Believe It
Or Not-Workplace Bias
Still Exists
Despite Aggressive Legislative
Efforts-Subtle Discrimination Still Keeps Companies From
Success
Summary:
One would like to hope that our
society has changed since the ugly days of discrimination
in the 1960s and before. And few would argue that
tolerance has not improved throughout history. But
discrimination and prejudice still exist, even if it is
in more subtle forms.
From avoidance to body language, biases continue
to manifest themselves quietly in our lives and
workplaces. Consequently, we as ethical beings must
continue to change our society and ourselves. News for a
Change discussed the issue of discrimination in an
increasingly diverse global marketplace with a number of
specialists in workplace diversity.Their answers are not
new, nor surprisingly revealing. Communication,
acceptance and tolerance are the keys to fostering a
healthy workplace. By working on these skills, articles,
such as this one, might become a thing of the
past.
The world is shrinking. The Information Age has
brought people from all parts of the world to work in
common places and for common companies. Corporations are
no longer confined to their individual countries; they
now have clients and partners around the globe. Mergers
and acquisitions are creating working teams with people
of different cultures and backgrounds. The emergence of
the global economy has not only brought a wealth of
diversity to the workplace, but also a plethora of
difficulties that must be addressed in order for
companies to remain competitive.
“The workplace is more diverse now than it
has ever been,” says Mauricio Velasquez, president
and founder of Diversity Training Group in Herndon, Va.
He believes this can and should be a positive thing.
However, when it is coupled with the fact that most
companies haven’t trained their employees how to
deal with diversity issues, problems arise.
“Most people did not grow up in a diverse
family, a diverse neighborhood or even a diverse
society,” says Frederick A. Miller, president and
CEO of Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group, Inc., Troy, N.Y.
“We all have a lot to learn in order to deal with
the diversity that exists in many organizations and in
the world.”
Although most of today’s workers can look
back with pride upon how far we as a society have come
since the days of civil rights, there are still deeply
seeded and unintentional prejudices. Very few workers and
managers would admit to anyone, including themselves,
that they hold these prejudices or would act on them.
While more than a handful of workers still use racial
slurs and openly criticize other cultures and
backgrounds, a subtle bias in the workplace is the more
common element that damages a healthy work
environment.
“Bias is revealed in facial expression, body
language, avoiding contact with minority group members
and labeling,” says Dr. Riley Harvill, co-founder
of The Harbeck Company Inc. in Dallas, Texas. “It
is manifested in at least three important ways: a
reluctance to provide honest feedback, excessive reliance
on politically correct behavior or language and a
reluctance to notice differences.”
Bias and overt acts of discrimination make it very
difficult for a company to remain competitive. In the
recent tight labor market, companies have found that
although a high budget for recruitment may lure some of
the best talent, it is not enough to retain it. Workers
demand a friendly work environment. Discrimination and
bias cause employees to feel uncomfortable, which usually
ends in higher employee turnover.
“Organizations are better served if people
can do their best work instead of spending their time
trying to watch out for acts of discrimination, acts of
disrespect or acts of exclusion,” says Miller.
Katie Hertzog, of Eastern Point Consulting Group in
Newton, Mass., notes the correlation between content
employees and business success. “There is a direct
link to profitability and productivity,” she says.
Discrimination negatively affects the morale of workers,
the reputation of a company with its clients and its
image in the community.
Velasquez believes that if discrimination causes
turmoil from the inside, chances are that more trouble
may come from outside sources as well. On August 16th,
the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
announced a $200,000 settlement of a lawsuit against
Metairie, Louisiana-based Lakeside Toyota, one of the
state’s largest car dealerships. The suit alleged a
former used car manager repeatedly directed racial slurs
and physical threats toward six black employees. The cost
of the settlement doesn’t even include the economic
windfall of having six distressed employees.
It is important for businesses to behave
proactively, rather than reactively, in creating a
healthy work atmosphere. Doing so will prevent costly
defense cases, reduce external and internal distractions
from work and avoid irreversible damage to the
company’s reputation. “It is not a matter of
if you will deal with these issues, it is a matter of
when,” Velasquez says.
Ways To Combat Discrimination
There are many ways to fight discrimination and
promote acceptance. Velasquez suggests three important
steps. One must first study the culture of the workplace
and identify its prevalent issues. Diversity trainers can
facilitate this task, or an organization can bring its
leaders and employees together. Here, they can talk about
their experiences and expectations. The company must then
acknowledge and address these issues. While no universal
way to do this exists, acknowledging the problems is a
big step. Taking any action to heal these problems is
better than ignoring them. Finally, the entire
organizational culture must change. This time consuming
process cannot happen overnight. Days and weeks of
training can’t possibly undo a lifetime of
experience that may have created a bias. The issues in
the workplace are an indication of society. Any attempt
to improve the organizational culture must be accompanied
by change in our society.
Harvill stresses the importance of labeling the
problems and having proper training and incentives to
build skill and awareness around them. Overcoming
discrimination can be treated similarly to other projects
an organization takes on. “To achieve business
results, organizations must incorporate the appropriate
needs assessments, instructional designs, performance
evaluations, task analysis, mastery learning and
accomplishment-based training,” says
Harvill.
The Pyramid Of Life
Patrick McCormick of Boyle & Associates in
Corvallis, Oregon, suggests a concept called the
“Pyramid of Life,” which his firm developed
in an attempt to heal the problems caused by
discrimination and unfamiliarity with diversity. At the
center of this Pyramid is the issue. The three walls of
the Pyramid are understanding, communication and goal
setting. “Communication, understanding and setting
goals are the glue that holds the pyramid
together,” McCormick says. If the issue at the
center is racial discrimination, and it gets out of
control, it prevents the pyramid from coming together.
“In order for us to overcome the issue and allow
the formation of the pyramid, we must communicate to gain
understanding of others and ourselves. Once we understand
the intent of others and ourselves, we can see
everyone’s unique point of view. It is through this
understanding and communication with one another that we
can create our goals and follow our dreams
together,” McCormick says.
Dealing with diversity in the workplace will not
only improve a company’s bottom line, it will
create more satisfied employees. Miller compares the
situation to a jail. “Both the prison guard and the
inmate are affected by the system of the prison,”
he says. “In both ways, they are dehumanized by the
process. By eliminating those things that are negatively
impacting an individual in the system, you end up with
everybody being able to make a stronger, better
contribution.”
Judith Katz, executive vice president of Kaleel
Jamison Consulting Group, Inc., says that not only do
companies avoid negative repercussions in the support of
diversity, but they also find a new vitality. Katz says,
“It is gratifying to see people in an organization
finding new ways to be with each other and unleashing the
potential of the people and of the
organization.”
Issue Highlight -
Remembering What Matters
