Principle of Freedom and Equality in the Workplace - Coursework Example

Principle of Freedom and Equality Affiliation: Principle of Freedom and Equality The principle of freedom and equality in the workplace has been a subject of discussion for a long time. It is the heart of a democratic society. Workers have an inherent need for justice and fairness. Perceived unfairness and injustices in the workplace have constantly been linked to job dissatisfaction. The principle of equality in the workplace is complex and has far-reaching consequences. For instance, one employee’s injustice often becomes another worker’s perceived fairness. Workers rightly expect to be treated in a just and fair way. In fact, it is unlawful to discriminate people on the basis of race, sex, ethnic background, disability or religion (Freedman, 1989). Treating workers fairly and equally is important. Making them feel that they are fairly treated is even more vital. Perhaps, the freedom for employees, and by extension, for Americans is the greatest contributing force towards the continued country’s prosperity and development. Indeed, our very founding can be traced back on the yearning of equality and freedom. As the economy continues to soar, the labor force and working patterns are also constantly changing. Besides, more enterprises are becoming multinational, and, as a result, more Americans are working abroad. In the light of this, the discussion in this paper explores more on the principles of freedom and equality. As a prelude to the understanding on how the principles of freedom and equality have been applied in American companies in overseas, it is critical to define some of the major terms that constantly feature in the paper. By definition, the term freedom refers to the power to think or act without restraint or hindrance (Pollock, 2003). It stems from the word free, which means not been under the control of anyone or been able to act as one wish. However, one peculiar definition of this term is that freedom is never free. Basically, this means that freedom comes at a cost. For instance, in colonial days, people fought for freedom. On the other hand, equality ensures that individuals (workers) are treated fairly without any discrimination on the basis of sex, race, gender, religion, age, or disability. Harassment, victimization, and bullying are considered as diversity and equality issues (Callinicos, 2000). Principle of Freedom Freedom is the foundation of our society. In the workplace, giving workers the chance to voice their objectives can be a solid move towards attracting and retaining top talents. Managers should value employee’s freedom and flexibility in the workplace. Freedom in the workplace can be seen as the ability to work from home, flexibility in working hours, giving employees leave days. Freedom allows each employee to work in the workplace to make independent decisions that govern their work life. Freedom in the workplace makes the quality of work life be brilliant. It helps employees pursue their dreams. Although freedom is the foundation stone of a free nation, some citizens take it lightly while others greatly value freedom. Freedom helps employees express themselves in a way that they feel is comfortable. There are two types of freedom. First, there is the physical freedom which means that people have free to live where they want or wish without restraint or hindrance. Also, are free to travel to their any place they desire. However, there is the maximum amount of this freedom that one can enjoy; hence it is finite. Physical freedom means that one can get into a vehicle and drive until they feel like stopping. It also means that people can go anywhere using their preferred means of transport. However, physical freedom has a limit. For instance, one cannot just jump out of a plane and fly to another country. The other type of freedom is true freedom. It is the freedom to choose between good and bad. In this case, people are usually guided by their conscience. True freedom entails doing what you think is right and not acting from influence or coercion. Actually, people should have the will and power to choose what they consider to be right, even in the wake of strong temptation. True freedom can be seen as the freedom to choose between good and bad, past and present, and thoughts and actions. True freedom can be considered as a brainchild of one’s wisdom. There are countless benefits that an organization reaps if it embraces employee flexibility. In the workplace, imparting employees a chance to voice their concerns can be a sound leadership move. For instance, employing telecommuting workers can help discover and incorporate talented workforce that was previously limited by geographical positions. Moreover, it significantly reduces the cost associated with having the worker on the worksite. With the advent of free video calling applications, like Skype, remote management of employees becomes easy. The bottom line concern is not whether the manager can see an employee working from the site, but rather is the employee is meeting the expected expectations. As a consequence, managers should have metrics to help evaluate and determine whether the work is been done. When managers think about employee’s freedom, their major concern is that it the results are