Being Latino in Corporate America - Essay Example

Being Latino in Corporate America Affiliate Being Latino in Corporate America Introduction Any element of discrimination, whether subtle or overt, tends to be very detrimental to the performance of any employee in the various places of work. Besides interfering with the productivity of the individual workers, the entire company is also put at stake. Under severe cases, the company may get exposed to the lawsuit. This is especially in case the act involves a violation of the various federal and state regulations that are laid down to help protect particular groups (Ayres & Siegelman, 2005). The discrimination against those from the minority group of any kind, whether based on gender, race, origin, color as well as any other classification may occur in various ways. However, the primary consideration that is put in place is how different the treatment of the group is from the majority, or other, the larger group. Due to the rising awareness and the constant regulatory measures being put in place to help protect the minority groups, there has been an increase in the need by the various companies to strategize on the approaches to overcoming these problems (Baron, 2014). It is on this ground that this paper tries to analyze a case scenario and the various ways in which h the same problem may be avoided in future. Discrimination Due to globalization and acculturation, in any workplace, it is very obvious that various people from a series of social, racial and cultural backgrounds will be found. Inasmuch as they may be working together, there may never be any other common thing between them. Most of them will generally tend to get along well with each other; however, the truth is that due to their difference, some may never. In such a case is where the problem of unacceptable behavior and discrimination may begin (Arrow, 2012). At some point, a statement that may have been made by a colleague or manager without any ill intent might often be misunderstood, and rather; viewed very negatively. In such a case, it will be very easy to resolve the problem. However, in the case of deliberate and outright show of discrimination, there may most probably arise a kink in the system, hence a friction. Direct discrimination This often is recognized in case it comes from a manager through his making of racist or derogatory remarks regarding individual person or group of people. For example, this may be portrayed by the declining of application for a position by a disabled person, yet they may be more qualified than the other applicants (Bendick, Jackson & Reinoso, 2011). The other example; that is frequently seen is the advert specifying the age and age group that may apply for a position. Indirect discrimination Indirect discrimination is very common, though often subtle and hidden. For instance; a pre-qualification within a company by only a particular group to handle certain tasks. Another very common example is whereby an employee is promoted yet there are other colleagues who may be much more experienced and qualified than them, mainly because they are from a minority group. At workplace, discrimination can come in the form of harassment, sexual harassment, bullying, stereotyping, and incentives. Ethnic discrimination This is a very common occurrence in most companies. It may occur even in the firms that have a diverse workforce from all walks of life; Hispanics, Asians, African-Americans and others. Often, the term glass ceiling is used to refer to a scenario whereby a woman is not able to advance their position beyond a certain title. The same term may also be used for people who are from other ethnic groups that may be considered a minority. Such a people may find themselves entangled in a situation whereby they are not able to receive fair pay as their counterparts, and passed because others are favored by them. Case scenario The case of Maria, who is a Latino failing to get a promotion on the grounds of her aggressiveness and lack of proper emotional control. The company argues that she is skipped, not on the grounds of discrimination; rather, she has several issues that may not accrue well with the position of promotion. However, she also insists on the argument that the action was purely on the grounds of discrimination, being that the occasions she was absent she had to take care of several family issues. The situation at stake involves the dealing with a minority group in the workplace. This group borders on all the aspects of gender, race and disability, which by law, should always be put into consideration. Maria is a Latino; which implies that she is a minority group, she is a woman; which implies that she is of the minor gender; and lastly, she has accent problem in speech, which also classifies her under the people with disabilities at workplace. Firstly, there is a clear sense of the application of the “Glass Ceiling Theory” in this case. She is a woman, hence may not have to advance in her work life beyond the limit she has reached. Second, she is said to be disadvantaged in speech, due to her accent (Allport, 2014). This alone should never be a ground for dismissing any potential employee for a promotional post. Third, she is not a native of the region as she is a Latino, hence, a minority group in terms of ethnic dimensions. All the aforementioned factors put in place; it is very evident to say that Maria is unfairly treated. Even the allegations that are put forth by the company do not seem to hold grounds since she has reasons that are justifiable for her acts. The manager mentions that she may never manage the position due to her violence and aggression (Acker, 2009). This is an outright form of prejudice; at least she had not been placed in the position and failed. It was better for the manager to put her to test before deciding her fate. Perhaps she could have changed to best fit the situation, or better still, maybe the excuses advanced were just a one or two-time scenario. She is discriminated on structural and individual lines. Structurally, it is always in order that the promotion within a company be done in an order that best suits the various employees. This is so to imply that the most qualified should be promoted and the next in such an order (Bertrand & Mullainathan, 2011). However, for Mari’s case, she was skipped, and a colleague that was below her was instead given the place. According to the rule of diversity advanced by the federal government that dictates the manner in which the various