Prejudice in the workplace continues to be a real and difficult issue for many persons. While some may argue that they are merely trying to preserve a specific culture to their workplace with their choices in hiring, these ethnocentric views actually amount to prejudice against individuals and groups, based upon race, ethnicity, religion, or gender and sexual identity. In the case study presented, an individual who is qualified for a job is turned down by human resources because he is from Jamaica. The human resources manager believes that the person’s accent is a barrier.
Furthermore, the person is accused of having a “laid-back” attitude that reflects his Jamaican heritage. This is a stereotype and is outright prejudice against the person. The department had appeared excited about hiring this person until it wrongly judged the person based upon his heritage and ethnicity. It essentially “pre-judged” his performance as a person of Jamaican descent. This is the definition of prejudice. The person was discriminated against because of this prejudice.
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I would inform my friend that he was a victim of discrimination and that he might want to consider filing a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission. According to the EEOC (2016), discrimination may occur because of national origin. This type of discrimination “involves treating people (applicants or employees) unfavorably because they are from a particular country or part of the world, because of ethnicity or accent, or because they appear to be of a certain ethnic background (even if they are not)” (EEOC, 2016). This includes attributing specific attributes to them based upon perceptions about their heritage. I would also inform my department head that these actions were illegal. People may be unaware of their prejudices (Vaught, & Castagno, 2008). They may need others to draw attention to them so that they can grow as individuals. In reality, we all have prejudices and often do not realize that we have them. It is only when we become aware of them that we can reflect upon them and learn to move past them. While we all have prejudices and stereotypes, it becomes discriminatory towards others when we act upon them. Thoughts are not the problem; our behaviors are (Harvey & Allard, 2016).
I would also go to someone higher in the company. This may reflect something systemic within the company. I would be more inclined to do this particularly if the company did not reflect diversity as a goal and as a reality. There might be systemic racism at work within the company. It might also reflect a lack of education and training within the company. Companies are liable for the actions of their employees. The higher-ups need to be aware if someone is engaging in behavior that puts the company at a significant legal risk.
Doing nothing is not an option for me. I understand why some people would consider this an option. Many people are concerned that they would lose their job as a result of taking action. I understand this is a reality in today’s world. However, I would not want to work for a company that would engage in discriminatory behavior and then compound this injustice when it was brought to their attention. I recommend a person I believed in as an individual, a person who was highly qualified, and a person I call a friend. I do not take these things lightly. I would protect myself by thoroughly documenting all of my actions. I would likely put my concerns in writing in email form and keep personal copies of all documentation. In this way, I would protect myself in the event that my actions were held against me. I would prefer to believe that my company’s actions were the result of poor training, and not a systemic racism at work. However, if there was a failure to act by the company, or any retaliation against me, I would likely reconsider this. I would also consider seeking legal counsel at this point.
- Equal Employment Opportunities Commission. (2016). National origin discrimination. Retrieved from: https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/nationalorigin.cfm
- Harvey, CP. & Allard, MJ. (2016). Understanding and managing diversity. Boston: Pearson Publishing.
- Vaught, S. E., & Castagno, A. E. (2008). “I don’t think I’m a racist”: Critical Race Theory, teacher attitudes, and structural racism. Race Ethnicity and Education, 11(2), 95-113.