advantageous. There are numerous benefits stemming from embracing employees flexibility. First, by nature, creativity and innovation by employees requires the freedom to experiment a lot. Secondly, as a manager if you want to retain the talented workforce especially those that you have invested in them you need to reward them with some freedom. The other purpose is for reciprocity. Giving employees freedom makes them feel that they are part of the organization and as a result they responsibly carry their tasks with great enthusiasm and intrinsic motivation. Cummings in his memoir notes that it is the responsibility of employers to create an environment where workers contentedly thrive (Cummings, 2001). It is not by any surprise that as a manager if you fail to grant some freedom and flexibility then no worker willing be willing to work in that organization. In order to give some shape to this nebulous notion of freedom, employers should exercise some core things. First, the manager should have a purpose. The employees too should have a clear understanding of the customer’s want in regard to the firm’s product and services. On the same note, managers should use their knowledge to understand the level and type of freedom required by customers. In addition, managers should get to know what motivates employees. Passion is a critical element that managers can use to evaluate the level and type of freedom to grant to an employee. Finally, granting employees freedom to determine how to meet objectively the organizations goals guarantee managers to get ingenious answers. In overall, giving employees freedom ensure high performance and productivity. Principle of equality The concept of equality is equally contented by an equal proportion. There are those who praise it and those who disparage it. Thus, in the face of widespread misapprehension of the term, it is paramount to provide a clear definition. As noted earlier, equality is when people enjoy the same opportunities, resources, and rewards regardless of whether they are of the same gender or not. The principle of equality observes that all people be treated with equal dignity. The principle observes that a human being be given equal chance to participate in any area of social, economic, politic, civil or cultural life. All people are equal before the law. Moreover, they have the right to equal benefit and protection of the law. However, it should be remarked that the aspect of equal treatment is much different from the concept of identical treatment. For instance, different people are treated differently in regard to their circumstances, to affirm that they are equal and consequently enhancing their capability to participate in the workplace as equal. People have an inherent need to be rightly treated equally. The right to non-discrimination in the workplace is fundamental right that is subsumed under the principle of equality. Discrimination of any kind in the workplace must be prohibited whether it is on the basis of ethnicity, color, sex, race, career status, religion, disability or age. Discrimination causes many issues including undermining of human dignity. Furthermore, it affects the equal enjoyment of freedoms and rights that our forefathers fought for. Discrimination must be condemned in the highest terms possible terms. It should be noted that discrimination also occurs on the basis of the association of a fellow working colleague to whom a prohibited discrimination applies. Discrimination can either be direct or indirect. Direct discrimination happens when an employee for a reason related to one or more prohibited bases is treated less favorably than another worker or group of employees. Discrimination happens if the worker has been treated, or would be treated in an equivalent situation. Infrequently, direct discrimination may be allowed, but only if there is a justifiable reason, usually under defined criteria. On the other hand, indirect discrimination happens when a practice, criterion, or provision would put an individual of a certain class or status to one or more of the prohibited bases of discrimination. The individual is disadvantaged in comparison to others people. However, in rare cases, this form of discrimination can happen, but it must objectively be supported with legitimate reasons. The reason must justify that the discrimination was necessary. In addition, it should be noted that harassment and victimization of workers or any other person constitute discrimination and must at all cost be prohibited. Intimidation, humiliation, and hostility are offensive acts that indirectly also constitute discrimination. How the Principle of Freedom and Equality Affect the Business Transactions of Us Companies Abroad. Having exhaustively explored and understood the two principles; freedom and equality, it is paramount to study how they (two principles) affect the business transactions of US based companies doing business abroad. As the US economy continues to soar, more firms are becoming multinational. As a result, many Americans are working abroad. These companies are increasingly hiring U.S workers. The workers perform many functions including exploring new business markets, managing these companies, negotiating with suppliers and many others. Notably, these workers, while still working abroad