in southern U.S. until the civil war when it was outlawed by the 13th amendment. Job discrimination is also widespread and involves exclusion of people from jobs due to their race which was outlawed on a national level in 1964.segregaton in public places, schools, sports and other places was also in existence but was outlawed in 1964. Denial of voting rights like literacy tests, poll…

Positive Discrimination -- Do We Need it?
For centuries, the global community has strived to eliminate discrimination against minority groups. For centuries, women had been emotionally and/or physically abused; they were prohibited from voting and working. Today, they are allowed to work outside the household, but they are still paid less than their male counterparts. Additionally, the responsibility of raising the children and completing the household chores remains heavily preponderant among the female categories.

The women represent one of the most obvious categories of people discriminated against; but they only represent a mere fraction of the overall population subjected to discrimination. And the grounds for the discrimination are multiple, to include anything and everything from gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, political and religious appurtenance, age or disability.

The modern day society is making intense efforts to ensure that discrimination is eliminated -- or at least decreased to the minimum level…

integrate readings Chapters 5 & 6 Pynes, J.E.(2013). Human resources management public nonprofit organizations: A strategic approach (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass: San Francisco response: Case Study: Reeves, Chapter 3: Some Counselors More Equal Others website information http://prezi.
The case study relates to a situation involving state employees being discriminated on account of their gender. Rose Paddock, the central actor in this case, complained with regard to how the Department of Labor was inclined to favor men by providing them with bigger salaries in spite of the fact that their jobs entailed the same duties and qualifications as jobs that were probable to be occupied by women. The job under discussion, an Employment Counselor position in the Department of Human Services, has an equivalent job in the Department of Labor. The latter is paid better and the fact that there are more men in the Department of Labor while there are more…

Presence of minority groups at a workplace

At work places, individuals are being discriminated on the basis of being a minority. Structural theory states clearly there is always a consequence for being the minority. This theory is in relation to three known token dynamics which include; it leads to contrast effect that leads to social isolation, it has the element of visibility that results to performance pressure and it also results to stereotyping or role encapsulation (Bell, 2007). Discrimination may be as a result of the individual (from the minority group) being scrutinized to find out whether he/she is capable to excel in whatever he/she is doing. From this theory, an individual whom the public does not associate his/her presence with a certain kind of work is more doubted than a person whom they have faith that he/she can handle the work. For example, a woman with mechanic skills can…

Gender equality establishes the concept and attitude of unbiased and impartial allocation of corporate resources and prospects involving men and women. It establishes equality for men and women in terms of opportunity in social circles. But the corporate world is based on certain gender norms and stereotypes of role provisions. Hence these roles have made certain divisive identities (Sharma, & Sharma, 2012). The social norms of women being the housewife and caretaker of the family have infected eastern and western civilization. Corporations have been hiring women for mid-level and lower level positions, but they are blocked from top level positions (Ntermanakis, as cited by Mihail 2006).
According to Schein, Mueller, Lituchy and Liu (1996), women are afflicted with the typical think-manager-think male norm. In Nichols (1994) opinion, the popular opinion is that women aren't cut out for the tough decisions and roles of management position; hence they are kept out…

Men File Workplace Sex Harassment Claims by Sam Hananel of the Associated Press. The article was found in the Houston Chronicle at http://www.chron.com/disp/stroy.mpl/nation/6900828.html. In reporting how the number of claims of sexual harassment filed by men in the workplace is increasing, Hananel relates the story of Jonathan Pilkington. Pilkington claims that in the two years he was employed as a food runner at an upscale steakhouse, he was continuously harassed by his male boss, the chef of the restaurant. Even after Pilkington filed a complaint with management, the harassment did not stop, so he is now a witness in a federal suit against the restaurant. Hananel reports that this case is representative of the increase in reports of sexual harassment by men. According to Hananel, sexual harassment reports by men now make up about 16% of the reported cases, up from 8% in 1990. In 2009, 2,000 of the 12,700…

Sociology of the Workplace
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAHY

Gender Inequality at Workplace

Annotated Bibliography

Dixon, S. (2001). Work Experience and the Gender Earnings Gap. New Zealand Economic apers, 35(2), 152+. Retrieved March 27, 2012, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/M.qst?a=o&d=5002436019

In this article, Dixon reviews and presents the information about the work experience profiles of men and women working in New Zealand. The author uses two methods, which were introduced by Zabalza and Arrufat (1985) and by Filer (1993) for adding the women's actual paid work experience into the house hold survey databases. By using the imputed experience values and other skills, Dixon determines the components that are responsible for gender wage gap in late 1990s. This article is useful for research because it investigates that the shortfall in average hourly earnings of women is due to women's lower average level of skills which are needed for productivity. Moreover, it also discusses briefly the…

