Workplace Discrimination - Reality or Illusion - Research Paper Example

Workplace Discrimination: A Debate on the Existence of Bias Introduction The modern workplace appears to provide a wide variety of different opportunities for the American worker, regardless of specific demographic, such as the ability to procure a better quality of life, the receipt of internal promotions, or the provision of career development and career path. There are many professional viewpoints regarding how best to motivate workers in the workplace as well as ensure that diversity is a common theme at the organization, which involves ensuring that all members of the organization, regardless of individual demographic, are treated equally and are granted the same opportunities as others within the organization. However, there is ample evidence that different forms of workplace discrimination occur regularly, including sexual orientation, age-related bias, geographic bias, and gender discrimination. Despite efforts to ensure diversity, more must be done to ensure that discrimination does not occur in today’s workplaces. Varieties of Discrimination One human resources expert offers an interesting phenomenon in relation to discrimination which involves the level to which discrimination tends to occur in the face of certain economic conditions. “In good economic times, people know they are supposed to support diversity and will tend to hire a minority candidate to get affirmative action points. But when times are tough, people tend to look out for their own group and isolate outsiders” (Mason, 2009, p.19). This author is suggesting that poor economies can lead to the creation of bias in the recruitment process, where hiring managers will begin sacrificing a diversity philosophy to ensure that others who fit their desired demographic profile are hired. This was important to offer because it tends to illustrate a broader social viewpoint in which diversity can be abandoned as a business objective when conditions at the organization have become difficult or unprofitable. This would seem to suggest a need for social change in the workplace environment or the provision of training to reinforce that diversity must be a common policy at all times and even economic conditions should not impact hiring decision-making. Williams (1999) offers a powerful fact: That employment is essential to securing a respectable lifestyle and is often vital to basic survival. “To deprive anyone of employment is to deprive them of sustenance” (Williams, 1999, p.81). What this would point to is that when discrimination occurs, it tends to create difficulties in just meeting the basic physiological needs of a person which can impact motivational levels to perform in the workplace. Perhaps this is the reason why so many different laws exist, state by state, to prevent discrimination. For instance, in Minnesota, one cannot be discriminated against if they are collecting assistance from public support agencies (Repa and Stewart, 1999). In Michigan, employees cannot be discriminated against because of their weight or height (Repa and Stewart). The development of these different state laws ensure that people can maintain a healthy lifestyle and are not continuously at risk of job loss due to discrimination. Since people who lose jobs will likely have to go onto some sort of public support as a temporary measure, this again reinforces that discrimination can impact lifestyle and the ability to support oneself. Murrell (1999) also offers a different variety of discrimination in the workplace dealing with sexual orientation. The author identifies that many homosexual individuals are not protected from discrimination by law in the workplace. This seems to create a form of power struggle in the organization where colleagues or superiors are not mandated by law to avoid sexual discrimination and therefore are allowed to let their personal biases or negative opinions sway decision-making in the hiring process or during regular workplace activities. This might have impact on political relationships as well as interpersonal relationships if the homosexual businessperson perceives opposition in terms of equal treatment or promotion opportunities. Goodridge (2000) also offers that age bias is a common theme in today’s organizations, with some organizations being accused of providing a discriminatory environment, based on age, as early as 35 in some industries. Age discrimination involves job losses from age-related bias, unequal treatment in the workplace due to misconceptions about age-related competency, or any other lack of opportunity provided by social attitudes regarding the value of the older worker. It is relatively common knowledge that there is currently an older baby-boomer society which is living longer and many are forced to work beyond their expected retirement in order to make ends meet financially. If age discrimination is occurring at a faster pace, and is targeting even younger workers, this baby-boomer generation may be facing significant difficulties in being perceived as competitive in the workplace. Kulwicki, Khalifa and Moore (2008) consider a different type of bias and discrimination in the workplace which is caused by misconceptions regarding Arab beliefs and values. A recent study conducted in Detroit, targeting 34 Arab-American nurses in this region, identified that they were experiencing routine intimidation, patient rejection, and a few demotion in the job role (Kulwicki et al). Most of this bias against Arab-Americans comes in the form of unified social belief revolving the events which took place on September 11, 2001 and the perceived role of Arabs in this event. Since the research study identified here took place seven years after the incident, it tends to paint a picture of the basic social belief regarding many Arab-Americans in the workplace. However, these nurses are likely looking for a quality job, with quality pay, to ensure that their lifestyles are secured and they have equal opportunities to enhance their lives. If this type of discrimination is still occurring long after this tragic event, this again reflects the need for broader social change to ensure that these biases are not affecting today’s Arab workers. Gender discrimination is also occurring and this impacts the pay structure for men and women in the