companies should organize their organizational structure, all the different races should be represented. According to Bielby (2010), this helps bring about diversity in the company as well as understanding. Moreover, the representation should encompass not only the number of employees, but also the respective positions in the hierarchical order. With regards to this, the argument that accent should be a predetermining factor to be considered when selecting a potential candidate for the position should never be put in place. Strategies to help avoid the problem of workplace discrimination The very first step to coming clear of the various challenges in discrimination cases is getting conversant with the different labor laws. This is a must tool for each and every Human Resource Manager, as it will guide them in the making of the necessary decisions. These tools are; i. Government regulations and policies The government, through the bodies that govern the rights of the labors, must stand very firm to see to it that all the companies within its area of jurisdiction practice according to the law. On the same context, laws that do not tolerate any element of discrimination should be formulated, and solemn consequences placed. Also, the government should help in doing so through openly communicating the same through the various media platforms (Faragher, 2007). ii. Leadership commitment All the stakeholders of any company, including the various managers, the executive body, senior managers, and even the shareholders are the first to make a step to this. They must see to it that they create and enhance an environment that does not tolerate any form of harassment or discrimination at the workplace (Benfari, 2005). This will be very effective since, in case the various employees recognize this, they will most probably follow suit. The leaders, also, through proper training, may have full information as to what it means to be involved in discrimination. This will help them avoid it at all costs. iii. A well-formulated reporting process All the respective employees should be educated about their rights and the appropriate procedures to follow in case they become victims of such behaviors. This education should also entail the right channel to be followed as well as what bodies they may visit for assistance. The government is currently putting in place some Compliance Hotlines that will probably help in ease of accessing the various agencies that look into the human rights and workplace conditions (Schermerhorn, Hunt, Osborn, & Uhl-Bien, 2010). iv. Training This pertains to the employees as well as the various HR managers. The managers should be very conversant with what the law speculates about the different procedures in the workplace, such as hiring, firing, promotion, amongst others. In the case of the employees, they should be very well informed of the right procedures to follow in case they become victims or witness an act of discrimination at workplace (Kleiman, 2011). v. Embracing diversity All companies should be encouraged to embrace diversity and see to it that the company constitutes of all the respective races and gender that are there in equal proportions. In the case this is put in place, the unconscious case of discrimination shall have been overcome and a right approach to management brought in place. Conclusion This paper mainly focuses on current challenges that human resource managers are faced with when it comes to hiring and promotion. This topic is apparently introduced followed by the identification of the various forms of discrimination and how they may be identified. Two types of discrimination are then identified; subtle and the direct form of discrimination. A case of an employee who, presumably, is treated unfairly is then outlined and analyzed. The arguments from the different sides; the plaintive and the company, are then taken into consideration. Through an in depth analysis, the complaints put forth by the plaintive are considered, since they are seemingly a minority group. The last bit of the paper focuses on the various ways in which workplace discrimination may be avoided, or other, how diversity may be embraced at work place. Amongst the various approaches, the government plays a very vital role in the formulation of the guidelines that govern the operations of the various companies. The second body that oversees that this is upheld is the stakeholders. The other possible approaches to embracing diversity are also outlined. References Acker J. (2009). Doing Comparable Worth: Gender, Class, and Pay Equity. Philadelphia: Temple Univ. Press. [PubMed] Allport G. (2014).The Nature of Prejudice. New York: Doubleday Anchor Books. Arrow KJ. (2012). Models of job discrimination. In: Pascal AH, editor. Racial Discrimination in Economic Life. Lexington, MA: Heath pp. 83–102. Ayres I, Siegelman P. (2005). Race and gender discrimination in bargaining for a new car. Am. Econ. Rev, 85 (2), 304–321. Baron JN, Pfeffer J. (2014). The social psychology of organizations and inequality. Soc. Psychol. 57(1), 190–209. Becker GS. (2007). The Economics of Discrimination. Chicago: Univ. Chicago Press. Benfari, R. (2005). Changing your management style: how to evaluate and improve your own performance. New York: Lexington Books. Bendick M, Jackson C, Reinoso V. (2011). Measuring employment discrimination through controlled experiments. Rev. Black Polit. Econ, 23 (3), 25–48. Bertrand M, Mullainathan S. (2011) Are Emily and Greg more employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A field experiment on labor market discrimination. Am. Econ. Rev, 94 (1), 991–1013. Bielby WT. (2010). Minimizing workplace gender and racial bias. Contemp. Sociol, 29(3), 120–129. Faragher, J. (2007). Personnel Today | Find HR news & your next human resources job on Personnel Today. Discrimination against Disabled Still Rife, says Report. Retrieved December 13th, 2014, from http://www.personneltoday.com/43501.article For Disability Awareness. (2010). Council for Disability Awareness, CDA 2010 Consumer Disability Awareness Study 200. CDA 2010 Consumer Disability Awareness Survey - Council for Disability Awareness. Retrieved December 13th, 2014, from http://www.disabilitycanhappen.org/research/ Kleiman, L.S. (2011). Human Resource Management: A Tool for Competitive Advantage. Cincinnati: South-Western College Publishing Schermerhorn, J. R., Hunt, J. G., Osborn, R. N., & Uhl-Bien, M. (2010). Organizational behavior, 11th Ed. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. Read More