Goodyear which effectively denied employees the right to sue for wage discrimination after the passing of 180 days that "Justice Ruth ader Ginsberg was so incensed she read her scathing dissent aloud from the bench. She defended Lilly Ledbetter's right to sue her employer, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Inc. For pay discrimination on the basis of sex, giving a not-so-gentle reminder of the realities of the American workplace." (Steiger, 2007) Specifically written by Justice Ginsburg is that as follows:
worker knows immediately if she is denied a promotion or transfer, if she is fired or refused employment. And promotions, transfers, hirings, and firings are generally public events, known to co-workers. When an employer makes a decision of such open and definitive character, an employee can immediately seek out an explanation and evaluate it for pretext. Compensation disparities, in contrast, are often hidden from sight." (Steiger, 2007)

Steiger reports that…

"(National ureau of Economic Research, 2001) Analysis of this period was conducted with data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and findings indicate that women "were able to more than overcome the effect of adverse shifts in overall wage structure (that is rising labor-market returns to skills and to employment in high-paying male sectors) on their relative wages by improving their qualifications relative to men. So, although on average women continue to have less labor-market experience than men, they have narrowed the gender difference in experience considerably. They also have upgraded their occupations relative to men's, as they moved out of clerical and service occupations and into professional and managerial jobs. Women also have benefited from a decrease in the "unexplained" pay gap. Such a shift may reflect an upgrading of women's unmeasured labor-market skills, a decline in labor market discrimination against women, or a shift in labor market…

Such a work environment that is characterized by high levels of reverse discrimination becomes a hostile one. This has negative effects on the performance and efficiency of the employees that work in such an environment. This leads to reduced productivity of the company in case. Therefore, the company must develop and implement strategies that focus on improving the activity of its employees in order to increase the productivity of the company and maintain its competitive advantage and strong position in comparison with its competitors.

The modern theory and practice of organizational culture encourage and support equality between employees. In order to ensure that such an environment that promotes equality is applicable, companies and their managers tends to favor the member of minority groups in the detriment of the dominant group members. As revealed above, this creates tension between employees. Those that are disfavored by such policies will interfere with the…

Yet women with similar or comparable education and experience or achievement still earn less than men in work organizations. A missing link or the absent ingredient, between performance and a just payoff, was identified as women's own ability to comfortably and consistently draw the attention they deserve to the contributions they made or gave. Findings of a study conducted on 322 male and female executives showed that women were less comfortable in promoting themselves than men. Many of them still believed that self-promotion by women was still unacceptable and that hard work alone would not put them in the same level as men. Women were also found to be "over-preparers" who wanted their work to be technically correct but who did not bring this sense of accuracy and care to the attention or notice of influential individuals in the organization. Goodson found that even women who understood the importance of…

To be eligible for FMLA an employee must have a condition that makes him or her unable to perform their essential job function" (Vikesland, 2006). Previously-existing amendments to the Civil ights Act prohibited discrimination against women based upon pregnancy and the Equal Pay Act (EPA) of 1963 mandated equal pay for women and men doing the same work (EEOC, 2011, Official Website).
Protected groups can allege they have been the victims of discrimination based upon charges of disparate treatment and disparate impact. Disparate treatment means that the worker was denied opportunities or advancement based upon his or her membership in a protected category because of the explicit intention of the employer, such as a sexist employer that openly discriminates against women. Disparate impact cases, in contrast, refer to discriminatory policies that have a disparate impact upon a particular group of employees (Payne 2009: 60). For example, an employer might require…

sexual discrimination in the work place based on a case study and then suggest solutions for such a scenario. The case on which the whole report will be based is a suit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of Marla Sexson, a former admissions dean of Newman University. The charge against the college administration is that the university did not promote her when her female supervisor resigned because the Newman president, Aidan Dunleavy, wanted to change her with a man. When Sexson lodged complain against the unfair treatment meted out to her, University retaliated with bad behavior by changing her duties and job title. This demotion from her earlier position totally disheartened Sexson and finally she had to resign. According to the news reports there have been attempts to resolve the issue without a lawsuit but such efforts did not come to fruition. A lawsuit is…

Non-Discrimination Issues
esource

Non-discrimination is the act of treating people in fairness without prejudice. Non-discrimination policies are laws that prohibit discrimination in cities, state, schools, universities, colleges and workplaces. Federal laws and state laws forbid discrimination in employment. Different states have different rules in place to guard against discrimination, example, the California Fair Employment Practices Act prohibits discrimination in employment on the grounds of religion, age, sex, race, color, medical condition, physical handicap, marital status, and national ancestry or origin, and this applies to all employment agencies, employers and labor organizations. Federal 1964 civil rights act Title Vii (42 U.S.C. Section 2000e-17) prohibits discrimination in employment because of religion, sex, race, color or national origin. This applies to all employers that are in-charge of at least 15 workers on each working day.

