This case happened at one of my jobs during high school. I worked in a restaurant and witnessed different situations of an impolite and biased attitudes towards foreign employees. Our working team was quite multinational; we had a few workers from China and India. The guys were foreign exchange students and tried their best to support themselves by earning extra money in their free time. Their English and communication skills were good, and their work ethic was exceptionally strong and sincere. The rest of the team saw them as good friends and colleagues, always ready to help with any concern. However, the general manager demonstrated a vivid prejudice towards them and unfairly found fault with their actions.
I was anxious about this situation and the unfortunate injustice. I believe that people of all nationalities are equal and deserve adequate and fair treatment. Society should be inclusive and tolerant at all levels without any exceptions. I was afraid to ruin my relationship with the manager because I needed a job, but I attempted to show my example of the right attitude toward employees. In acute conflicts, I tried to protect my friends because I could not stay away anymore. The manager’s prejudice was incredibly unfair and was based mainly on the national features of the employees. It is difficult to come to terms with the fact that in the period of world globalization, some people still allow themselves superiority on a national basis.
In one of the conflicts, the manager negatively remarked on the accent of an Indian worker and advised him to “learn better English before starting work.” This comment was offensive and completely dishonest since the speech of the employee was understandable to all customers, despite the slight accent. The consequences of the situation were deplorable; the guy was very upset and quit the job about a week later. It negatively affected the entire working atmosphere of the restaurant. Some employees showed indifference, but most experienced strong negative emotions towards the CEO and began to look for new vacancies in more inclusive places. It was also one of the reasons why I left this place. I can not stand the unfair and biased treatment of anyone.
The conflict could be prevented by adequate administration work and the collective consciousness of the workers. The general manager was not the most influential person in the restaurant; maybe there was a way to address the owner and explain the situation. It also was my lesson; after this incident, I never stayed away from any show of injustice and always tried to speak loudly my opinion regarding the unfair actions of people in power.
The success of the institution directly relies on the mental and physical condition of the employees. One of the principal duties of the organization’s management is to develop successful strategies to improve the working conditions of employees (Collins & Rogers, 2017). A large part of the process should be dedicated to promoting inclusiveness and tolerance in the workplace, specifically if the business employs foreign workers. Team building and any joint accompaniment can help management and employees get to know each other better: see each other not as colleagues but as interesting individuals and potential friends (Xu & Kumar, 2020). It is hypocritical to use the labor force of foreign employees while discrediting their working abilities and expressing severe prejudgment.
References
Collins, N. R., & Rogers, B. (2017). Growing concerns with workplace incivility. Workplace Health & Safety, 65(11), 564–564.
Xu, S. G., & Kumar, S. S. (2020). The effect of workplace incivility on the organizational outcome (mediating role of psychological capital). African Journal of Business Management, 14(4), 110-122. Web.