Racial Discrimination In The Modern Workplace: Impacts And Recommendations

Racism in the Modern Workplaces

Racism in the Modern Workplaces

Racial discrimination entails the kind of treatment with which an employee is subjected to due to his or her race or because the person has personal traits which are associated with a particular race, such as the color of the skin, hair or some features of the face. Racial discrimination has been condemned in strongest terms in different countries, and in different organizations, however, the vice is still carried on by some people in many companies ¹. For instance, there are managers who may intentionally refuse to hire particular people because of their race, or treatment in a form which is demeanor, such as withholding compensation, rights or privileges of such workers.  

Since racism is a crucial aspect in the workplace and which affects both the workers and the customers as well, it is crucial for the managers and the top leadership of an organization to know the impact that discrimination has on the firm ². For example, it is evident that workers who are subjected to racial discrimination take reports outside the business and such reports, when heard by other potential workers, customers, vendors and suppliers, affect the business in a negative way ³. However, it is possible for the top leadership to find ways through which it can cub the vice for the company to achieve its mission.  When this issue is fully addressed, for instance, by putting in place regulations or policies that guide conduct at workplaces, and which treat employees equally both at the point of hiring as well as in training, developing talents and retaining the workers, as well as taking care of the retirement benefits, then it is possible for the businesses to achieve better performance and financial returns ⁴.

There are various forms of racism in the workplaces in modern companies. For instance, according to statistics, racial prejudice remains one of the main problems affecting most firms today, and the issue is escalating due to the wake of some factors associated with the advocacy of equality ⁵. In the United States of America, for example, Tramp used a form of communication attributed to dog whistling. Slogans such as “make America great again” was used to demean the people of color, especially based on the fact that it had come to a point where a person of color, who is attributed to being a slave could have a freedom to an extent of holding an office and controlling the economy of the country, or even various states ⁶. This could just be one case in many. But since this happens in the national context, it can just give the true picture of what non-natives are feeling in different settings, like workplaces.

The Need for Equality in Workplace

One of the major benefits of equality in workplaces is the fact that a firm entirely depends on the customers who are freely available in the target market. When a firm has a good name within the environment, it is possible that the company will attract highly rated talents, vendors, suppliers a as well as a large number of customer base. As such, the company is likely to make large profits based on the number of clients associated with the firm ⁷.

This research explores the racial discrimination in workplaces and the various forms of discrimination in the modern times. Moreover, the study aims to know the various impacts of racism to the business and to the workers who are suffering from being associated with a particular race. The study also explores various companies that have put in place policies that ensure there is minimum discrimination against its taskforce, and the performance of such firms based on such policies of equality. Together with an in-depth study of other research, this survey will give the best recommendations based on what ideas have worked in the past and are currently working for companies that have workers who hail from different races.

This research seeks to find the best solutions for the problem of racism in workplace, though workplaces are quite varied and have a large matrix which cannot be covered in a single study. However, for the purpose of clarity of findings, this research will interview workers and assess each company’s workforce records. This will help to identify the various races in different companies in which the survey will be conducted. Moreover, the financial reports will also be assessed, and in connection with the response of the workers, the study will make comparisons between the perceived racism in workplace and the financial performance of the firms. However, because of the constraints of large matrix of firms, the study will only conduct interviews on the major companies.

This study looks to primarily rely on the feedback received from the participants who will take part in the survey as well as the primary data which will be obtained from the financial reports of the companies which will act as samples for the survey. However, the study will also be based on the facts from previous research and other scholarly works. Although the study seeks to build its understanding from the primary and secondary findings, it also hypothesizes that there is a general trend in the wake of racism, both in America and other countries ⁸.

Purpose of this Research

This research will be conducted through a qualitative approach. The study will be based on the data analysis as obtained in the figures given in the reports, data from previous studies and the findings from interviews. Since the figures will not explain a lot of the psychological aspects of the relation between workplace and racial discrimination, the adopted approach will make it easy for the study to highlight all the areas for more clarity and make an informed conclusion as well as give viable recommendations to address the problem of workforce and racial discrimination ⁹.

This research will take a period of one month. Initially, there will be a letter of request sent to all the companies in which the survey will be conducted. When the letters are approved, the researchers will arrange for the materials to be used in the survey such as questionnaires and other collection tools. The participants in the survey will be addressed and given the particulars of the study so that they can make informed choice of taking part in the survey. The survey will begin with the offering questionnaires to the workers in the lowest ranks towards the managers. When the survey is finished, the researcher will be given the companies’ financial reports for the past years, as well as the employee list of the years, and these will help in the analysis of the workforce and the respect to the financial performance of the firms. However, the survey is scheduled to take a maximum of one two months, from which the researcher have a period for analyzing the data obtained from the field and present a final report and recommendation one month later.

Depending on the scope of this research, the estimated cost will cover the initial costs of printing data collection tools, cost of transportation, accommodation, meals and cost of publication of the report.

The researchers have an experience with such a survey which involves both the data collected from participants, reports and past research. Moreover, the researchers are well trained to analyze data with SPSS, which is an essential tool in the data analysis of any kind of data from which a model can be developed ¹⁰.

Conclusion

Racial discrimination is evident in some companies whether they are large or small. It affects the companies in very significant ways, such as losing customers, suppliers, vendors as well as talented workforce. However, there are companies that have policies that completely shun racial discrimination and in turn do well in the business. These companies can act as models for other companies. This project gives recommendations based on the findings from the research, ensuring that various managements which experience a problem with the racial issues can benefit from the study. However, these recommendations may not be good for the companies unless they are implemented.

References

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