The Relationship between Employment Law and Sexism - Term Paper Example

Running Head: Sexism in work placements in services sector and how that affects the whole organizational structure of a business Title: Instructor’s Name: Name of the Institution: Abstract This paper is a research proposal delving into the contentious topic of sexism in work placements in the services sector and how that affects the whole organizational structure of a business. The paper picks Kenright and Moores, an insurance company based in the UK as its company of focus. This is mainly due to recent developments at the company where cases of sexual harassment and sexism were reported together with a declined performance. The paper further investigates the relationship between the employment law and sexism. It also examines sexism at M and K, and the relationship between sexism and individuals. The paper then carries out a sample research and analysis to justify the proposed research. It then makes the expected conclusion of the proposed research in view of the analyses in the preceding sections of the paper. Introduction Sexism is a term referring to the attitude or belief to the effect that one’s gender is less valuable or inferior to the other (Brittan, 1984). The term can also be used in reference to prejudices towards or hatred of another gender generally or the application of femininity or masculinity stereotypes (Newman, 2009). Masculinity stereotypes relate to men while feminist ones relate to women. Sexism is also used interchangeably with female or male chauvinism in a number of instances (Cloud, 2009). Historically across cultures, sexism was used in subordinating women in the society. To counter this and fight for the attainment of greater gender equality between men and women, feminism was introduced. Feminism was mainly used to advocate for equal opportunities between men and women. My company of study is known as Kenright and Moores, or simply K and M, which is an insurance company of medium size that operates in the city. The company employs about 2,500 staff in its two operation locations; that of East Anglia another in London that serves as the headquarters. Kenright and Moores has always followed the principle of slow growth and can therefore be regarded as a very conservative. K and M recently dismissed its long serving CEO and chairman, Walter Smith. This was as a result of its poor performance, which called for drastic measures such as the ones taken. The company has also created a different position of CEO in addition to that of chairman and appointed David Moyes in the position. At the company’s headquarters a high turnover amongst female employees has been reported, mainly those with five years experience and more. Moreover, a number of cases of sexual harassment have been reported, prompting the formation of a tribunal at the company. Research question How does sexism in work placements in the services sector affect the whole organizational structure of a business? Objectives To investigate the relationship between sexism and employment law; how the law applies in a business when problems such as sexism occur and how they can protect workers from sexism To examine how companies handle the issue of sexism as corporate bodies and how they can create policies to recover from this issue and how this will affect the balances inside the company. To investigate the relationship between sexism and individuals; that is, how sexism can affect the relationships between staff, managers, and other members of the company and the reaction of middle-level workers to sexism. To examine the issue of sexism in UK, how human rights organizations are facing this issue, and to what level can reach in addressing this issue, and the reaction of the public about the issue Justification The issue of sexism in work placements in service organizations is very rampant despite there being company policies and employment laws to address it. The existing laws seem ineffective in tackling the issue of sexism. If left unattended sexism is likely to increase in many businesses including the services sector. Claims of sexism among employees in numerous companies are on the increase. Critical Literature Review Sexism in the workplace Despite what many would like to believe, sexism is a rampant occurrence in many work places all over the United Kingdom. It is estimated that 72 per cent of female employees have encountered sexist bullying at their workplace. A further 85 per cent are of the belief that there is a culture of bias towards men in the and against women in today’s workplace. Despite the existence of laws protecting women’s employment rights, a lot is still left to individuals and companies in ensuring that fair treatment extends to all the workers (UNO, 2008). M and K is among the companies with rampant cases of sexism and sexual harassment. Sexism and the employment law Various laws work to ensure equal rights to both men and women in the UK (Blackstone, 2009). For instance, the 1975’s Sex Discrimination Act was aimed at protecting individuals from any form of discrimination against them, be it in employment, sale of goods, provision of services and facilities, exercising public functions, premises, due to their gender. Although M and K seems to have a company policy regarding sexism and sexual harassment in addition to the employment law, the company has not fully embraced it. Equal Pay Act 1999 mandated equal pay for any work done regardless of whether one is male or female. In addition, the Sex Discrimination Regulations of 1999, commonly referred to as the Gender Reassignment Regulations were meant to protect individuals intending to undergo gender reassignment, those undergoing it already or those who have already undergone it. These regulations are concerned with payment as well as treatment in vocational training, self employment and employment. Sexism and companies Companies are prone to many forms of disruptions as a result of sexism. Sexism is capable of causing great negative impacts in any business, such as mediocre work from those affected by such a vice (Miner, 2007). Those affected include both the perpetrators and victims of this vice. Lawsuits filed by sexism victims and the bad publicity caused by it, as well as a company losing a case filed by a former employee could spell doom for any business. M and K needs to follow its own regulations as well as the national employment laws to incidences of sexism. There is a lot that companies such as M and K can do to avoid falling prey to such outcomes as sexism. They must draft and distribute their policies concerning