Discrimination at Workplace

Discrimination 0
Discrimination at workplace
Student’s Name
4/18/2019

Discrimination 1
Introduction
Discrimination is considered as illegal and hampers the growth of the business. This essay
focuses on the age discrimination faced by Mr. Scheinberg irrespective of its contribution
towards Apple Company. It is analysed from the case that company focuses on recruiting
younger employees and have the wrong perceptions for the elderly individuals. The age
discrimination faced by Mr. Scheinberg created negative impact on the image of the company
and hampered the growth of the company. This essay will reflect upon the positive and the
negative impact of diversity at workplace and will also provide constructible
recommendations to remove discrimination at the company.
Discrimination and its types
Discrimination is treating or proposing to treat, someone unfavourably because of the
personal characteristic protected by the law. Discrimination is experienced when a person is
treated differently from other people due to the characteristics the person possess.
Discrimination is treated as illegal under the equality act 2010. This law consist of 9
protected characteristics which include: age, gender, race, disability, religion, pregnancy and
maternity, sexual orientation, gender reassignment and marriage, and civil partnership. If any
person is treated unfavourably due to possession to the above characteristics it is considered
unlawful under the equality act 2010 (Sharma, Shikha, and Nimarta Mann 2018).
There are various types of discrimination which leads to unfavourable behavior because the
person possesses the protected characteristics. Under direct discrimination, the person with
protected characteristics is treated less favourably than others. For example, a person is too
young or too old for the job. On the other hand, indirect discrimination consists of certain
rules or policies that provide a disadvantage to certain people or group (Vickers Lucy 2016).

Discrimination 2
There are also other types of discrimination which includes discrimination by perception,
association, harassment, and victimization. Under discrimination by the perception the person
is treated unfavourably because it belongs to protected characteristics. For example, the
person who is heterosexual is not allowed for a rental home. In discrimination by association
the person is known by someone or associated with protected characteristics is treated
unfavourably. Harassment refers to the unwanted behaviour through which the person feels
humiliated, intimidated or offended. Lastly, victimisation refers when the person is treated
badly because the person has complained against the discrimination or has supported another
victim from discrimination (Bobbitt-Zeher Donna 2011).
Age Discrimination faced by Mr. Scheinberg
In consideration to Apple, Mr. Scheinberg faced discrimination by age. The company turned
down the job of Mr. Scheinberg for its genius bar because the company has the perception
that younger people have more capabilities and ability to bring innovations.
Apart from the greater contribution to the company Mr. Scheinberg faced the age
discrimination as the company believed that younger people will able to give more
contribution in the genius bar because often the elderly people are considered as difficult to
live, dependent and capable. These perceptions are considered as perfectly legitimate and
result in age discrimination which is considered the rationale and justified by the company
(Stypinska, Justyna, and Konrad Turek 2017).
The intention of the company was to make more profits from hiring 24-age worker than the
54- age worker irrespective of their experience and contribution to the company.
Discrimination on the basis of age is characterized by denial off rights and opportunities, the
difference in treatment and the use of stereotyped image based upon the chronological age of
the individual. The age discrimination is done due to the development of stereotyped