The Issue of Beautyism in the Workplace - Term Paper Example

Beautyism in the Workplace Beautyism refers to the act of discrimination especially in the workplace based on one’s attractiveness. As in the concept of beautyism, only physically attractive people end up acquiring positions. In this discriminatory regard, all their qualitative aspects are overlooked. In most cases, a different candidate that meets the qualitative requirements of the position end up being overlooked for the more attractive counterpart. The very first discriminatory effect that could come of this is laxity on the part of the subject of beautyism. If one is hired for their beauty and this knowledge comes to them by whatever means, they would have no reason to work as hard as they would have in the opposite circumstances. As is human nature, they focus more on being attractive and remaining in that state as that is what got them the position in the first place. Even though it is humanly impossible to overlook one’s attractiveness, it is important to try to analyze that in comparison to their skill set[Sar06]. Hiring people based on their attractiveness does very little for the motivation of other employees. Employees should be made to direct their efforts towards increasing their productive ability. The observance that the management’s focus is in the opposite direction rubs off on them and sends them into confusion. The action of the one person in the management body affects the outlook of employees towards the entire body and not of that particular person. In the case facing the College of Business Administration, the chairperson’s action could be interpreted as the stand of the entire management body, inclusive of human resource. The staff body usually works in parallel direction with the management. Therefore, if they not that the management focus is on productivity in terms of skills, then they equally focus on that. However if they find that other aspects such as beauty are more important they shift focus to that rather than to improving and sustaining their skills. From the same management-employee relationship perspective, Beautyism damages the faith of employees in their management. In whatever circumstances, the management is meant to illustrate integrity in order to establish faith and goodwill[Com12]. In the event that beautyism becomes a management’s limitation, employees begin to question other aspects of that relationship. Employees begin to worry that they could be biased on other aspects as well leaving them on the losing side. For this reasons, it is important to avoid beautyism to promote productivity in the work place. The chairperson is acting from a human perspective and not from a professional one. Rather than apply his knowledge on who would be good for the educational system that he is responsible for, hi actions are in line with what is pleasing to his eyes. This does not speak well, obviously, of his professional regard. This is because as a representative in an official capacity of the company, he should be concerned with what would be good for it. In this case, however, his concern is the benefits that could come to him from hiring the person in question. He overlooks the fact that if an individual is under qualified it could be detrimental to the company’s success. If one were to illustrate the Chairperson’s behavior, he would have failed by acting in an unprofessional way. This is in his failure to be inclined towards the person with a better skill set. Secondly, he has failed in the ethical regard[Nko05]. This is because of the application of bias, of whatever kind, in making a far from personal decision. This illustrates that as a leader he is not big on the application of morality in decision making. In light of this, it is very possible that the individual in question could be biased in other aspects as well. It is important that human resource practitioners in the organization in question investigate his earlier administrative choices. This will ensure that they do not overlook other incidences of bias in their decision-making. The chairperson is also seemingly unaware of his position of influence in the company. Were he aware, firstly he world make a decision that would illustrate his integrity in the face of those below him in the hierarchy. Secondly, his decision would also be based on what reflects well on the company’s principles. It also illustrates that he may not necessarily retain the company’s best interests at heart. In the case in question, his best interests were placed on a higher platform than those of the company. It is important that that human resource also determine the ability of a leader to influence sustainability from his docket. There are actions which if developed into a culture stand in the way of a company being able to thrive in current and future circumstances. The occurrence of beautyism is one such incidence- it reflects poorly on the company’s image[Ger06]. This is another aspect of analyzing the Chairperson’s behavior. The company’s hiring committee, in the situation in question, would have to come in to control the damage that has been impacted. Firstly, it is important that they analyze both candidates again to ascertain who of the two is qualified. This is to ensure that they do not go into the process of making a decision from the wrong angle. It is quite possible that the incidence of beautyism may have been assumed and that said candidate is actually the more qualified[Pla10]. If indeed there were an occurrence of bias, the second step would be to dismiss the unqualified candidate. This is to ensure that they bring in the person whose skill set is beneficial to the company. It also rights the wrong that a member of the organizations official capacity had brought about in the first place. This reinstates the faith of the employees as well as other stakeholders in the ability of the organization to make informed, intellectual, and sustainable decisions. The hiring committee should then proceed to have a private investigative session with the chairperson. This session will help the committee to interrogate the Chairperson to find out why it he was inclined towards the decision that he was. This would see to it that he does not feel ambushed attacked or diminished. His explanation could actually be one that was overlooked but important. However in most incidences of beautyism the perpetrators rarely have any other intent other than physical gratification; they are however reluctant to state this. The hiring committee should then proceed to warn him of the damage that may have come of his actions. In this way, he is more aware that his actions, slight as they may, be play a big role in the overall outlook that the company postulates. They should also ensure that said chairperson is aware that the committee would not be tolerant of any bias whatsoever in the near future. Seeing, as hiring had not come into effect, it would be illogical and unfair to relive him of his duties. The last step that the hiring committee should take is to collaborate with other departments such as human resource and other supervisory bodies. In their collaboration, they would put it out in memos that the company is not tolerant of bias. However, the memo should avoid any mention or insinuation of the chairperson, as this would degrade him. Beautyism in the workplace in actuality happens more often than the main players would love to admit. As of 2010, statistics had it that in the United States, that attractiveness determined the hiring process on a scale rating of between 40% and 60%. This is a high percentage for an economy classified as the most free in the world. Its stature insinuates that the ability of biases to influence professionalism would be in a very low capacity. However, it is only logical that beautyism be a major part of the hiring process. This is because human beings are usually drawn to the physical outlook of a person first, as opposed to any other attributes. For this reason, they wind up making decisions as regards to hiring said individual before they have the opportunity to analyze other factors. However, this is a limitation that should be overlooked; while it is logical it is not ethical[Sar06]. The reason as to why beautyism has become an increasingly common phenomenon is that people tend to assume that just because someone is less attractive, they are just as equally less skilled in the social element. They interpret that to mean that a less attractive person would not be able to draw in good business. For this reason, candidates must work very hard to ensure that their attractiveness or lack thereof is not the determining factor for their employment. While being attractive could be a good social attribute, hiring based on one’s skills increases self-esteem. Therefore, however attractive (or not) a candidate is, they should work hard to shift the interviewer’s focus to other skills that they possess. As stated previously, beautyism is an element of human limitation. However, interviewers and hirers must ensure that they avoid falling victim to their human flaws. This is because it is a serious bias that has damaging effects just as of bias based on gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation[Ger06]. It is shocking, in actuality, that beautyism has not received as much awareness and attention as other biases yet is just as harmful. In summation, logic remains a huge factor for operation in business and in everyday life. Following this, it is illogical to assume that if one does not make themselves look presentable but they have a good skill set, they would be hired. Much as attractiveness is not the focus, one must be at the very least, presentable. Once this is combined with a good skill set they are more likely viable candidates for the position they seek. References Sar06: , (Sartore, 2006), Com12: , (Commisso, 2012), Nko05: , (Nkomo, 2005), Ger06: , (Gerdes, 2006), Pla10: , (Plante, 2010), Read More