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In 2010, the UK’s Communities Secretary John Denham sadly noted that in spite strides against racism in the past decade by the government, the same plight of discrimination against the poor white families (PWF) had gone largely unnoticed and had then reared its ugly head. The segment has remained stagnant and has not keep abreast of the general progress of the population.
Denham expressed that assumptions on race have to be taken cautiously lest they will be used to justify PWF’s disadvantages. One such notion is that Asians are naturally more hard-working and ambitious than white people. In a survey among HR directors and managers, 52% believe that social class discrimination exists in the workplace in the areas of recruitment and promotion. 79% of them also believe that unconscious bias is prevalent among employees and it encourages tolerance for discriminatory practices. (Woods, 2012)
In 2014, 100,000 people were surveyed regarding work pay of their parents when they were 14 years old. After an exhaustive analysis discounting factors such as age, gender, ethnic origin, education, hours worked and the size of the employer, the study revealed a 10% gap which could only attributed to class distinction. The implication is that even if PWF people have done well up the ladder, they will still stay behind the more privileged class. The outlook would be more pessimistic in the lower ranks. (The Labour Force Survey, 2015)
The conclusion from these studies is that class discrimination has now become a bigger problem because it is harder to detect. On paper, some people will not appear as PWF but the social environment are sensitive to fine differences and can detect origins. The problem is also compounded by legislation which does not include social class as a protection characteristic in the same way as age, gender and race.
Race Discrimination
In spite of strong legislation like the UK Equality Act of 2010 and the attested superior performance of ethnic groups in the schools, Runnymede Trust conducted a survey on discrimination and in its findings it concluded that racism in the workplace continues to persist in hidden forms. The study discovered a poor link between educational achievement and job outcomes. Their work achievements were disproportionate compared to their white counterparts. In spite of having participated more in university, their efforts had not translated to matching success in the workplace. There seems to be an unspoken practice among company management to limit the ascendancy of ethnic employees into higher positions. There was a resurgence of this situation in the decade starting 2000. (Dugan, 2014)
Last year, a Race at Work Report was released on a survey of 24,457 employees of all races regarding workplace realities. The findings showed that non-white employees are under-represented at all management levels. In the general population, one in eight is a non-white but only one out of ten is in the work force and only one of sixteen is in the top management positions. Also, performance ratings are skewed against non-whites compared to their white colleagues. This is in spite non-whites have a 23% points over whites with regards to career ambitions.
There were also cases of racial bullying as 30% of non-white employees experienced or have witnessed cases involving managers, colleagues, customers or suppliers. The feeling of neglect is also prevalent as only over half of the respondents feel that they are part of a team. Generally, non-white employees are not satisfied with management and the lack of role models for them. (7)
Influence of Class and Race in One’s Career
Studies have shown that in spite of legislation, forms of racism and class discrimination still persist in the workplace. What is more dangerous is that they are not overt physical or verbal acts which attract much attention but they are more insidious by working thought legit channels of the system.
Take the case of promotions. The non-white candidate will not be immediately disqualified; he will be considered a candidate who will go through the normal motions of evaluation. In the end and in most of the time, the white employee will be selected instead. No law or policies was broken. No misrepresentations were given by evaluators. But what cannot be discounted are the slightly subdued ratings and denied commendations that will ultimately lead to falling short. In a nutshell, there is already an unspoken system and it is difficult to prove without a study over a long period of time.
Lack of candidates is also no guarantee of selection as there is always an option of getting personnel from outside the company. The only motivation for top management to totally disregard race or class in promotions is that the candidate is singularly the best choice for the job. He must have exhibited characteristics which will pose a big risk of losses if the position will be denied.
If there is already a culture of subtle discrimination in the workplace, it will be maintained by management by manipulative practice and supported socially by the white majority. Only the CEO can have the power to change culture by refusing to tolerate and make drastic changes. The process of culture change can take a very long time. Disadvantaged groups like non-whites can take an alternative path of becoming experts and specialists rather than climbing the management ladder. Entrepreneurship is another path that may even reap more rewards.
References
Dugan, E. (2014, December 3). Britain's hidden racism: Workplace inequality has grown in the last decade. Retrieved August 19, 2016 from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/britains-hidden-racism-workplace-inequality-has-grown-in-the-last-decade-9898930.html
The Labour Force Survey Reveals Class Discrimination in UK Workplaces. (2015, November 2015). Retrieved August 19, 2016 from http://www.slatergordon.co.uk/media-centre/blog/2015/11/the-labour-force-survey-reveals-class-discrimination-in-uk-workplaces/
Race at Work Report. (2015, November 5). Retrieved August 19, 2016 from http://race.bitc.org.uk/all-resources/research-articles/race-work-report
Woods, D. (2012, April 27). Class discrimination and unconcious bias plague recruitment and promotion opportunities, admit HRDs. Retrieved August 19, 2016 from http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/article-details/class-discrimination-and-unconcious-bias-plague-recruitment-and-promotion-opportunities-admit-hrds