Apart from these two laws which serve general application, there are other State and Federal laws that forbid…

gender roles in the workplace pre-exist much of what we think defines what work really is; not only do they pre-exist the modern working world of offices and factories, but they also seems older than more basic things, like writing and currency. From the world of the Tasaday tribe in the Philippines to that of such fields as genetic engineering and astrophysics, men and women are compelled to function within the workforce in different ways. In the United States, women dominate fields such as nursing, teaching, and clerical positions, while fields like engineering, programming and accounting are thought to be the domain of men. Some positions, such as those of flight attendants and nurses, are considered so intrinsically "female" that many men refuse to enter these fields for fear that others will question their sexual preference. Other more coveted positions, such as that of the CEO of a large company,…

To resolve this conflict in the situation where demographic and experiential differences are found qualitative researchers, such as those studying different cultures, might employ guides, interpreters and/or other "native" individuals to introduce and help them assimilate into the culture, in order to observe it or in some cases they use time as their tool, immersing for longer periods of time with limited or no interruption to eliminate any bias that might occur in research results because of his or her presence. Even among researchers this is not seen as a perfect set up but it can help resolve some of the intrusion challenges associated with diversity.
One of the major problems, as qualitative researchers see it in historical research is the fact that the researcher has often been seen and thought of as holding a position of authority over the subjects being studied. This idea of "social capital" is pervasive,…

At the same time, occupational segregation still exists in management positions. Part of the problem is that men are able to devote much more time to their career advancement vs. women who have to also consider raising a family and bulk of the responsibilities of that family. At the same time, however there are now many more women who have created role reversal than ever before, becoming the breadwinners within their nuclear family. The glass ceiling primarily exists because there is still exclusivity in the hiring process. Since the job of management hiring is typically sourced to executive search companies, many times such search teams do not include women because of the extra concerns associated with them. As a result, the only method by which many women in management have taken is to remain loyal within their corporate environment until they can climb the corporate ladder. This strategy grants women…

Conflict in the Workplace
One of the things that makes us human is our need and ability to form groups. We thrive in groups, merge into groups, and even the process of civilization and moving from hunter-gatherers to cities was part of group behavior. owever, when groups form, any number of interesting psychological issues occur: behaviors change, organizational issues occur, bonds and alliances are formed and lost, and even individual leadership behaviors change (Johnson and Johnson, 2008). Whether it be individuals, small groups, or large groups -- sometimes behavioral issues arise that cause conflict. Breaking one or more of these rules, however, or disagreeing with them to the point where it becomes unbearable or makes the group ineffective then becomes "conflictual" (Corey, 2008, pp. 149-51). This conflict happens in most cultures and some time or another. We see it in animal behavior as internal aggression. In some human cultures, while…

Being a job coach is an honor, a privilege, and even a necessity in today’s workplace environment. Based on evidence highlighting the effectiveness of coaching, more and more companies are “opting for team coaching as a more effective way to improve team capability and performance, while at the same time saving on costs,” (Stout-Rostron, 2016, p. 238). The friend in question should absolutely insert herself as a coach to help manage and leverage diversity in the organization and promote an organizational climate of inclusivity. In fact, someone with an international background is perfectly poised to guide organizational policy and practice regarding diversity and communication.
Religious Diversity

Religion can be a central component of individual identity construction and community cohesion. Just as employees have rich social and family lives outside of their place of employment, they also observe religious practices that coincide with their personal beliefs or their cultural background. While…

Crime
Workplace is not safe from numerous types of crimes. These crimes can range anywhere from burglary to homicides and from discrimination on the basis of sex to even rape for that matter. But these crimes are physical crimes and it is easy to avoid them or keep them at bay by making use of physical barriers, security cameras and a few sensible risk/security management tactics. For instance, if only 3 or 4 people work at night-time, it is easy to target anyone of them but if a considerable amount of people work together and have no hostility towards each other, these types of situations can be avoided. Use of security systems is a pre-requisite for the protection of material wealth and belongings. These types of systems can help avoid theft and burglary but if somehow these do occur, it will inform the managers of the incident at the earliest…

Employment Discrimination:
In the past few years, employees have obtained new ammunition to file lawsuits related to job discrimination in federal courts, though they still experience numerous challenges against the rising victories. According to the findings of recent studies, workers who sue over employment discrimination tend to lose at higher rates in federal courts as compared to other kinds of plaintiffs. However, most of these employees are hopeful that the recently signed Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act will herald an improved climate for discrimination lawsuits. This is primarily because the legislation makes it easier for employees to sue over pay discrimination on the basis of race, gender, disability, or age through the extension of the legal deadline to file such cases or lawsuits.

Due to the odds against winning employment discrimination cases, some lawyers have become reluctant to even try to an extent that they have stated that they will…