Essay: Women's Rights In Workplace - Implications For Employees And HRM.

Overview of the topic

Discuss about the Women Rights In Workplace.

Due to discrimination and mistreatment of female gender in the working places, rules have been established which govern how women are treated in their respective working areas.The rights are expected to be adopted in each and every organization failure to which strict measures are taken. The rights are applicable in each country globally, and they are well stated in International Labor Organization (ILO) (Zia, Batool & Yasin, 2016). Currently, women enjoy most freedoms than men today in workplaces. Women have also joined the men in the top rated employments like teachers, doctors, and lawyers. They are also represented in some technical jobs previously reserved for men like truck drivers, designers amongst others (Pereira & Rodrigues, 2014). There also exist empirical evidence to show that discrimination against women still exists in different forms in their respective workplaces. Globally, all women are encouraged to know their rights in their working stations and take responsibility in helping stop the violation of the rights (Rakow, 2015). This paper reports the implications of employees, the human resource manager (HRM) and leaders to women rights in the working place (Pereira & Rodrigues, 2014). The report is organized such that the effects are reviewed accordingly and conclusions and recommendations made at the end.

Today, women make up 40% of the world workforce (Zia, Batool & Yasin, 2016). They play a vital part in the economy of every country. Job opportunities offered to women seem to be low globally (Masson & Ross, 2014). Women also make less than their counterparts in every country on earth. Women are likely to be poor, under-educated, employed in low wage and prone to dismissal during expectation or getting married (Repa & Guerin, 2014). In many countries, women seemed to be subject to discrimination and denied their rights like regular pay and working hours, permanent contracts and freedom of associations. Women are also likely to be abused in matters like sexual violence, forced to pregnancy tests and general harassment.

In the United States women have worked to some capacity but mostly the menial jobs for low wages (Reed, 2014). The number of women in work increased during the First World War due to a shortage of men. During the Second World War, the number increased significantly. Women took positions which earlier had been occupied by people. The number of women in workplaces rose to 7 million, 2 million of them worked in heavy industries. Women had no formal workplace rights until the passage of Tittle VII of the Civil rights act of 1964. The act mostly emphasizes on discrimination based on color, race, religion, sex and national origin. The Title VII makes it illegal for employers to exclude any qualified women from any available positions. The laws, therefore, empowers women to sue employers if they feel that they have been excluded from a position based on gender. Laws were also signed on the payment of women. President John Kennedy signed a law which stated that women should be paid same as men (Repa & Guerin, 2014). The rules were primarily formulated to increase the status of women in the workforce.

Implication for employees

The pace at which women have been brought to workplace have not yet matched the expected social status of women (Sadruddin, 2013). The opportunities in working places have increased, but the different expectations and domestic violence have remained unchanged (Earl & Taylor, 2015). Development organizations like the World Bank and the United Nations have intervened to ensure that the equality in working places has been but into practice. The organizations aimed at involving the women in ensuring economic growth of different countries. The mechanism employed was formulating women rights in workplaces. The rights were to be applicable in every country. Campaigns have also been organized to address gender equality in the working process, but there exist evidence that the efforts did not give the expected fruits (Basok, Hall & Rivas, 2014). To curb or minimize diversity in working places women should fully cooperate by ensuring that they speak out for themselves.

The employees in all organizations should ensure that women rights are practiced in all activities. Everybody should be involved in ensuring that women employees are comfortable and give the expected quality and output from their work. Previously, there existed the misconception that some tasks should be performed by particular gender. The mistake most preferred men as superior and they should perform the best jobs in an organization (Masson & Ross, 2014). If employees serve a certain employer, it means that all employees have met the requirements for the job. The duties should, therefore, be done equally irrespective of the gender. Some individual employees usually think that some tasks in an organization like maintaining cleanliness should be observed by the female sex. Such employees seem to be biased, and they should always realize that each and every employee in and organization met the requirements and the qualifications of the job before getting employed (Blank, 2013). Therefore the female gender should not be seen as inferior by other employees in matters pertaining task performance.

All employees of any organization should be keen on observing ethics while attending the assigned duties. Previously many cases about women harassment by their fellow male employees while in work have been reported (Johnson, Luckhaupt & Lawson, 2015). Employees should respect each other irrespective of the gender. An employee of any organization where a woman works should not sexually harass any woman in any way. The employees should cooperate and ensure that the working environment is friendly (Turk, 2016). Sexual harassment may include original comments by the male workers, sexual advances, and touching. The women rights strictly warn the male gender against this and stern measures are usually taken once such cases are reported.

Implication for human resource manager (HRM)

Women or any other employee should directly be involved in ensuring that the rights of women in the workplace are practiced. Some women usually shy off from reporting cases pertaining sexual harassment. Any employee should take the initiative of observing this and reporting such cases to the respective personnel (Rakow, 2015). In case a particular employee harasses a woman in the workplace the cases should be reported to the employment opportunity commission or a supervisor.  It is important that all employees in an organization join hands in ensuring that the rights of women in the workplace are practiced. Such processes gain self-respect to every employee, and it makes the working environment-friendly. Maximum results are therefore likely to be produced since each, and every employee is busy playing their respective roles (Turk, 2016).

