This presentation will tackle the issue of racial discrimination in the workplace. I will breakdown the topic into four sections. The first section will be a brief introduction to racial discrimination in the workplace and a definition of the key terms to be used in this presentation. The second part will give examples of racial discrimination in the work place in order to contextualize the problem. The next section will give existing statistics on work place racial discrimination to highlight the incidence of the vice in the workplace. Lastly, I will close by giviving practical solutions on what managers can do to eradicate racial discrimination in the workplace.
Introduction
A typical workplace is composed of people from different backgrounds, ethnicities and religious convictions. These unavoidable differences lead to the existence of work place discrimination as employers look for employees who fit their own personal preferences. In the United States of America, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has been charged with the mandate of enacting regulations to curb workplace discrimination (Paludi 12). Racial discrimination is just one of the vices that the commission is working to eradicate. Other types of discrimination handled by the EEOC take the form of age, ethnic background, gender or marital status discrimination (Paludi 13).
Definition
According to Robinson (26), race is a manner of human classification that categorizes people into groups according to distinct anatomical, genetic, ethnic, cultural and geographic differences. The scientific use of race relies on a set of genotypic and phenotypic characteristic for classification while the social definition of race only relies on perceptible physical features, particularly the skin color. There is no universal consensus of the number or ideal characteristics for differentiating humans into racial group. Never the less, there are five commonly used classifications; Caucasian or white people, black people, oriental people, Native Americans and Australian aborigines (Robinson 28).
Discrimination can be described as prejudicial treatment towards an individual or a group of people based on their physical traits, ethnic, cultural or economic background (Robinson 32). Racial discrimination is therefore the unfavorable treatment of people based on their skin color, culture and ethnicity (Robinson 33). Color discrimination is the unfavorable treatment of people purely because of their complexion.
Examples of Racial Discrimination in the Workplace
Racial discrimination in the work place involves employers ignoring, bypassing for promotions or maltreating certain employees based on their skin color, hair texture, language or facial features (Robinson 35). Racial discrimination can also take the form of derogatory or offensive symbols and signs displayed in the work place. The law also prohibits teasing, harassment and offhand comments that are incited by racial differences.
Statistics of Racial Discrimination in the Workplace
The law prohibits racial or color discrimination all stages of the employment process. The employment process is composed of hiring, job assignment, pay, fringe benefits, training and development, promotions, dismissal and terms of employment (Robinson 36).
Despite the existing laws prohibiting racial discrimination in the work place, there are numerous reports of racial discrimination in the workplace. In 2012, the EEOC received 33,512 cases of racial discrimination (Karsten 42). Racial discrimination was among the most frequently filled charges ranking as the second most prevalent case after retaliation at 37,836 cases and was followed by 30,536 cases of sex discrimination (Karsten 42).
The EEOC successfully obtained $365 million in compensation for victims of work place discrimination (Kirsten 44). The number of people willing to come forward and report cases of racial discrimination is increasing every year. This is evident from the fact that in 1997, only 29,000 cases were reported while in 2012, more than 33,500 cases were recorded (Kirsten 47).
American employment statistics indicate that compared to their white counterparts, Africans are twice more likely to be unemployed (Kirsten 67). For those who are lucky to find employment, they often earn 25% less than their white colleagues with the same job specification (Kirsten 68). A field experiment conducted by EEOC found that resumes with common white names received twice as many responses as those with typical African-American names (Kirsten 71; Paludi 43).
Other studies indicate that 20% of Asians and Hispanics as well as two thirds of African- Americans in employment were denied promotions purely because of their color or ethnicity (Paludi 45). Surprisingly, white applicants with a criminal record performed similarly, and in some cases, better than African- Americans with no criminal record.
Solutions
The second solution is education. Many managers and employees are not aware that their conduct is discriminatory. According to the Work Place Discrimination and Prevention Manual (14), this is because some incidences of racial discrimination in the work place are not always overt or intentional. By educating managers and other employees, they will become aware of their own racial biases and use this knowledge to make racially fair and inclusive decisions in the workplace. Managers can employ open forums and mixed race working groups as a tactic for encouraging healthy employee interaction and open discussions on racial concerns.
The last strategy will be to create an internal anti-discrimination policy that will guide daily company operations and reduce or eliminate institutionally permitted incidences of racial discrimination (Work Place Discrimination and Prevention Manual 22). Recruitment, selection, development, training, rewards, promotions and demotions should be measured against the standards set in the policy. Employees should be allowed to report incidences of racial discrimination in the work place. Company affiliates and other interest groups should also be given an opportunity to report on cases of racial discrimination.
Conclusion
The EEOC tackles case of workplace discrimination including racial discrimination but this is not enough to eliminate the vice completely. Racial discrimination in the workplace should not be condoned. Employers together with their employees should actively participate in ensuring that they create a healthy working environment for people of all races to work and advance professionally.
Work cited
Karsten, Margaret F. Gender, Race, and Ethnicity in the Workplace: Issues and Challenges for
Today's Organizations. Westport, Conn: Praeger Publishers, 2012. Internet resource.
Paludi, Michele A. Managing Diversity in Today's Workplace: Strategies for Employees and
Employers. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2012. Print.
Robinson, David A. A Legal and Ethical Handbook for Ending Discrimination in the Workplace.
New York: Paulist Press, 2003. Print.
Workplace Discrimination Prevention Manual: Tips for Executives, Managers, and Students to
Increase Productivity and Reduce Litigation. Archway, 2013. Print.