sexism to all their employees. These policies must include proper guidelines on how these companies will handle and investigate any reports of sexism. It is also important for these companies to ensure that all their employees are conversant with employment laws. They should also ensure that at least someone is conversant with their policies, together with their compliance with employment laws. It is also important that the employees of these companies ensure that their workers are conversant with their stance as far as sexism is concerned. The companies should ensure that their employees understand that sexism is imperative and can not be tolerated. At M and K, although they have various company policies they are rarely followed. Sexism and individuals Unfortunately, both the company policies and employment laws require proper enforcement by individuals. However, more often than not, these people are usually not motivated enough to do so. Individuals can engage in a number of activities in order to reduce incidences of sexism and at the same time increase fair treatment of employees. Individuals can stop stereotyping about gender and openly speak against any form of discrimination. They can also stop making sexist references and jokes and also encourage others to do the same. They should make it clear that such references and jokes are unacceptable. Employees should instead learn from every individual’s talents regardless of their gender (Bron, 1997). Although sexism is illegal in the UK, it is still a big issue all over the country. Although there are laws in place aimed at protecting the rights of all the employees, quite a number of workplaces seem to disregard these laws and carry on with the practices as they see fit. A concerted effort by both the employees and the employers is required to ensure fair and respectful treatment of all people at work. Research Methodology Methodology refers to the various tools to be used in carrying out the research. The following methods will be very useful: questionnaires, surveys and interviews. In the research five hundred employees of Kenright and Moores will be selected. The selection will be random and gender will not matter. This is in order to avoid a biased kind of outcome, where the views presented lean towards a particular gender. Data Collection Methods The data for this research will mainly be collected using questionnaires, surveys and interviews. The questionnaires will be administered to the randomly selected M and K employees. A survey will be carried out to assess the demographic characteristics and statistics of sexism. The questionnaires and interviews will include such questions as the following: Have you ever been a victim (or perpetrator) of sexism at the work place? If so, how long ago, and how often does it happen? Did you report the matter to the relevant authorities? Do you think sexism is a big issue at Kenright and Moores and that needs urgent attention? Numerous open ended answers are expected from these questions from these five hundred respondents. Data Analysis Using the axial and the open coding method, all the open ended responses from the five hundred respondents will be analyzed. Open coding can be defined as a qualitative coding method in which all the open ended answers are read and then analyzed for common issues, themes and patterns. All the responses will be read, analyzed and then sorted into different categories. After the sorting, a few categories will emerge out of the analysis. These categories, which could be ten or so in number, will then be used to come up with a coding frame and a tally sheet to be used for data coding. In axial coding the data will be revisited, while categorizing each respondent systematically using a coding frame. A high reliability coefficient of the axial coding is expected to make a strong argument. After the categorization of the responses from the employees statistical analysis application package such as SPSS will be used for further analysis of the data. Timescale and resources In terms of human resources, this research will require five data collectors and three research analysts who must be conversant with the automated tools of analysis such as SPSS. Technical resources will include three computers fully installed with the appropriate software, voice recorders and other gadgets to help in data collection. There will also be a need for some office space for proper coordination of the research. In addition, 5,000 sterling pounds will be required to take care of staff salaries and allowances and purchase of all the required materials. Table: timescale 2009 2010 Month/activity Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr Office space identification Materials purchase Staff recruitment Data collection Data compilation Data analysis Data presentation Clearance Conclusion Upon investigation of the relationship between sexism and employment law, the research expects a very close link between the two. The research will particularly find a connection in how the law applies in a business when problems such as sexism occur and how they can protect workers from such problems (Ritcev, 1998). The research expects to find some disparity in the company policy and the employment law. It also expects to find both the employment law and the company policies ineffective in addressing sexism. On investigating how sexism can affect relationships between managers, staff and other employees, it is expected that it will be found to strain them (Zastrow et al, 2003). This research therefore expects to find a great relationship between sexism in work placements in the services sector and the organizational structure of a business such as Kenright and Moores References Blackstone, W (2009) Commentaries on the Laws of England, retrieved from www.mdx.ac.uk on March 17, 2009 Brittan, (1984) Sexism, racism and oppression, Blackwell  Bron, P (1997) The Power of One, Pamela Bron, Chronicle-Journal, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Cloud, J (2009) If Women Were More like Men, retrieved from www.time.com, on March 18, 2009 Miner, J (2007) Organizational Behaviour: From Theory to Practice, ME Sharpe Newman, M (2009) at the top, women still cant get a break from stereotypes, retrieved from www.timeshighereducation.co.uk, on March 17, 2009 Ritcev, G (1998) Management Problems and Solution in industries, Elsiever UN (2008) Women still struggle to break through glass ceiling in government, business, academia, United Nations Zastrow, C et al (2003) Understanding Human Behaviour and the Social Environment, Brooks/Cole--Thomson Learning Read More