The Role Of HRM In Addressing Workplace Discrimination: An Essay.

Discuss about the Eliminating Discrimination with Human Resource Strategy.

The purpose of this study is to understand role played by human resource management department in an organization. In order to analyze that, the study sheds on light on the most vital issue of discrimination which employees experience in their work places (Stredwick 2013). The issue has also been highlighted by different media over the years. The study begins with the significance of human resource management in business and then in order to give a clear understanding of the issue, a case study has also been discussed. Meanwhile, the study also discusses a how human resource strategies can be effective in addressing the issue and thus maintaining a safe and healthy work place for the employees (Stredwick 2013). While discussing the issue, the study also gives suggestive measures for eliminating the issue, which causes an adverse effect on the employee retention and the strength of the company (Okechukwu et al.2014).

Human resource management is generally considered to be mainly concerned with the practices related to employee recruitment, benefits and the overall aspects regarding workforce in a company. It also falls under the responsibility of the human resource department to ensure that every employee is being valued at the work place as well as a safe and healthy environment exists within the company so that employees can contribute maximum to the company while securing their own benefits. However, some incidents have reported that the human resources management in a company fails to ensure a healthy environment and as a result, the employees are to face some major issues like discrimination (Vance and Paik 2014). Often it has been seen that efficient employees who face this issue in their work place tend to leave their jobs (Offermann et al. 2014). Some try brings such issue before the hierarchy but due to negligence to solve the issue they prefer change their jobs. Finally, it is the company who suffers at the most as they fail to retain efficient employees. An incident is given below in order to give a clear understanding of the issue (Schultz 2018).

Two incidents can be mentioned in this regard. I have witnessed two incidents in my previous workplace where two of my colleagues were the victim of discrimination at work place. Of the victims, one of them was from Nigeria. In the first incident, the 24-year old Nigerian girl just joined our company one month back. The girl was very efficient in her work. Since the girl is from Nigeria, other employees in the office used to make fun of her physical features. The girl initially ignored such issues in order to stay with the company. However situation became worst when she found her mangers to be discriminating her regarding work. Her assignments were given to such employees who were less efficient in completing those assignments. The manger knowing that she is superior to other can do the work with more efficiency treated her as inferior claiming to be less experienced. The girl tried to convey this issue to the human resource manager in the company, but the person failed to resolve the issue which resulted in leaving her job.

Discrimination in the Workplace

In the second incident another employee was the victim of workplace discrimination after he diagnosed with human immune deficiency virus disease. The person was holding senior position in the company and working for over 10 years with the company. When the person informed his authorities that he has been detected as HIV positive, their treatment towards him was immediately changed. Some of the senior employees in the company had started avoid interacting with him. Some, who used to sit beside him in the office, shifted their place from there. All these had a significant impact on his performance. He was being criticized by the hierarchy and marked as inefficient for the post for which he was serving over 10 years. The person soon was informed that he has been terminated from his job as he is unable to prove his efficiency in work. However, the medical certificate by the doctor stated that he is medically able for the job and is under treatment. After wards the employer stated another reason that it might be unsafe to work with such an individual who has been detected such a health dieses.

The above incidents reveal that the human resource management in the company completely failed to serve for the interest of the employees (Dipboye and Colella 2013). In both cases, the employees were efficient in their work but was the victim of work place discrimination. This incidents had a negative impact on the exiting employees also who felt the company to be not worthy for working anymore. Many efficient employees left the office after these two incidents happened there (Vickers 2016). The two cases clearly showed that the improper management of human resource management had a drastic impact on the employee retention. Even the company was considered to be unworthy by most of the senior efficient employees.

Such incidents are not only seen a particular company but in many companies across the world. Some well-known organization that has been able to position themselves as one of the leading companies all over the world was found to have practiced discrimination in the work place. Such companies do not have proper work culture at their organization as well as they do not have proper human resource management as well. Many media coverage over the years has been highlighting the issue of discrimination. Often women experience discrimination after they conceive. Most companies do not give maternity leave to the women employees as a result of that women are left with no option but leaving the job. Racial discrimination is another form of discrimination that is witnessed by mostly people from African countries. The white people tend to have a negative perception towards the people from Kenya, Nigeria and other African countries. Thus, unfair treatment at work place has been reported by most of the African employees who had to leave their jobs due to discrimination at work place.

