The courier van pulled into the driveway of our Sandton office. A man got out of the car carrying a very heavy parcel that was labelled: Fragile: handle with care. No one knew what was in the parcel at that point but because it was covered with cautionary labelling, my receptionist carefully carried it into the office and brought it to me. Such is human nature. When something is heavily labelled, people will either diligently obey those instructions, make a mockery of them or disregard them entirely, which often results in less than desirable consequences.
Human – handle with care
No matter how they appear, human beings shouldn’t have to be labelled for us to handle them with care. Treating people with care and respect should be an automatic response. But this is not always the case. Particularly in the workplace, with people from all walks of life who come from a whole host of diverse backgrounds and cultures. The sad reality is that even in this day and age, discrimination, whether it be racism or sexism, is still rife in the workplace.
Workplace discrimination
Here we examine some of the more common incidents of racial discrimination in the workplace.
Direct Racial Discrimination
Direct racial discrimination takes place when someone is compromised because they happen to be of a different colour or cultural background. To illustrate, let’s take the scenario of a lady of colour who applies for a job as a receptionist at a doctor’s consulting rooms in a predominantly white area. While she meets the requirements of the job, after the interview the employer tells her that she probably wouldn’t ‘fit in’. Instead, a white lady with similar skills is hired in her place.
Indirect Racial Discrimination
Indirect racial discrimination occurs when a policy or rule as laid down by an employer puts certain individuals from particular racial or cultural groups at a disadvantage. For example, a man whose native language is Xhosa, applies for a position as an account executive at a marketing agency. While the Xhosa speaking gentleman is fully bilingual and meets all the other requirements of the job, he is told that he does not qualify for the job because he is not a ‘native English speaker’.
Racial Harassment
Forms of racial harassment are varied. Hence, they are not confined to merely passing offensive comments or insulting behavior. Racial harassment can also include undesirable conduct in terms of a person’s race, especially where this results in violating a person’s dignity, thereby creating a toxic environment. To cite an example, a Muslim gentleman is working as an administrator in a Local Government department. His line manager constantly passes negative comments on his dress and general appearance and questions him about Islamic customs and culture. As time goes on, the Muslim gentleman starts to feel as though his place of work is nothing short of intimidating and even hostile.
Workplace Victimization
Workplace victimization also comes in many forms and guises. Let’s look at the case of a lady who has taken her case of victimization to a court of law after being racially abused by a group of colleagues. Prior to the hearing, a number of her colleagues stop engaging with her and her manager puts her on probation. This form of victimization appears as a direct result of her decision to take action against the perpetrators but also flies in the face of her trying to defend herself against racial discrimination.
How sexism plays out in the workplace
Sexism in the workplace is another serious issue that employers need to constantly monitor. While we may no longer be living in a patriarchal society, sexism is still nevertheless rife in today’s workplace and can manifest in very distinct ways.
Insulting comments disguised as jokes
Insulting comments disguised as jokes is one of the most frequently occurring forms of sexual harassment in the workplace experienced by both men and women alike and can manifest as sexist remarks or jokes of an insulting nature based on gender. For example, a male colleague telling his female counterpart to wear revealing clothing when seeing a client to ensure a better chance of sealing a deal. This is not only completely demeaning to the woman concerned, but also infers that the only way to secure the outcome is to do so by using one’s ‘womenly wiles’ as it were.
Undermining the views of women
Undermining the views of women usually takes place when men engage in behaviours such as ‘talking over a woman’s head’ or over-explaining things as though women have absolutely no knowledge or expertise, thus making women feel as though their views and opinions have little sway or value and ultimately go ‘unheard’ unless they are backed up by the man’s expertise.
Stereotyping of male versus female roles
Stereotyping of roles makes assumptions of the suitability of an individual to perform tasks based on gender. For instance, comments such as ‘men don’t make good hairdressers’ or ‘would you trust a woman mechanic?’ have no basis in fact.
Sexism based on physical appearance
Sexism based on physical appearance involves comments made about dress, body shape or size and other physical characteristics over competence and skill. For instance, comments such as ‘how could I concentrate on that lady’s presentation, did you see what she was wearing?
How should businesses respond to incidents of workplace discrimination?
Workplace discrimination is a hugely disruptive force for any company to deal with. To minimize and fully understand the implications associated with discrimination in any form, businesses should be cognizant of the fact that from the point of view of the individuals concerned, incidents of racial or sexual discrimination can be extremely traumatic, emotional and offensive. In light of this, businesses need to take these matters seriously and assign every possible resource to ensure that employees feel safe in the workplace and that they are treated with respect. One way of effectively managing diversity in the workplace is to ensure that employees are given the right training such as Workplace Diversity Training.
What needs to be entrenched in the culture of a company is to ensure that the Code of Conduct is regularly referred to. All employees need to understand and be aware of the ramifications of any indiscriminate behaviours around sexual harassment or racial discrimination.
In terms of best practice, businesses need to swiftly document any complaints of racial discrimination, meet with the individuals concerned and closely monitor the outcomes of any investigations. It is often the case that employees feel unsafe and less than comfortable working with other parties against whom incidents have been lodged, and in this regard it is extremely important that companies put necessary measures in place to ensure that victims of harassment feel safe in the workplace. If the individuals concerned do not feel comfortable options such as transferring the harasser away from those who feel victimized should be considered. It is also vital that employers monitor the frequency and nature of any complaints lodged.
Hayley Gillman
CEO, Business Optimization Training Institute