continue to be covered by the United States anti-discrimination laws. In addition, they are also protected by international laws, laws of the host nation, and labor agreements. Thus, it is vital that U.S workers are working abroad be aware of these laws as they can be very helpful especially when pursuing claims if they are discriminated on basis of their nationality, race or color. Basically, there are three anti-discrimination laws that protect U.S employees working abroad. First, is the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of year 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, often called ADEA, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. All the three laws extend to U.S workers working in companies abroad with their headquartered based United States (Freedman, 1989). The Equality Act of year 2010 provides legislative frameworks that advance the equality of job opportunities for all. This means that the international companies should hire employees, either U.S workers or the host countries employees, without biasness or any form of discrimination. To receive equal productivity outcomes from men and women, these companies should embrace gender equality. The companies should provide equal remunerations to employees without considering worker’s age, sex, gender, or nationality (Locke, 1986). Equality will ensure equal participation of women and men in achieving the set company’s objectives. Furthermore, managers should remove any discriminatory barriers to ensure equal participations. They should also ensure that all workers are given equal opportunities to develop their talents. The principle of equality affects the business transactions of these companies in myriad ways. The companies should strive to achieve equality (especially gender) since it is not only fair and just, but also it is the bottom line for quality productivity. Locke observes that gender equality attracts top talent workforce (Locke, 1986). This means that American companies in abroad will likely benefit from a pool of talent if their managers provide freedom and equality when hiring employees. The author also notes that a workplace that is appealing to both men and women will likely have accessed the top talents (Locke, 1986). Research shows that American companies in overseas that embrace employee’s equality and freedom have better overall performance in productivity. There are many answers to explain this, but one factor is apparent. Equality in the workplace brings diversity. This consequently produces a better analysis and understanding of contemporary issues affecting the company. Irrefutably, improved decision-making spurs greater productivity. Furthermore, gender quality in these companies reduces total expenses. This is so because replacing departing workers can cost 70 percent of their annual wages (Locke, 1986). But is the employees remain within the organizations, the turnover cost can significantly be reduced. How the Principles of Equality and Freedom have been applied In my opinion, the principles of equality and freedom in American companies in foreign countries has been cherished and correctly applied. Equality is one of the most valued virtues in most of these companies. However, in some degree, gender inequality exists; some companies forego the important contributions that women make to the companies. In a research conducted by the American Educational Research Association, 57% of American’s university graduates are women but only 63% of them are working currently in paid employment, compared to 79% of men (American Educational Research Association, 2012). This indicates that the U.S is failing to tap the significant tertiary contribution educated women offer. Conclusion To wrap up, the principle of freedom and equality in the workplace has been a subject of discussion for a long time. Workers have an inherent need for justice and fairness. By definition, freedom refers to the power to think or act without restraint or hindrance. Equality ensures that individuals (workers) are treated fairly without any discrimination on basis of sex, race, gender, religion, age, or disability. By embracing equality, women and men will have an equal chance to contribute both U.S companies overseas, and in so doing they enhance their well-being and that of society at large. However, the principle of equality and freedom in the workplace is complex and has far-reaching consequences. In myriad ways, the principle of freedom and equality affect the business transactions of US companies abroad. In my view point, the principle of equality and freedom in American companies in foreign countries has been cherished and correctly applied. References American Educational Research Association. (2012). American educational research journal. Washington: American Educational Research Association. Callinicos, A. (2000). Equality. Buffalo, N.Y: Polity Press. Cummings, S. (2001). Gender perspectives on property and inheritance: A global source book. Amsterdam: Royal Tropical Institute. Freedman, W. (1989). The employment contract: Rights and duties of employers and employees. New York: Quorum Books. Locke, J. (1986). The second treatise on civil government. Amherst, N.Y: Prometheus Books. Pollock, L. (2003). The freedom principle. Buffalo, N.Y: Prometheus Books. . Read More