Question

Topic: Repercussions of Discrimination

List five strategies for successfully increasing diversity of the workforce.

Increasing diversity is an important strategy for organizations to implement, not only because it makes sense from a business standpoint in mirroring the communities in which the organization serves, but also because in so many ways, it’s the law to ensure fairness and non-discrimination.

Diversity is having a workforce comprising of two or more groups of employees with various racial, ethnic, gender, cultural, national origin, handicap, age, and religious backgrounds.

Diversity can produce behavioral barriers that undermine work team collegiality and cooperation. Understanding the underlying reasons for not having a diverse environment may be stemming from the following behaviors of employees within the environment. These behaviors must be identified and eliminated (employing those that are open to diverse work environments) and the work environment must be trained. For example:

1) Stereotyping is a process in which someone ascribes specific behavioral traits to individuals based on their apparent membership in a group.

2) Prejudice means bias toward prejudging someone based on that person’s traits.

3) Discrimination is prejudice in action. This would also include gender-role stereotypes (tendency to associate women with certain jobs).

4) Tokenism occurs when a company appoints a small group of women or minorities to high-profile positions, rather than more aggressively seeking full representation for that group.

5) Ethnocentrism is the tendency to view members of other social groups less favorably than one's own.

Discrimination Legislation and Issues:

Age Discrimination
Age discrimination is a practice specifically protected by law. With a few rare exceptions, companies are forbidden from specifying an age preference in job advertisements. Employees must receive the same benefits regardless of age, the only exception being when the cost of providing supplemented benefits to young workers is the same as providing reduced benefits to older workers. Also, age discrimination in apprenticeship programs or internship opportunities is illegal.

Religious Discrimination
It is illegal for employers to discriminate based on an individual's religious customs. Businesses are required to reasonably accommodate an employee's religious beliefs, as long as doing so doesn't have excessive negative consequences for the employer.

Gender Discrimination
When paying a salary to men and women of the same qualifications, responsibility, skill level, and position, employers are forbidden to discriminate on the basis of gender. Also, businesses are forbidden from lowering one gender's salary in order to equalize pay between men and women.

Pregnancy-Based Discrimination
Additionally, pregnancy-based discrimination is illegal. Employers are required to handle pregnancy in the same way that they would handle a temporary illness or other non-permanent condition that would necessitate special consideration. Job seekers have the same rights as employees, and both are protected by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) passed in 1978.

Hostile Work Environment
A hostile work environment is created when harassment or discrimination interferes with an employee’s work performance or creates a difficult or offensive work environment for an employee or group of employees.

Required: Based on above discussion,

1. Is discrimination good or bad in organizations? Explain. Write 200 words.

2. How can diversity in the workplace be beneficial? How can it be problematic? Write 200 words.

Please don't copy from anywhere. Write in your own words and write appropriate answers. Thank You!

Answer 1

As per my opinion discrimination is bad in an organisation. Staff who observe regular discrimination are more likely to leave the business, increasing the turnover levels of a business. Although some involuntary turnover firing poor performers, for example is beneficial for the business, if your company's voluntary turnover is high you are probably losing skilled, competent workers. Recruiting and training replacements is costly to the organisation and affects productivity. If an employee believes there is no future for him within the organisation, he will be less invested in the job. Although he may not have found another position, the fact he doesn't intend to stay permanently means he is less committed and loyal to the business than someone who plans a long-term career with the company. Discriminatory practices affect the company's reputation within the community it serves. Discrimination may affect clients directly if the company provides inferior service to a certain group of people based upon particular demographic criteria, such as race. But customers can also be indirectly discriminated against. For example, if the entrance to your store is only accessible with steep steps, you are unintentionally preventing disabled customers from accessing the services you provide. Don't underestimate the effect of unhappy employees on your reputation and recruitment success. Disgruntled workers will complain to their family and friends who may take their business elsewhere. Savvy job seekers will research the company before applying, and a workplace facing several discrimination lawsuits, or a company with employees who openly voice their dissatisfaction, will have a chilling effect on your recruiting abilities and cause the top candidates in the industry to look elsewhere.

Cultural diversity in the workplace is when companies are open to hiring employees from all sorts of different backgrounds; regardless of race, religion and culture. When companies recruit and retain a diverse pool of people, it brings about different benefits to the company as well as its employees. Some of the benefits which diversity can bring to an organisation are Increased productivity, Improved creativity, Increased profits, Improved employee engagement , Reduced employee turnover, Improved company reputation, Wider range of skills, Improves cultural insights. Some of the problems caused by cultural diversity are:

• Conflicts arise when there is a lack of acceptance of cultural diversity and beliefs among employees.
• Diversity in cultural, spiritual and political beliefs can pose a challenge in a diverse workplace.
• Some individuals hold prejudice against people who have different ethnic , cultural and religious backgrounds as their own.
• Gender pay gap still exists.
• Disabled employees often have a difficult time navigating through their workplace because proper accommodations as simple as wheelchair ramps are not available.
• In some companies, there are more diversified age groups, from teenagers to senior citizens. As a result, social circles may be formed and some workers may be isolated from the team.
• Language and communication barriers are ever present in companies with a diverse workforce.