Introduction
In this case, Maria filed a complaint regarding the failure of the company to promote her without much consideration of the long term experience of ten years that she had. The company policy disregarded her request or application for promotion on the grounds of accent and tardiness. The company claimed that Maria was not suitable for such a promotion because her accent will greatly affect communication and the customers will find difficult to understand her in the course of her duty. It was claimed that Maria talks very rapidly such that the customers may find her not efficient in communication due to accent. It was also claimed that Maria also had a tendency delay in attendance to the job place therefore it was also used as a basis to eliminate her in the quest for promotion. Maria experienced some problems at which at times made her delay in arriving at the work place and this made t pa basis for her elimination at the promotion activity.
Alex was given the promotion in the place that Maria was going for. Alex had less experience in the job compared to Maria but he was given the opportunity. He was given the job in the name that he could communicate better than Maria therefore he could handle the job well due his communication skills which were claimed to be very essential to the job. He was therefore given the job since his accent could not hinder communication like it was the case for Maria. He was therefore considered the best candidate for the job than Maria. This raised alarm since it gives grounds for discrimination and prejudice based on cultural diversity as femininity. The accent for Maria could not act as the most reasonable or sound basis for denying someone a job that they already have experience therefore this may have been used as an escape goat to eliminate Maria as well as providing the job to Alex. The grounds for discrimination or prejudice can arise from this case because the reasons for eliminating Maria were not sound or reasonable enough to be used on the job recruitment or promotion criteria. The cultural diversity was another ground which can easily lead discrimination and prejudice in the job place because the issue of accent may have been exaggerated just because Maria was from a different culture.
The indications of discrimination are clear in this case because Maria deserved the job. Maria had the necessary qualification and experience necessary for that promotion but she was denied the chance and opportunity for that promotion. This can be termed as discrimination since the accent was not enough to deny her that promotion. It was just but a mere and lame excuse to deny her that promotion. The accent was used to shield the discriminatory aspect. The management or the human resource department may have been biased in allocation of the jobs or promotion because the reasons used to eliminate Maria were not enough to form reasonable ground or basis of eliminating her from the promotion. The experience that Maria possessed was not taken into consideration therefore it shows discrimination on part of the management. An accent was too minor an issue to take into consideration in promotions at the place of work therefore it might have been used to shield the discriminating and bias behavior or attitude towards people from other cultures. The grounds of culture diversity as well as disparity between en the people may have been used as the basis to promote Alex and eliminate Maria. Maria was treated unfairly since the accent haven been used to deny her the position that she qualified for. Those in the management may have treated her on the basis of culture and that she never deserved that high position in the company. The person with less experience in the company was given promotion therefore it makes it clear that the company was discriminatory n allocation and recruitment f its employees. It is also seen that bias and prejudice is seen in the way the promotion was offered since Maria’s accent was judged negatively to the extent of denying promotion that she actually deserved and qualified for.
The issue of discrimination based on gender may arise since Maria was denied a chance for promotion and Alex was given that opportunity despite the fact that she was more experienced than Alex. This may therefore lead to a discriminatory practice since the justification given by the management or the promotion team was lame and unreliable therefore cannot be relied to be the actual reason for the eliminating Maria in the promotion. Alex was given an opportunity to serve in a position where he had less experience compare to Maria. The discrimination based gender was clear from this case both on individual basis and the general organization. The issue of individual discrimination was clear since Maria was purposefully denied a job opportunity and it was given to Alex who was of the opposite gender.
The company could not expect all employees to speak in an unaccented manner since people are from diverse cultures which results in different accents in communication. The accents have no major effects in communication to the extent that information cannot be transmitted. The company has not given the reasonable and sound basis for disqualifying Maria from the promotion because her accent was not a big hindrance to communication and this is shown by the experience that she already had from this company. Maria must have been communicating with the clients during the whole duration of time working with this company therefore it is not very clear why she was not given the promotion on basis of accent. Communication is an essential tool for performance in an organization but it should not be manipulated to perpetrate the discriminatory practices in the organization because this may cause dissatisfaction among the employees and they may even leave the company (Ciulla, 2007 pg 23).
