Racial Stereotyping In The Workplace

1159 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: A Essay On Racism In The Workplace

A famous quote once said, “We were all humans until race disconnected us, religion separated us, politics divided us and wealth classified us.” (Hurbungs). This is a strong quote with a lot of meaning behind it. Racial stereotyping is an ongoing problem that affects the lives of individuals based on their ethnicity and is one of the deepest social problems in American history that we have yet to overcome. This is an issue among people of all races in every part of the world. Racial stereotypes create misconceptions based on individual’s ethnicity and cause discrimination among all cultures. With America being a multicultural country, this is an issue that should be addressed and be put in the past. What’s at the root of racial stereotyping …show more content…

Workers are often faced with discrimination and harassment in their work environment, leaving them stuck in a difficult position. Many people suffer because they are the minority in their workplace, leaving them at the bottom of the pyramid. People of the African American ethnicity may work the same position as a person of Caucasian ethnicity but treated as though they are of lower importance. Individuals exposed to racial stereotyping can be detrimental to work performance because of the impact on the mental and physical health of the employees. Racial stereotyping can also affect people’s career outcomes. For example, a person of the Caucasian descent being chosen for a promotion over a person of African American descent simply because of the negative stereotypes associated with many African Americans today. Being biased in this way can be damaging to workplace behavior and inflict job-related stress as well as reduce productivity. Racial stereotyping, whether overt or insidious, can create an unhealthy environment for everyone in the workplace. Creating this atmosphere causes unnecessary tension among employees and can cause damage to an organization’s professional image. Protection against discrimination and prejudice is essential for employee performance, but despite the negative impacts, racial stereotyping is still very common in workplace

Show More
Related

  • Key Social Problems Affecting Africans Americans

    1371 Words  | 3 Pages

    Deitch, E. A., Barsky, A., Butz, R., Chan, S., Brief, A. P., & Bradley, J. C. (2003). Suble yet significant: The existence and impact of everyday racial discrimination in the workplace. Human Relations, 56(11), 1299-1324.

    Read More

  • Cheryl Boulden Diversity

    1383 Words  | 3 Pages

    It sometimes give “the perception of ‘token appointments’ [of individuals] who could not be hired or promoted on performance ability alone” (Von Bergen, Soper, & Foster, 2002, p. 242). It can also create more discrimination in the form of reverse discrimination where those formerly believed to be discriminators are now unfairly victimized because of the color of their skin. Diversity training can sometimes be demoralizing and reinforces stereotypes when trainers resort to emphasizing differences that elicits anger and divisiveness (Von Bergen, Soper, & Foster, 2002, p. 245). Businesses can find their legal liabilities have increased when “unorthodox training techniques invade employee privacy and humiliate individuals in front of their co-workers” (Von Bergen, Soper, & Foster, 2002). According to Choi’s research “individuals in diverse groups tend to fell less safe and to trust each other less. Lower trust is more likely to lead to higher conflicts within groups” (Choi, 2008, p.

    Read More

  • Race: The Montgomery Bus Boycott By Agustin Fuentes

    1136 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is an accepted notion that race does not define an individual. However, it is an ideology that people have to deal with due to society’s nature. After the collapse of Jim Crow’s laws, race was not supposed to be a limiting factor on any individual in the United States. It had been widely accepted that it was nothing more than a myth. However, due to past transgressions, measures were put in place to ensure that people of color who had been harmed by segregation policies had easy access to tools that would better their lives. The fact that society believes that race is nothing more than a myth blinds people to the racial injustices that still take place. For instance, black people are six times more likely to be imprisoned than whites are. Moreover, three out of every four white persons do not have black friends. The opposite is true for two out of every three persons of African descent (Stockman). Nonetheless, the term race is slowly losing its meaning. A portion of society believes that being black will get you killed, while the other is of the opinion that it gets you a free pass to college. Despite the fact that that racism is a myth, there is still the unbearable truth that racial issues are present with little change on the