The human resource manager is officers who link the employer with the employees. They are professionals, and they are expected to perform their duties with high integrity. They are responsible for recruiting new hires in case a vacancy is declared. Human resource manager usually sees the smooth running of the organization through ensuring his employee plays his or her part as expected (Sadruddin, 2013). The human resource manager also provides that employees coordinate well and handles cases arising in the group pertaining employees.

Since human resource manager is the personnel in charge of recruiting employees, it is expected that he or she does it indiscriminately. Hiring employees should be governed by qualifications and experience as well as a willingness to work (Johnson, Luckhaupt & Lawson, 2015). In the past, some human resource manager has discriminated the female gender regarding offering jobs. In most cases, some jobs were referred to as technical, and it is only the male employees who were offered. Due to continuous fight for gender equality in matters concerning workplace and introduction of women rights in workplace jobs are given based on qualification (Yarber, Sayad & Strong, 2013). Human resource manager should see each personal capable of doing all jobs provided he or she possess the required skills. If a woman feels that by any chance the human resource manager was biased in giving opportunities or offering jobs, she should report to the necessary authority who ends up taking stern action on the human resource manager.

Some human resource manager has also been reported to harass the female gender so that they can give them a favor. The support may include a promotion or offering jobs. Cases of human resource manager harassing female employees have been recently reported. Some personnel has requested for a sexual favor so that they can promote or give jobs to employees in the organization. Such actions can be associated with characters who are not competent with their profession, and they should be presented to a court of law for violating women rights in the workplace. Women who have been looking for a job for long days unsuccessfully or needing a promotion are likely to fall into the trap and go through the harassment. Women should ensure that their rights aren't violated by people want to benefit themselves by terming themselves as superior simply because they are male. Such gender-based inhuman practices should be reported therefore appropriate measures taken.

Human resource managers (HRM) should get involved directly in protecting the rights of women in the workplace. As professionals, they should not be required any chance in violating the working rights of women.  Equity should be insisted in assigning of duties and promotions. The male employees should not be preferred or termed as best in performing some tasks (Cohen & Taub, 2013). Qualifications should be the determinant on who will be assigned the task or offered a promotion. The human resource should stand firm to protect the female employees against some employees who undervalues the female employees (Boston & O’Grady, 2015). Some employees, especially in the third world countries, may not respect the value of women in organizations. They usually consider the male gender as being superior in all activities which are opposed in women rights workplace. Human resource should ensure such issues do not exist in the organizations. The male employees who see female employees in such perspective should be forced to understand the essence of gender equality in society. The human resource manager should ensure that respect exists among workers and the environment is conducive for everybody. There is empirical evidence to show that employees are likely to perform better if they are free and they are respected, and their output is acknowledged (Moghadam, 2014). Therefore if the human resource manager protects the rights of women employee and protects them, they are likely to perform better, and they will have a chance to participate in ensuring economy growth.

It is evident that if the leaders or the directors of an organization protect the rights of women in the workplace, anybody else will also observe the same. The leaders of any organization have the responsibility of direct involvement to ensure that rights of women are seen. The manager should not exclude a lady from opposition due to pregnancy. Provided the woman performs her duties to adequate levels then she has the right of remaining in the organization till she goes for a maternity leave. The employers also should not fail to hire only due to his or her gender, marital status or age. The management should give everyone an opportunity to vie for the job. Qualifications and experience should be the only criteria applied to eliminate the workers (Casas-Cortes, 2014).

The leaders of organizations should insist on equality on payments (Fish, 2014). Previously there has been the trend of women making lower gains than men whereas they're performing the same task. The management should ensure that payments are made equal irrespective of the gender. When women are paid equally to men, it means that they are motivated to offer their labor since there is no discrimination. The women workforce globally therefore increases.

The leaders and the management of any organization have the mandate of ensuring that women rights are observed in the workplace (Kennedy, 2016). They are in charge of formulating the policies which will govern the same in their organizations. The human resource manager (HRM) has to follow the formulated policies from the management strictly. The employees also should adhere to the policies. Once the command sets the rules, then the activities involving violation of woman rights in workplaces are likely to be curbed. Every individual in an organization will ensure that women are respected and given equal chances as well as men in all activities.

Conclusions and recommendations.

Previously women have been discriminated in their working places. Matters pertaining job awards and promotions favored the male employees. Women have also been discriminated in the sector of earning whereby they perform the same tasks as men yet receive weak earnings. Women have also been harassed in their working places. The harassment may pertain dismissal after pregnancy, hostile working environment, sexual harassment and unwanted sexual advances that may put them in fear of losing a job. Currently, things have changed since women possess the same rights as men in working institutions. The formulation of female rights in working places by organizations like the United Nations have played a key role in bringing the change. Campaigns have also facilitated the adoption of the new trend. It is now mandatory that each and every person in any organization irrespective of the rank must observe women rights. Employees should ensure that they respect women rights. The human resource managers also have the duty of ensuring that women workplace rights are upheld. The leaders and the directors of any organization are expected to initiate the process of observing women rights in their workplaces. Undoubtedly such methods will lead to increased women workforce globally, and women will fully participate in the economic growth of their respective countries. Women will, therefore, earn respect and experience equal treatment in their working institutions.

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