workplace. Hurley (2001) identifies that women generally make 70 cents to the dollar for each one dollar earned by men. For a man making $60,000 yearly, the female worker would make $42,000 for the same job role under these statistics. These are significant changes in income levels, which would suggest that the male worker can have a better quality of life simply due to how society views his importance in gender role identity in the United States. If these gaps in pay are not closed, it is likely that more women will be demanding non-discriminatory environments based on gender to close the gap in pay which should not even exist. In fair balance to opposing viewpoints, one business professional offers that many women consider that a proverbial glass ceiling exists which prevents women from moving to the top, executive levels of the organization. This glass ceiling does not exist, according to Kallan (2006), who offers that this is an out-dated belief on discrimination based on gender and is no longer relevant to today’s organizations. The author believes that women are not making it into senior level positions as frequently as their male counterparts simply because they make different decisions in life. For instance, women tend to be more drawn to taking care of their households or their children and will not invest the long hours and dedication necessary to achieve executive-level promotions (Kallan). In this author’s viewpoint, the glass ceiling is nothing more than a feminist term to essentially make excuses for why dedicated men receive promotions more than women. Kallan’s viewpoint regarding discrimination tends to act in direct opposite accord in relation to the literature on the subject of discrimination. However, it was important to identify differing viewpoints in order to debate the subject appropriately. One last piece of research evidence which further supports the idea that discrimination must be ended in the workplace involves how health is affected by different discriminatory practices in the workplace. Pavalko, Mossakowski and Hamilston (2003) provide results of a recent study using 1,778 employed women as participants. The study revealed that when perceptions of discrimination exist, women can have measurable, negative impacts on their emotional and physical health. Though the study went on to describe the specific health outcomes, they typically involved anxiety, frustration and the sensation of being limited or closed in by boundaries in day-to-day work life. The potential health effects of discrimination needed to be explored briefly in order to point out that discrimination not only removes opportunities for financial benefit, but can also create short- and long-term health risks which can cause physiological harm to women who are perceiving bias threats or discrimination in the work environment. These consequences seem to reinforce that workplace discrimination is more than a social problem, it is also a potential medical problem which could be a liability to the business in the form of higher health care costs or increased turnover costs when the employee leaves to seek better and more equal employment options elsewhere. At a time where economic conditions are not superior, the provision of health care would seem to be a strong motivator to improve discrimination occurrences in the work environment. Conclusion This paper identified the different types of discrimination currently in existence, as well as an examination of the potential health and lifestyle impacts which discrimination, in many types of forms, can cause to workers. Research identified sexual orientation, age bias, geographic bias, and gender bias as some of the most common forms of discrimination in the workplace. The opposing viewpoint offered to debate the issue brought into question the actual existence of glass ceilings in the workplace, giving new thought to whether women were really being discriminated against in terms of promotion or whether this gender simply is not motivated or dedicated enough to become the majority in senior-level positions. Whether discrimination actually occurs regularly, in many forms, is still debatable, however the research evidence clearly shows a pattern of its frequency and can impact many different demographic groups. Long-term outcomes can include unequal pay and health problems, therefore the best conclusion is that something must be done quickly to remove the stigma of stereotyping and different biases in the workplace. With today’s social push toward diversity, this would be a win-win scenario for both the business and the worker who has perceived discrimination during their career path. References Goodridge, Elisabeth. (2000). “Older IT Professionals Struggle with Age Bias”. InformationWeek, Manhasset. Iss. 807, pp.228-232. Hurley, Jennifer A. (2001). “Claims that women face discrimination in the workplace are exaggerated”. Feminism, San Diego: Greenhaven Press. Retrieved Apr 26 2009 from ProQuest Database. Kallan, Stuart A. (2006). “Women Do Not Face Discrimination in the Workplace”. At Issue: Does Equality Exist in America? Detroit: Greenhaven Press. Retrieved Apr 26 2009 from Opposing Viewpoints Database. Kulwicki, A., Khalifa, R. and Moore, G. (2008). “The Effects of September 11 on Arab American Nurses in Metropolitan Detroit”. Journal of Transcultural Nursing. Memphis. 19(2), p.134. Retrieved Apr 26 2009 from ProQuest Database. Mason, Mike. (2009). “New research shows that workplace discrimination increases in times of economic turmoil”. Psychology & Psychiatry Journal. Atlanta, p.19. Retrieved Apr 27 2009 from ProQuest Database. Murrell, Audrey J. (1999). Mentoring Dilemmas: Developmental Relationships Within Multicultural Organizations: Applied Social Research. Mahwah: NJ Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Pavalko, E., Mossakowski, K. and Hamilton, V. (2003). “Does perceived discrimination affect health? Longitudinal relationships between work discrimination and women’s physical and emotional health”. Journal of Health and Social Behavior. Albany. 44(1), pp.18-34. Retrieved Apr 27 2009 from ProQuest Database. Repa, Barbara K. and Steward, Marcia. (1999). Your Rights in the Workplace. Berkeley CA: Nolo Publishing. Williams, Mary E. (1999). “Homosexuals Need Antidiscrimination Laws”. American Civil Liberties Union, Greenhaven Press. Read More