Gender Bias at the Wal-Mart - Case Study Example

Gender Bias at the Wal-Mart Introduction and Objective Gender bias remains a major human resource problem in many national and international organizations. Gender bias can be understood as an attitude discriminating one from other based on gender. This problem is normally faced by females as males are given priority over them in various organizations. Sometimes, an individual manager discriminates at the individual level whereas some organizations use this as an organizational policy measure. However, in this regard, it is important to mention that such organizations do not mention or say clearly that they use gender bias or discrimination as an organization instead they perform and prove this policy through their organizational actions, policies and practices as well. Consequently, such discrimination leaves damaging psychological effects on employees and encourages victims to use different methods for obtaining their legal and professional right from the organization. Keeping the importance and gravity of this serious human resource problem, this paper has chosen Wal-Mart, a United States-based multinational giant retailer. This international organization is many retail outlets inside and outside the United States. However, it has failed to curb the problem of gender bias which is normally highlighted and reported in the print and electronic media. Based on this, the paper highlights the gravity and spread of this problem across the different stores of Wal-Mart. Methodology and Selection of Case Phenomenology and data collection method are two main parts included in the methodology. The theoretical framework of phenomenology enables a researcher to use one’s own knowledge and understanding for carrying out a research work through applying the concept of qualitative approach. The paper objective is to understand gender bias at Wal-Mart. In a closer analysis, it can be extracted that the gender bias is a qualitative and subjective issue in which an individual applies the concept of gender discrimination. Consequently, this requires the use of subjective knowledge and understanding for evaluating the reasons behind the emergence of such problems at Wal-Mart. As a result, the author has found it reasonable to apply the concept of phenomenology. Secondary data collection method has been used to collect the relevant and authentic data from reliable sources. In the secondary data collection method, the author has accessed to the current and existing information pertaining to the gender bias at the Wal-Mart. As the objectives can be appropriately and better satisfied through applying the secondary data collection method, the author has found it appropriate to collect the required data from valid and reliable sources. In this regard, it is important to mention that the author has avoided accessing information directly from the official website of the Wal-Mart instead the neutral and reliable sources, such as newspapers, have been chosen for collecting the required data. Consequently, this data collection strategy is more useful than the others because if the information had been taken from the Wal-Mart website, this could have created serious doubts about the data validity and subsequent outcomes. By not taking data from the official website, the author has tried to provide more valid data and reliable sources, such as newspapers. Analysis and Summary of HRM Gender bias is a growing human resource problem at the Wal-Mart. Biskupic (2011) quotes that a women, who has filed a suit against the Wal-Mart, explains that she has been denied promotions and higher pay at the Wal-Mart since December 1998; and it is estimated that the affected number of affected females is 500,000 and others estimate that this could be as higher as 1.5 million; at the same time, it has also been quoted that this gender bias is not being done by individual managers but is centralized human resource strategy adopted by the senior management of the Wal-Mart. Moreover, in California, more than 150,000 women filed a case against the Wal-Mart for ignoring women and giving more preference to men by promoting them faster and giving them higher pay (Nguyen, 2013). Based on the above facts relating to the gender bias, some deductions are logical and unavoidable as well. for example, the case mentions that 500,0000 women have filed a class action against the Wal-Mart, this shows that the gender bias policy is not being carried out by a few individual managers instead it is being controlled centrally. At the same time, it is important to mention that such policy has serious ramifications for the Wal-Mart’s perception in consumers and it has serious implications for the workplace culture and environment as well. HRM strategy should be developed to understand and evaluate the causes behind this problem at the Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart’s senior management is required to carry out the assessment and evaluation of causes behind the gender bias. For this purpose, it must try to figure out the reasons. First, there are chances that some department managers might be involved and deliberately using this practice for obtaining their personal rather than professional and organizational objectives. Normally, it has been observed that some department manager consider that Wal-Mart is a large multinational retailer and it is not possible for the senior management to look into the details of every petty issue as it would be time consuming and challenging for them to continue working in that manner. At the same time, it is possible that some female employees might be using the gender bias issue for obtaining their objectives. In this regard, it is important to mention that some female workers might not be facing any such issue but they know that the Wal-Mart’s senior management is under pressure from the media and other institutions regarding this issue. As a result, this situation has provided them an opportunity to exploit it by putting an additional pressure to the organization. Personal opinion Gender bias is a global problem and largely prevalent in national and international organizations, such as Wal-Mart. In my opinion, this issue has serious implications for the whole workplace culture. For example, the female staff would find it hard to remain motivated while serving in the organization because they know and understand that the department managers are not fair when it comes to provide annual and semi-annual appraisal and uses this opportunity to obtain personal interests. In this regard, it is important to mention that the gender bias problem is largely found in various cultures as it has been observed that males are considered to be more powerful and dominant within a family unit. For example, in some Asian countries, women are not allowed to receive education, fair share and treatment in family affairs, are not allowed to do a job even their opinion is considered less useful to certain issues. In other words, this is considered to be inferior to men. At the same time, in the developed societies, such as the United States of America, women are not given even equal pay and even in some countries she is not allowed to be appointed as a judge because of the gender. As a result, the same attitude is also reflected in the organizations, such as Wal-Mart. Additionally, every employee should have a sense of ownership in a workplace where he or she consider himself or herself as an important part of the organization. Because of this sense, employees remain motivated and put their best efforts to obtain their professional objectives with a highly productive outcome not only for oneself but also for the organization as well. In contrast, in the absence of this sense, the employees would not generative the most productive outcome and would fail even to attain the expected organizational goals from their job description. HRM Strategy implementation in the Organization Various steps can