Minorities In The Workplace
As time goes on, more people of different minorities that are of different ethnicities enter the workplace. A person’s ethnic identity includes their national origin, traditions, language, religion, and culture. Because of their ethnicity, some face discrimination in their work environment. The workplace is a working environment that creates an opportunity for prejudice expressions, stereotyping, and discrimination against co-workers. The workplace can also be a place where society practices ethnical biases according to Minority Employees’ Ethnic Identity in the Workplace | Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Business and Management. Minorities’ organizational performance can be linked to their recruitment, retention, cohesiveness, and social networks.
Minorities who identify their ethnic identity significantly, are more than likely to have positive views concerning inclusive behavior. They also tend to understand others and treat them with respect. Along with them identifying their ethnic identity significantly, they try to maintain their relationship with their roots, language, and culture. This may cause a conflict between their work schedule and ethical practices. Some jobs offer ethical minorities to work with ethic minority students in order to serve their ethical communities.
Not all employees make their ethnical identities known while working. Those who hide or suppress their identity, become more aware of their co-worker’s prejudice comments because they are not aware of the targeted ethnic group being in their presence. This could also allow them to hold management or executive positions despite the separation or uneasy feeling they may experience. Ethnic minorities who hold executive positions pave the way for other ethnic groups and opens up more job opportunities. While some companies may promote ethnic minorities, there are some companies that overlook them.
Minority Discrimination in the Workplace (chron.com) states, “minority discrimination can exist even in a company with a diverse workforce that includes a number of Asian, Hispanic, and African Americans.” Discrimination happens when members of an ethnic group are treated differently from other employees because of their race, color, background, or culture. Some minorities may have the same qualifications as a co-worker for a higher position, but they may be overlooked because of their background or culture. They may be paid less than other employees. Discrimination in the workplace may cause an individual to lose motivation and eventually leave their job.
Black and Latino Americans can have a good job and maintain it, but majority of the time, their white peers still hold better jobs and are able to gain executive positions quicker. Employees may earn multiple degrees which causes wage discrimination to decrease between minorities and white, but discrimination still exists. Minorities, mainly Latinos, tend to be drawn to jobs where high-school education or middle level skills are needed. While minorities gain these jobs, whites dominate jobs where a bachelor’s degree or higher education is needed.
Racial diversity and discrimination in the U.S. STEM workforce | Pew Research Center shows that Blacks and Hispanics are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math jobs. African Americans that obtain STEM jobs, share the same ground with Asians or Latinos that are STEM workers. These ethnic groups are less likely to be treated fairly and not likely to be recommended for a promotion or advancement.
Although employees may not see the diversity in the workplace as important, it is very important. African American STEM employees tend to see ethnic diversity in a work environment very important, while whites do not see it as being that important. STEM jobs lack diversity because of the required educational levels. Even those who have the required educational skills, they still face discrimination and prejudice actions during the hiring process, during recruitment, and in promotions.
If companies and organizations create opportunities for their minority workers to further their education and if they address discrimination properly, their company may become more diverse and grow in areas that are undeveloped.
The workplace organizations have made errors fundamentally to align their diversity practices with their organizational goals. During a time of implementing diversity in the workplace, each organization has to ensure that each specific culture and context will be able to complete the required job. For example, in an operational field of the military, one could be at a higher survival rate with the enemy if the plan is implemented very well. Individuals would have to have the tools and be very willing to have corporate diversity initiatives to survive or disaster awaits.
To gain a successful rate, the organization must be willing to take the necessary steps and prepare to continue to strive so that they could seek positive benefits of each individual to achieve greater diversity practices. A positive workplace that has goals to ensure each individual has a change to reach their greatest potential for the greater of the organization they represent has a very great chance to succeed.
Minority workers are watched heavily compared to how whites are watched while working. Co-workers expect for them to mess up or fail in their day-to-day duties. They are frowned upon in and out of the workplace. They face discrimination from co-workers who are supposed to be friendly and welcoming. Organizations would need to work on managing their employees activities in their work environment in order to fix the prejudice and discrimination minorities experience while working.