A Case Study: Workplace Discrimination

Some recommendations have been mentioned in order to eliminate the discrimination from workplace.

• Organizations must have proper recruitment policies which will ensure the interest of every employee. Recruitment should be focused on the eligibility not race, gender or nationality (Lindsey et al. 2013).
• If discrimination is reported in the work place, the organizations should take immediate action in order to eradicate the issue (Shih Young and Bucher 2013). Preferences should be equally given to both the male as well female employees.
• Promotional opportunities must be provided to every employee in view of retaining the efficient (Chrobot-Mason and Aramovich 2013).
• Training and development programs will be most beneficial to keep the employees prevented from practices of discriminations (Chrobot-Mason and Aramovich 2013).
• Complaint cell must be developed within the organizations so that the victims can lodge their complaints. To do this effectively, the companies must develop human resource management department in such a way that it can take immediate and required action to address the issue (Lindsey et al. 2013).

The human resource department is not only liable for recruiting employees and looking after the employee benefits in terms of salary (Stredwick 2013). Rather it has many other responsibilities. The human resource department ensures a healthy and safe working environment where every individual can put their maximum effort to the purpose of the growth of the company (Stredwick 2013). The human resource depart of a company should ensure that every employee of the company is fairly treated irrespective gender, age and race.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it will be very apt to assert that human resource management is responsible for more than only recruiting employees. Human resource strategy is considered to be one of the most important strategies of business strategy. It ensures a healthy and safe working environment where every individual can contribute their maximum effort to the purpose of the growth of the company. The purpose of this study is to understand role played by human resource management department in an organization. In order to analyze that the study shed  light on the most vital issue of discrimination which employees experience in their work places. The issue has also been highlighted by different media over the years. The study began the discussion with the significance of human resource management in business and then in order to give a clear understanding of the issue, a case study has also been given. Meanwhile, the study also discussed a how human resource strategies can be effective in addressing the issue and thus maintaining a safe and healthy work place for the employees. While discussing the issue, the study also gave suggestive measures for eliminating the issue, which causes an adverse effect on the employee retention and the strength of the company.

References

Chrobot-Mason, D. and Aramovich, N.P., 2013. The psychological benefits of creating an affirming climate for workplace diversity. Group & Organization Management, 38(6), pp.659-689.

Dipboye, R.L. and Colella, A. eds., 2013. Discrimination at work: The psychological and organizational bases. Psychology Press.

Lindsey, A., King, E., McCausland, T., Jones, K. and Dunleavy, E., 2013. What we know and don't: Eradicating employment discrimination 50 years after the Civil Rights Act. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 6(4), pp.391-413.

Offermann, L.R., Basford, T.E., Graebner, R., Jaffer, S., De Graaf, S.B. and Kaminsky, S.E., 2014. See no evil: Color blindness and perceptions of subtle racial discrimination in the workplace. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 20(4), p.499.

Okechukwu, C.A., Souza, K., Davis, K.D. and de Castro, A.B., 2014. Discrimination, harassment, abuse, and bullying in the workplace: Contribution of workplace injustice to occupational health disparities. American journal of industrial medicine, 57(5), pp.573-586.

Schultz, V., 2018. Telling Stories About Women and Work: Judicial Interpretations of Sex Segregation in the Workplace in Title VII Cases Raising the Lack of Interest Argument [1990]. In Feminist legal theory (pp. 124-155). Routledge.

Shih, M., Young, M.J. and Bucher, A., 2013. Working to reduce the effects of discrimination: Identity management strategies in organizations. American Psychologist, 68(3), p.145.

Stredwick, J., 2013. An introduction to human resource management. Routledge.

Vance, C.M. and Paik, Y., 2014. Managing a global workforce: challenges and opportunities in international human resource management. Routledge.

Vickers, L., 2016. Religious freedom, religious discrimination and the workplace. Bloomsbury Publishing.