    Read More

  • The Negative Effects Of Racial Discrimination In America

    1075 Words  | 3 Pages

    Institutions in the businesses sector are swarming in racial discrimination, much of which is covert and difficult to detect and prove. Racial discrimination excludes, marginalizes and exploits those citizens who are discriminated against, ceasing any opportunity for economic progress and development. Under certain regulations some businesses are required to diversify their workplace by hiring certain amounts of people of color, but in reality these small quotas do not do much for the overall condition of the people who are being discriminated against. Businesses that fail to take action on racial discrimination tend to have lower levels of productivity. This stems from employees not being interested in working hard, or because people with exceptional talents and skills choose to shy away from certain places of employment due to the fear of racial discrimination. Employees who feel wronged also tend to switch jobs, forcing the organization to spend more time and resources on hiring and training new employees, besides coping with the low productivity of a new employee. (Nayab)The effects of racial discrimination in the American work force could be identified with funded research on the topic. With ample data employers will be able to better understand the negative affects that racial discrimination have

    Read More

  • Racial Stereotyping

    1169 Words  | 3 Pages

    As a graduate student at the University of Chicago, Brent Staples never realized before the strong stereotype against black men has he had the one late night walk. When on a late night walk, Staples, a young black man realized the stereotype that most Americans have of the young black male. As a young white woman was walking that night in front of him and caught a glimpse of Staples approaching her. She became uncomfortable in the situation and responded by running away from Staples. Not until this incident did Staples realize the negative impact of the young black male on other people, often resulting in being intimidated. He was not seen as a young bright adult with a prominent future, rather he was seen as a mugger, or worse yet a rapist. He did not ask to be seen as a misconception of what others may believe him to be. People were often quick to judge him based solely on the color of his skin and nothing else. He was a twenty-two year old black male that stood over six feet with a broad frame. Brent had experienced many instances where people would see him as a person he is not. For example, one time he walked into a jewelry store and instantly the cashier assumed he was about to rob the store. She replied to her false premonition by going to the back of the store and coming out with a Doberman Pincher to chase him away. It is instances like this that can scar an individual and make him doubt oneself, but Brent did not and he found that he could fix the situation. His solution to the problem was whistling. He found that when he would whistle people saw him as less threatening, even thought most low-lifes did not know Beethoven or Mozart. Still, he found ways to deal with his problems and so can everyone else who is judged only on their physical appearance. Similarly to

    Read More

  • Racism In America

    1597 Words  | 4 Pages

    Racism (n): the prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior to members of other race (Wordnet search, 1), a controversial topic in today’s society, a subject that many people try to sweep under the rug, but yet a detrimental problem that has been present in America since the colonial era. Will this dilemma come to a halt? Can all Americans see each other as equals despite their skin color and nationality; and what role has it played in past generations versus today’s generations and how will it affect our future? Has this on going way of thinking gotten better or worse? These are questions raised when many think about the subject; especially members of American ethnic groups and backgrounds, because most have dealt with racial discrimination in their life time.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Reverse Discrimination In The Workplace

    90 Words  | 1 Pages

    Discrimination has led to under representation in the workforce. Many people would agree that this is not healthy for a multi-racial society. If two people with equal qualifications were applying for a job, then the person from the minority would receive the job. Many individuals argue that this is reverse discrimination. A big problem is that companies may have to hire less qualified members of minority groups to meet the quotas. This means that affirmative action does not eliminate stereotypes and in some cases, it may even make it worse.

    Read More

  • Overt Discrimination In The Workplace

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    In today’s workplace, African Americans continue to be subjected to overt discrimination. This can take the form of ethnic jokes, racial slurs and exclusionary behaviors by Euro-American co-workers and managers. Even more disturbing is the verbal abuse, calculated mistreatment and even physical threats experienced by some African Americans while on the job. African Americans have also faced overt acts such as being reassigned to lower level projects, not receiving a promotion even though they were equally qualified and receiving less wages than other employees, even less qualified new hires. The discrimination can be so pervasive that African Americans feel uneasy and threatened, demotivated and disrespected, eventually feeling forced to leave to search for other employment.

