Discrimination and Bullying at The Work Place

This article discusses the common occurrence of discrimination and bullying at the workplace, focusing on the grounds for discrimination such as race, religion, social status, nationality, gender, and disability. It also explores the strategies that can be employed to combat discrimination and provides advice on how to stop bad behavior without revealing confidential information. The article further addresses the issue of working with people who are biased against indigenous Australians and the main issues affecting this situation. It concludes with advice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals facing racial discrimination.

Running head: DISCRIMINATION AT THE WORKPLACE 1
Discrimination at the Workplace
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

DISCRIMINATION AT THE WORK PLACE 2
Discrimination and Bullying at The Work Place
Discrimination and bullying at the workplace are a common occurrence. The main
grounds for discrimination are race, religion, social status, nationality, gender, and disability. The
laws against discrimination that have made these occurrences less common than they were in the
past include Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (1964) and the American with Disabilities Act.
In the first case study involving Danielle, I believe the CEO is displaying sexist behavior.
Firstly, sexism is classified as either overt sexism or casual sexism. Overt sexism is obvious
sexual harassment which includes sexual comments and advances. Casual sexism is less obvious
and is also referred to as latent sexism. Casual sexism is so embedded in the company culture
such that it goes unnoticed. It can include harmless sexist jokes or where your boss treats your
colleagues differently than they treat you.
The case of Danielle is casual sexism. Her boss calls her “office mum” though the other
male figures in the company are referred to by their names. Secondly, he gives her chores that he
wouldn’t dare give her male counterparts in management. For example, telling her to organize
for coffee or to handle office birthdays which is something he could delegate to support staff.
Strategies For Ending Gender-Based Discrimination
The three strategies that Danielle could employ without sounding disrespectful to the
CEO are as follows:
Speaking Up: Danielle should speak up and question her boss’s actions. She should ask
her boos if he would act the same way if he was dealing with male counterparts. This gesture
will shed light on the issue and compel her boss to review his behavior.
Find Support: There is power in numbers. If Danielle can rally other victims of sexism,
she will be able to strongly protect against such behavior. When the other staff members start
acknowledging their sentiments against sexist behavior, Danielle’s boss will be forced to change
his attitude due to public demand.
Provide a Solution: Since Danielle is constantly being targeted for certain tasks, she
should ask the CEO to introduce a rotating schedule. This way, people in top management will
take turns in performing those chores that she is solely being told to do. Bringing this up will
help the boss acknowledge that he has been treating Danielle unfairly.
Strategies to Stop Bad Behavior Without Revealing Confidential Information
Improve Awareness and Training: In many cases, discrimination arises due to ignorance.
The best way to fight this is by educating employees about discriminatory behavior and the laws
on discrimination. I would use this approach because it addresses the reasons discrimination is
wrong and helps ignorant employees come to appreciate and respect co-workers who are
different.

DISCRIMINATION AT THE WORK PLACE 3
Embrace Diversity: Another strategy for combating discrimination is embracing
diversity. Affirmative action was introduced to compel companies to involve protected groups in
their work force (Jóhannsdóttir & Ólafsson 2004). When recruiting members to your team,
embrace diversity by considering people with disabilities, those on medication, or anyone who is
different from your typical employee. This approach is effective in discouraging bad behavior
because it shows that even different or protected groups are equally talented or skilled as other
ordinary people. By leading through example, your team members will come to appreciate
protected groups.
Embracing diversity also involves providing equal roles and opportunities to both normal team
members and protected groups. This way, all team members come to see each other as equals.
Identify and Call Discrimination Behaviors: From the onset, you should declare that no
sexist, racist, or discriminatory jokes will be tolerated or laughed at. Identify the behaviors you
expect in your team. As a result, you will have a work culture premised on respect and where
bullying is punishable.
This strategy will work because employees are always concerned about job security. When there
are policies against discriminatory behaviors, no employee will risk their jobs to break these
rules. Applying this approach with an open-door policy will ensure that those who are affected
feel free to report any discriminatory behaviors and the violators are brought to book.
How Working With People Who Are Biased Against Indigenous Australians
Working with people who are against indigenous Australians will influence me to adopt
that group think. I might eventually become biased towards this indigenous group of people I
work with if I’m not principled enough to call off such discriminatory tendencies.
To a certain extent it is unlawful to make harsh comments or use derogatory terms when
talking about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (Gaze 2005). In this case, one has to
understand whether it is racial hatred or not. Racial hatred or vilification is publicly doing
something based on a person’s race, national origin, or color with the intent of offending,
humiliating, or insulting them. This includes making abusive comments in public. In some cases,
it is not considered unlawful when you make negative or harsh comments against a certain
community. When a comment is sincere and reasonably truthful, it may not amount to racial
hatred. For example, if a comment or statement is made reasonably, in good faith, and is fair, it is
not against the Racial Discrimination Act.
What Issues Do Indigenous Australian Communities Face
Indigenous Australian communities face a number of issues due to their decent. They are
subjected to indecent housing, unequal employment opportunities, and are not involved in key
decision-making processes (Vos 2009). These communities are also discriminated against when
it comes to accessing health facilities and amenities. Due to these circumstances, a series of laws
have been passed to ensure that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are treated like
other Australian residents.

DISCRIMINATION AT THE WORK PLACE 4
What Are the Main Issues Affecting This Situation?
The main issues affecting this situation are hate speech and racial discrimination. These
issues are likely to pit non-indigenous groups against each other.
My Advice To the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
To the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander who left, I’d first approach them and educate
them about their rights with regards to racial discrimination. I would also seek to differentiate
incidences of racial hatred and cases that may not be considered racial hatred. I would advice the
indigenous person to make a complain to top management. If top management fails to take any
affirmative action, I would guide the victim into filing a complaint with the Australian Human
Rights Commission.
References
Gaze, B. (2005). Has the Racial Discrimination Act contributed to eliminating racial
discrimination? Analysing the litigation track record 2000–04. Australian Journal of Human
Rights, 11(1), 171-201.
Jóhannsdóttir, H. L., & Ólafsson, R. F. (2004). Coping with bullying in the workplace: the effect
of gender, age and type of bullying. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 32(3), 319-333.
Vos, T., Barker, B., Begg, S., Stanley, L., & Lopez, A. D. (2009). Burden of disease and injury
in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples: the Indigenous health gap. International
journal of epidemiology, 38(2), 470-477.