The discriminatory practices or prejudice against some employees in an organization is not healthy because it will result in dissatisfaction among the employees. This may lead to decreased performance due to low morale in performance of duties. The employees may also sue the company for discriminatory practices and the company may have to pay for the damages due to discrimination of employees in the organization. The organization may be charged highly for discriminating employees based on culture or color since this shows that the company is not fair in treatment of its employees. This case for Maria shows the true reflection of the company since the company may have been perpetrating unfair practices among the employees which is against the labor rights as well as the discrimination human rights. The employees have the rights to be employed or promoted without discrimination on the basis of culture or attitudes towards them. Discriminatory practices like this one are unethical and against the law. This may therefore result in penalties for discrimination and unfair treatment of employees in an organization.
Maria may sue the company for unfair treatment or discrimination in the work promotion program. It is therefore possible that the company will be held liable for the unfair or discriminatory practice in the work place. The company may be forced to pay damages to Maria for denying her the opportunity of promotion based on her culture or accent in speech. She may have also been discriminated based on her gender therefore it may raise other issues by the feminist movements and activists for women rights in the work place. The company my therefore be held responsible for the unfair treatment of workers especially on the basis of cultural diversity, gender or color. This practice of stereotyping people is unhealthy because it will allow an individual to offer services in the best way possible therefore it may be detrimental both to the organization and the workers themselves.
This kind of discrimination in the work place is rampant in many organizations. This is just one of the cases therefore it is an issue that needs concern and attention of both the human rights organization as well as the government so that proper measure be put in place in order to curb discrimination related problems in the organizations and the society in general.
The issue of discrimination in the work place and the whole society has negative effects to the victims such that the unhealthy environment where work cannot be performed well due to prejudice and bias created in the working environment. Discrimination denies people their rights on grounds that are not reasonable or valid. The discriminatory practices are unfair therefore should eliminated or reduced as much as possible.
The issue of discriminatory practices in the organization and the work place calls for appropriate measures which are necessary to eliminate the whole problem and the consequences attached to it. Proper rules and regulations should therefore be formulated in order to ensure that the organizations and the employers cannot discriminate employees in any manner or prejudicial practices. The use of campaigns will help in ensuring that the people especially the employers as well as the fellow workers should be t on the threats and effects of discriminatory practices and negative attitudes towards others in the society. Education or training programs are therefore very essential in eradicating or preventing the problem of discrimination and prejudicial practices in the organization or work place (Ciulla, 2007 pg 18). The awareness on dangers of discrimination in the work place helps in curbing this problem even in other spheres of life by practicing equality and fair job regulations and standards in the work place.
The managers responsible for the human resource department should be trained such that they cannot perform unfair practices with respect to the employees in the organization. The managers should be people with strong religious values such that the grounds or chances of discriminatory practices are reduced or minimized. The employment of people in an organization as well as promotional practices should be based on skills and experience of the workers in order to reduce the chances of discrimination on the basis of cultural diversity or the stereotypes towards specific people or groups in the community. This will therefore help ensure that work is given to the right persons with the necessary skills and capabilities. The individuals should be assessed on the basis of experience and expertise with respect to the kinds of work they are seeking or applying.
The recruitment programs should be done by independent bodies like the auditing companies such that discriminatory or biased practices are eliminated. This will therefore ensure that qualified professionals are recruited such that suitability for the job is guaranteed without discriminating people on the basis of their cultures or gender differences. The independent bodies which facilitate the recruitment processes will take into consideration the individual differences which may lead to bias or prejudice therefore are reliable in selecting the most suitable candidates for the job. The chances of discrimination can therefore be eliminated or reduced by the use of these independent bodies to recruit employees as well as conducting the promotions in the organization (Gregory, 2011 pg 16).
In relation to communities where people are of diverse cultures, the committees responsible for employment should compose of representatives who will take care of the minority groups in order to facilitate equality in the work place. The gender sensitivity and equality issues should be well catered for in the organization in order to ensure that everyone or minority groups are fully represented in the society or community. This representation of minority groups will ensure that the issue f discrimination will be eliminated or reduced to lower levels especially where it is based on cultural grounds or gender issues.
