What is Discrimination in workplace

Discrimination goes against everything that makes us human. Someone's rights are being violated only because of who they are or what they believe in. Discrimination is detrimental and keeps inequality alive.

 As MacDonald L.A., Pulley L., Hein M.J., Howard V.J. (2014) says regardless of our race, ethnicity, nationality, class, caste, religion, belief, sex, gender, language, sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics, age, health, or any other status, we all have the right to be treated equally. Yet all too frequently, we hear terrible tales of people who endure cruelty just because they are members of a "different" group than others who enjoy luxury or power.

 When a person is denied the opportunity to exercise their human rights or other legal rights on an equal basis with others due to an arbitrary distinction imposed in practice, law, or policy, this is known as discrimination. The non-discrimination principle serves as the foundation for Amnesty International's operations. To ensure that everyone can exercise their rights equally, we challenge discriminatory laws and practices in collaboration with communities around the world.

Discrimination occurs when a worker is treated unfavorably in the workplace due to his/her gender, sexuality, religion, race, pregnancy, maternity or disability. (Høgh A., Mikkelsen E.G., Hansen A.M. 2011)

Direct discrimination is occurring when someone is treated less than others. If someone treats another differently because of their different characteristics to other members is unlawful. As an example, if the employee is turned down as if  you think they might start a new  family soon although he/she has the qualifications to do the job , this is called a discrimination.

         

                                       Figure 01: Discrimination in workplace

Direct discrimination can also take place when someone is paid less than other employees without justification, when you choose certain employees for redundancy based on protected characteristics, when you fail to make reasonable accommodations for a disabled employee, when you fire someone for reporting allegations of discrimination, or when you unfairly deny a new parent's request for flexible scheduling.

Indirect discrimination happens when certain policies or procedures disfavor specific employees. For instance, requiring that all employees work on Sundays might be construed as discriminating against Christians who observe it as a day of worship. Despite the fact that you may receive the same treatment as everyone else, you are affected differently and to a greater extent because of who you are. This is discrimination as well. This is what the Equality Act of 2010 refers to as indirect discrimination.

Types Of Employment Discrimination

• Race and Color Discrimination.
• National Origin Discrimination.
• Sex Discrimination. 
• Religious Discrimination.
• Military Status Discrimination. 
• Retaliation.

There are four main types of discrimination.

• Direct discrimination.
• It entails treating one person less favorably than another due to a protected feature. 
• Indirect discrimination. 
• Harassment.
• Victimization.

(Magley V.J., Gallus J.A., Bunk J.A. 2010)

References
Høgh A., Mikkelsen E.G., Hansen A.M.(2011), Individual consequences of workplace bullying/mobbing. In: Einarsen S., Hoel H., Zapf D., Cooper C.L., editors. Bullying and harassment in the workplace. Developments in theory, research, and practice. 2nd ed.

MacDonald L.A., Pulley L., Hein M.J., Howard V.J.(2014), Methods and feasibility of collecting occupational data for a large population-based cohort study in the United States: The reasons for geographic and racial differences in stroke study. BMC Public Health.  

Magley V.J., Gallus J.A., Bunk J.A. (2010), The gendered nature of workplace mistreatment. In: Chrisler J.C., McCreary D.R., editors. Handbook of gender research in psychology.