be introduced for decreasing the effects of gender bias and the problem of gender bias at the Wal-Mart. In this regard, it is important to mention that the effects of gender bias and the problem of gender bias are two different issues. Thereby, it is highly essential that both should be dealt separately in a highly professional manner. Numerous strategies can be adopted to eliminate the effects of the gender bias on the minds of the existing employees working at the Wal-Mart. First, for example, in order to assess the current level of effects, the Wal-Mart’s senior management should develop and distribute questionnaire to the current employees. In this questionnaire, the respondents should be asked about the problem of gender bias and their expected methods that can be used to eliminate the effects. The benefit of this approach would be that the management will be able to receive the most effective methods that can be applied to the current employment workplace which can reduce the effects of the gender bias. At the same time, based on the reported findings and recommendations mentioned in the questionnaire, the senior management should develop its human resource strategy to tackle the effects of gender bias. Additionally, the senior management should hire professional counselors who interview those who remain the major victims of this problem. Through this step, the senior management would become able to identify the actual effects of such issue. Moreover, it is also recommended that the senior management should provide more intrinsic and extrinsic rewards to the female employees. In this regard, it is appropriate to highlight that currently many female employees are underperforming due to the problem and effects of gender bias. And this problem and its effects can also be reduced through providing lucrative incentives and rewards to the female employees. Some employees prefer to receive appreciation while others are more inclined to obtain financial rewards, such as cash bonus and in kind. It is reasonable time to tackle the problem of gender bias. As reported and highlighted above, the issue of gender bias is highly prevalent across the different departments of Wal-Mart. As a result, it is appropriate to take steps for eliminating this problem once and for all. For this objective, various steps are highly recommended. First, the senior management should overhaul their existing human resource policy and strategy and ascertain whether certain policy factors are being inappropriately misused by the department managers for exploiting the employees working at the Wal-Mart. This overhaul will give them an opportunity to fill out those gaps which are being exploited by the department managers. Additionally, it is highly recommended that the senior management should constitute a monitoring team enshrined to evaluate whether the actual practice and attitude of the department managers is compatible with the human resource policy and strategy given by the senior management of Wal-Mart. If anyone found guilty of promoting gender bias, the team should report this matter to the senior management. Subsequently, the senior management should take strict action against such attitude including employment termination as way to show a zero tolerance towards the problem of gender bias. This strict policy towards the gender bias would emit a strong signal which would convince the department managers that they would face strong action from the senior management if they found committing gender bias against female employees. Moreover, it is also reasonable to recommend that the department managers should receive quality training and development sessions relating to the problem of gender bias. In such training and development sessions, information relating to the ethics and ethical methods and attitudes should be the department managers. At the same time, this type of training should be given regularly after the gap of 6 months as this would solidify the ethical methods in the organizational practice of the department managers. Personal opinion In my opinion, the above mentioned recommendations are highly essential for the long term workplace integrity of the Wal-Mart. The workplace integrity has all those values, practices, policies and actions that determine the workplace integrity and its subsequent effects on the long term continuity of workplace culture, which is a central to the organizational success. As far as the issue of the gender bias and its effects on the workplace integrity is concerned, it is appropriate to highlight that the gender bias must be eliminated at the organizational and individual level. At the organizational level, it is the responsibility of the organization to ascertain whether such problem exists. If the problem is prevalent, the senior management should not undermine the grave consequences of this practice on the entire workplace culture. At the individual level, the managers must understand that such behavior is not useful even for their professional approach and career success because every negative action cannot and will not generate a long term sustained success. At the same time, it is also reasonable to opine that every problem has different causes, effects and remedies. Keeping in view this context, it is highly essential that the organizations should develop their own framework for evaluating and treating the different workplace problems. Conclusion Wal-Mart faces the problem of gender bias. In the reported cases, thousands of victims have filed a case against the Wal-Mart senior management, alleging that they discriminate against female workers. And in this discrimination policy, they do not provide equal and fair promotion and pay opportunity to the female workers. And this problem is restricted to any particular department store but is wide spread. Based on this problem, various strategies have been developed to tackle this problem. First, it has been recommended that the causes of this problem should be identified. After identifying them, it is the responsibility of the senior management to take necessary steps for reducing the effects of the gender bias. In this regard, it has been mentioned that the gender bias and the effect of gender bias are two different problems. Thereby, it has been recommended that both should be dealt separately. Moreover, it has also been suggested that the Wal-Mart should overhaul their human resource policy as this would provide an opportunity to ascertain any loopholes in the policy. After this step, it has been mentioned that the organization should work at an individual level. At this level, it has been recommended that the organization should punish those who are found guilty of committing or promoting the gender bias. After identifying them, it has been recommended that they severe punishment should be given. At the same time, it has also been highlighted that the best strategy to tackle the effects of the gender bias is to provide and offer incentives to female employees. In this program, both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards should be given to them. This strategy would diminish the effects of the gender bias besides this would encourage them to increase their productivity and performance as well. At the same time, it has also been proposed that the managers should be given training and development sessions. In such program, the focus should be providing ethics knowledge and ethical methods that can be used for developing more ethical relationship with the female workers at the workplace. References Biskupic, J. (2011). Supreme Court hears argument in Wal-Mart sex bias claim. USA Today. Retrieved: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washington/judicial/2011-03-29-supreme-court-wal-mart_N.htm Nguyen, D. (2013). Women Claiming Gender Bias At Wal-Mart Denied Class Action Status. Huff Post Business. Retrieved: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/03/walmart-gender-bias-suit_n_3700598.html Read More