The issue of discrimination on racism, stereotypes or gender differences should be incorporated in the curricula such that all the children are warn and taught the dangers of these unhealthy practices. This will ensure that knowledge is imparted on the students where they will internalize the information and will find it hard to practice such practices in their future lives. They should be taught about the consequences and the dangers associated with the discriminatory and prejudicial practices. Introduction of the courses in institutions that guides with respect to the discriminatory and prejudicial practices will help ensure that the rights of each individual person are well taken care of especially the rights relating to the employment and labor practices (Nath,2011 pg 26).
The legal system of the state should incorporate rules, regulations as well as the standard regarding the operations in the employment of people in the organizations. The laws should be clearly stated especially with regard to the rights in the work environment including the processes involved in the recruitment of workers in order to ensure that the principles of equity and equality are well covered and the legal measures that should be taken into consideration when the employees re mistreated by the employers. The law should therefore be clear with respect to issues of gender equality in the allocation of jobs both in the private sector and public institutions. This will help ensure that many if not all factors are taken into consideration. Legal measures are put in place in order to protect workers against such unfair mistreatment in the work place. This will act as the security for employees and all the workers because they will be protected from such unfair and unhealthy practices and this will act as security that they can run to in the cases of mistreatment.
Gender institutes have been established and they will be used to spread the news regarding gender equity and equality such that the needs of all people irrespective f their sex or gender are well taken care of. Resources should therefore be diverted to the institutes like this one in order to promote the principles of equity as a means to eradicate the issues of discrimination and prejudice as well as bias towards specific groups of people in the society. The disparity is therefore reduced or done away with in an easier way.
The people both in the working environment and other spheres of life should be educated in order to appreciate the diversity of cultures and that they should not use this to be a divisive factor. This will ensure that people will appreciate each other in all aspects of life and the issue of bias or prejudice will be eliminated with ease. The chances of discriminatory practices will greatly reduce or end if people fully appreciate the diversity of cultures in the society. People should therefore be given the rightful access to what they deserve in the community or society through the right means and ways .This will facilitate equality without discriminating anyone in the society.
The programs that aim at eliminating bias and prejudice among people of diverse cultures as well as gender disparity can be eliminated by ensuring that positive information is disseminated through media. The television programs should consist of programs which discourage discriminatory practices both in public and private institution such that people get what they deserve in right and proper manner. This will ensure that the viewers of these programs will develop an attitude of appreciation f people from the diverse cultures as well as accommodating them as their brothers and sisters in the work place. The columns and articles should be included in the newspapers which discourages discriminatory practices in order to ensure that the readers are aware of the consequences of such unfair and unhealthy practices. The media is therefore an important tool in ensuring that the information on campaigns against discriminatory and prejudicial practices are reduced or completely eliminated in the society (Provenzo,2009 pg 22).
In conclusion, this menace of discrimination as well prejudicial practices both in the work place and the normal social activities needs prompt attention in order to avoid or eliminate the dangers associated with it. It is therefore a matter of concern which needs to be addressed both at the national and global levels in order to protect the victims from unfair treatment. The necessary strategies should therefore be put in place in order to ensure that discrimination and prejudice is eradicated in the society in to enhance peaceful coexistence among people from diverse cultures all over the world. The government and the non-governmental organizations should join hands to ensure that this issue of discrimination is eradicated because it is unhealthy and unfair to the people.
References
Ciulla, J. B., Martin, C. W., & Solomon, R. C. (2007). Honest work: A business ethics reader. New York: Oxford University Press.
Gregory, R. F. (2011). Encountering religion in the workplace: The legal rights and responsibilities of workers and employers. Ithaca: ILR Press.
Nath, D., & Human Rights Watch (Organization) (2011). "We'll show you you're a woman": Violence and discrimination against black lesbians and transgender men in South Africa. New York, N.Y.: Human Rights Watch.
Provenzo, E. F., & Sage Publications (2009). Encyclopedia of the social and cultural foundations of education. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