    Read More

  • Racism and The Latino Community

    1381 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this world we are constantly being categorized by our race and ethnicity, and for many people it’s hard to look beyond that. Even though in the past many stood up for equality and to stop racism and discrimination, it still occurs. In this nation of freedom and equality, there are still many people who believe that their race is superior to others. These beliefs are the ones that destroy our nation and affect the lives of many. The people affected are not limited by their age group, sex, social status, or by their education level. Their beliefs can cause them to attack other groups verbally or in silence and even reaching to the point of violence. All of this occurs because we can’t be seen as a “people”, but rather like “species” that need to be classified. An example of racism due to race and ethnicity as categories of identity is seen in the article written by Daphne Eviatar entitled “Report Finds Widespread Discrimination against Latino Immigrants in the South.” In this particular case white supremacy groups discriminate Hispanics that are both legal and illegal in the southern states of America, portraying several theoretical concepts.

    Read More

  • Functional Discrimination Case Study

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    Discrimination is known to exist in all workplaces, sometimes it is too subtle to notice, and other times it is exceedingly obvious. It is known that everyone subconsciously discriminates, dependant on their own beliefs and environments that surround them. However, discrimination can be either positive or negative in their results, and sometimes discrimination is a necessary part of life.

    Read More

  • A Class Divided Analysis

    336 Words  | 1 Pages

    As I watched the video of the Frontline special "A Class Divided" explaining the experiment done to a classroom of third graders to mirror segregation and discrimination in society; I could relate the discriminatory treatment given to the "brown-eyed" vs. "blue-eyed" children in many ways with the types of stereotypes that have been built in Workplaces; the categorization of jobs as White-Collar and Blue-Collar, Corporate office and Branch offices. Stereotyping coworkers for their job position and education level within an organization divides employees and encourages distrust within the levels of management. The sense of superiority which is conceded for employees that work in the different parts of an organization gives rise to differentiated

    Read More

  • Racial Discrimination in the Workplace

    1557 Words  | 4 Pages

    Abstract- Racial discrimination happens all the time and most of us are unaware of it. The most common place for this to happen is in the workplace. Now people can be discriminated against because of their race, religion, or any other numerous things. Also, discrimination can occur during the job interview or even after you got the job. This paper will shoe the effects of racial discrimination and how it can be prevented. In addition there are some very important laws that deal specifically with discrimination, like the NAACP or Affirmative Action. These both will be discussed.

    Read More

  • Workplace Inequality: The Plight of Minorities

    1266 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to minorities today, racism and discrimination are some of the major factors that are present in the workplace. In the labor force specifically, we see racism, discrimination, and inequality that deprive minorities of the opportunity to succeed in life. Research shows that African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, women, lesbians, gays, and transgenders in the world suffer injustices that shouldn’t be taking place according to laws that were placed to defend these groups. According to the research, minorities in the labor force are not getting their due because they are treated unequally, face discrimination and their employers violate their rights.

    Read More

  • Cultural and Racial Stereotyping

    1434 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most people find stereotypes to be obnoxious, especially when they have to do with sensitive subjects like gender or race. “Stereotyping is a generalization about a group or category of people that can have a powerful influence on how we perceive others and their communication behaviors” (Floyd, 61). Because they underestimate the differences among individuals in a group, stereotyping can lead to inaccurate and offensive perceptions of other people. Although stereotypes are prevalent in almost every society, becoming aware of our perceptions of others, as well as differentiating between both positive and negative stereotypes can help us overcome those stereotypes.

    Read More

  • Essay On Age Discrimination

    1621 Words  | 4 Pages

    Work plays an important role in our daily life, it is considered much more huge part of our personal life. During our daily work we make many relationships throughout our career history. Sometimes these relationships become lasting, and sometimes employment discrimination might happen. This relationships that we thought it last could be cut off by the devastation of claims of discriminatory treatment. Discrimination in the workforce has been an issue since the first people of workers in United States in the present day and as well in the past. Some employees were subjected to a harsh working conditions, verbal abuse, denial of advancement,, and many other injustices. There was also the fact that certain employees were being treated differently than other employees.

    Read More

More about Racial Stereotyping In The Workplace

Open Document