Employment discrimination is unfair treatment in the workplace when hiring, promoting, and determining wages. Discrimination in employment is characterized by a certain biased attitude of the employer to the qualities of a potential employee that are not related to professional ones. In countries where it is customary to determine wages on an individual basis, based on a contract with an employer, labor discrimination can take the form of differences in wages for the same work. Among other things, employers may prefer to hire a particular group because of their non-business qualities. Like any discrimination, discrimination in the workplace can be intentional or unintentional, based on prejudice or ignorance. Workers often face employment discrimination based on race. Thus, the issue of inappropriate treatment of various groups of workers is critically important and relevant.
Looking at the case of MarShawn DeMur (Maalik) at Treton, it becomes possible to identify several major problems. When applying for a job, DeMur did not face any problems and was assured that the company works as one big family. However, when he moved to Kansas, DeMur became interested in the Internationalist Religious Movement, which required its followers to follow certain rules. DeMur saw no problem with this, but his superior, Jenkins, was skeptical of the religion. The first problem DeMur faced was that he had to explain in detail to his superiors and colleagues what his church was doing. This is really strange because it is difficult to imagine a situation in which a Christian, for example, is forced to explain the rules of his church to the authorities.
Further, DeMur, according to the rules of the church, was forced to change his name to Maalik, because of which he was subjected to ridicule from colleagues. His colleagues decorated his office with various voodoo figures, which can be regarded as bullying and harassment. When Jenkins approached him with this problem, he assured him that it was just a piece of paper. Such taunts and problems do pose a certain threat to the favorable functioning of the Maalik in the workplace. Certainly, the actions of Maalik’s colleagues represent a kind of harassment because they ridicule him on religious and racial grounds. In this regard, it becomes important for Treton to consider such legislative elements as labor law. This legislation contains a provision on discrimination in the workplace, which Maalik faced.
After all these problems, Maalik decided to contact the director of Human Resources, Martha Ford. In turn, Ford expressed sincere regret about the harassment of Maalik in the workplace. She called a meeting of all department heads and informed them of the situation. However, her actions were rather advisory in nature, because they were not followed by any proceedings or sanctions. The attacks on Maalik stopped, and he was able to feel more at ease at work. Such a problem as discrimination in the workplace cannot be eliminated only by recommendations and instructions. Director Ford should have opened an investigation into Maalik’s harassment and imposed certain sanctions on Jenkins, who was indifferent to the problem. Among other things, the department that mocked Maalik’s religion should have also been punished.
Clive Jenkins, the director of the company, knew that Maalik was being attacked. Despite the fact that Jenkins is a director, no action was taken on his part. He responded to Maalik’s complaints with laughter, advising him to ignore the harmless jokes of his colleagues. From my point of view, Jenkins acted unprofessionally, because, following the company’s policy, such situations are unacceptable in the workplace. Moreover, when considering Maalik for promotion, Jenkins preferred another employee who was a member of his church. In this context, Maalik suggested that he was a victim of discrimination on religious and racial grounds. Judith Dixon, after receiving a complaint from Maalik, would have to offer her own plan for resolving the problem. In this regard, the best solution is to conduct a detailed investigation of the actions of Dickenson and his department in relation to Maalik. Based on the results of this investigation, it will be possible to impose any sanctions or other penalties for employees.
Treton Communications, Inc. it is a state-owned organization that deals with the telecommunications industry. At the moment, the company has several branches and call centers in addition to the headquarters. Among other things, Treton has a large number of employees, and gross revenue of over 20 billion dollars (Combs, 2009). The above facts prove that the company is a true giant that employs a lot of people. Finally, Treton states that it has a strong corporate culture and is committed to expanding and protecting the rights of each of its employees. The guiding principle for the successful development of this large company is the diversity of the workforce (Combs, 2009). Thus, Treton declares its openness to various minorities and strives to protect and ensure their rights everywhere. To achieve this goal, the organization has some policies and directives that ensure equal opportunities and rights for employees regardless of their race, ethnicity, and etcetera.
The situation that occurred with Maalik, of course, has certain consequences for Treton. Since this organization has clear rules for corporate ethics, as well as a non-discrimination policy, the company’s reputation may suffer. Moreover, if Maalik is not satisfied with the company’s decision on his issue, he can later apply to the court for harassment and discrimination. Thus, the management of the organization cannot allow the transfer of this case to the court and further scandal. In this regard, Dixon should develop some organizational reviews that will help to understand the situation in more detail. The type of such review that suits this situation is the formal organizational review, as it affects the evaluation of the actions of not only the superiors but also the employees of the Treton department (Elsbach & Stigliani, 2018). In the course of this review, it is most likely that the culprit of this situation will be identified, as well as a fair punishment will be imposed. Moreover, this analysis most effectively contributes to the satisfaction of Maalik’s requests and complaints.
In conclusion, the situation that occurred with Maalik in the workplace is indeed an act of discrimination on racial and religious grounds. For several months, he was subjected to ridicule and attacks from colleagues who did not agree with his religion. By contacting the director, Maalik hoped that he would be provided with assistance in this matter. However, even a higher-ranking employee treated his problem with disdain and behaved unprofessionally. These actions indicate that the company’s policy on non-discrimination and protection of the rights of each employee is not working properly. Accordingly, the actions of the employees of the Texas Department of Treton should be investigated, which will help to identify the perpetrators and assign them a fair punishment.
References
Elsbach, K. D., & Stigliani, I. (2018). Design thinking and organizational culture: A review and framework for future research. Journal of Management, 44(6), 2274-2306.
Combs, G. M. (2009). Religious discrimination and racial harassment: what ever happened to MarShawn DeMur? Society for Human Resource Management.