Although racism has been outlawed as a social vice, nonetheless, racial discrimination is still one of the major ethical dilemmas in the modern workplace. Workers from perceived minority and “inferior” races are repeatedly subjected to unfair treatment. Employers in Britain still discriminate against employees along racial lines. Britain is a multicultural state and as such, its workforce constitutes people from different races, including British whites, Asians, Africans, and people from the Caribbean islands. The non-British whites are perceived to be the minority races and are therefore treated in an inferior manner by employers. Although most of these employees are well qualified, nonetheless, they are denied job opportunities and get lesser wages. As such, British employers have absconded from their duty to enact the Equality Bill and Race Relations Act, which guarantees the protection of equal rights and justice to employees of all races(HRM Guide para 3, 7; Schifferes para 33).
The issue of racial discrimination in the British workforce is in gross violation of the universal right to equality amongst all races. The deontological theory of morality proposed by Emmanuel Kant purports that morality is a universal concept and only valid if it strictly adheres to universal rules that define morality. An action is only ethical if it only attains universal benefits rather than personal fulfillment. Morality thus becomes a formal law and all people regardless of their status, race, religion, or gender, are obliged to follow the law (Gallagher para 13). Kant’s theory should be combined with the utilitarian rules on ethical justice that stipulates that all individuals are equal and thus just fairness should be accorded to all without discrimination. Thus, all benefits of society, as well as employment benefits, should be equally distributed to all employees. Social inequalities should be addressed in such a manner that they will benefit the less advantaged members of the society most (Knapp 14, 15).
Responding to the issue
Responding to the issue will require the involvement of various stakeholders but mainly the Company’s human resource management and the British government. One of the most appropriate retaliatory actions to take into account, in this case, is the identification of the basic issues prevalent in this case. The case involves a gross violation of basic human rights such that people from minority races are denied employment opportunities as well as poor wages due to their perceived racial inferiority. The British employer also employs linguistically complex dynamics during the recruitment process deliberately to put the minority races at a disadvantage. The hindrance to the realization of universal fairness for all races in the workplace is due to a lack of knowledge by human resource practitioners on the benefits of equality. As such, the company should develop and implement a training program for its senior management officials and more so those involved in recruitment (Henderson, Washington and Watkins-Butler 4).
The training program involves a real-life scenario where people from diverse backgrounds and skills are harmonized to form a working relationship that responds to global ideals. The core content of the training program should be as follows. To begin with, train the management should evaluate the issue of racism at the workplace and weigh it against the existing moral norms currently in the company as well as identify the legal requirements such as the Equal Opportunities and Equality Act (Diversity at Work para. 2). This will give the company an opportunity to identify any normative principles relevant to addressing the issue and the impact they will have on the company. Secondly, the program should have sessions to enable the managers to reflect on their initial opinions, reflections and impressions of racism in the workplace. This will help them understand the gaps that exist within their knowledge and legal requirements. Thirdly, the trainers will have an opportunity to pose the problem from the perspective of one of the ethical theories and in this case the deontological theory on business ethics and ensure that the normative principles and the ethical theories identify relevant actions the company will undertake towards the elimination of racism at the workplace. This will help the managers to evaluate the business ethics theory in its application and explore how it can be modified to incorporate Emmanuel Kant’s views on morality. Training should not only be conducted to the managers but also to the employees as well. The purpose of training employees is to enlighten them on the company’s acquired taste in business ethics, thereby equipping them with tools to understand and work comparatively with people from different ethnic groups.
Training the managers will not only help them identify the gaps that exist between the current business practices but also the desirable universal expectations in the business world. As such, the managers will be equipped with the necessary tools to change their business ethics, including Cooperate Social Responsibility practices. The traditional approach appreciates ethnic diversity as an effective CSR initiative that will push the organization towards globalization. This will help the firm to recruit, train, maintain and even promote employees from different countries. These employees will help in diversifying skills and talents in the organization and this will be useful in helping the risk associated with the global business (Kytle and Ruggie 9). However, according to Kant CSR can only be a moral business ethic if its purpose is to achieve universal equality. In this regard, the company should view CSR as a means to achieve universal morality and as such, it should look beyond how the company can benefit itself. In this case, CSR can be a very effective tool in enhancing racial equality as well as adhering to the legal provisions regarding equality and employment in Britain. The company should thus give equal employment opportunities, wages and privileges to not only the British whites but also to people from the perceived minority groups.
Limitations to the achievement of social justice at the workplace.
Dealing with the issue is not without limitations. To begin with, Velasquez explains that there are some job exclusivity issues that only open the opportunities to British nationals and as such ethical relativism creeps into the issue (Velasquez 2). Kant’s ethical imperative is vague and too general to be useful to the company (12). The company will find itself navigating the general issue of racism but failing to identify details of the matter. Gallager argues that this theory is limited in terms of implementation as it may create too much freedom in the society and as such it might lead to chaos (14). Those who oppose the idea argue that it is nothing more than a public relations gimmick aimed at making organizations appear “politically correct” (Henderson et al 1). There would be an influx of immigrants seeking jobs in Britain and this would create unnecessary population pressure. Furthermore, not all jobs can be suitable for non-Britons. Some business ethicists opposed to the idea have proposed that what matters in a job are the qualifications, skills, and not racial equality. There are also chances that the organization will hire less qualified and skilled staff in an effort not to be seen as racial (2). This however not needs to be a big brother.
Several steps can be taken to minimize the challenges of equality and social justice at the workplace. There will be several activities such as team building activities and training programs that will orient the employees to interracial relationships. To avoid hiring less qualified employees, the organization should highlight the minimum qualifications for the job and discourage applications from those who do not meet them. The minimum qualifications should go beyond academics, to personal traits, temperance, skills abilities, talents, as well as job specifications. If this is done, the number of racial complaints will be reduced drastically.
In conclusion, the categorical imperative is an idea that is slowly gaining prominence in the business ethics field. It will not only help the company to adhere to the laid down rules but also to the achievement of social justice equality in the British employment sector. With concerted efforts, cases of ethnic-based discrimination in the workplace will be kept at a minimum. The private sector needs to be more proactive in ensuring that all employees are treated equally. Organizations need to realize that a multicultural workforce will be more beneficial by way of providing the relevant tools for globalization. Dealing with racial discrimination, therefore, needs to be seen as a business asset rather than a human rights issue.
Works Cited
Diversity at Work. Diversity Management Principle. Diversity at work. 2011. Web.
Gallagher, Chuck. What Theory of Business Ethics do you follow? University k Business Ethics Speaker Chuck Gallagher comments! Chuck Gallagher. 2010. Web.
Henderson, Loren, Washington, Patrick and Watkins-butler Akilah. Training for Business Success: Does Diversity Training Improve Productivity, Performance, and Fair Promotions? Pdfcast.org. 2011. Web.
HRM Guide. Recruiters Discriminate According To Name. HRM guide. 2011. Web.
Kytle, Ruth and Ruggie, John. Corporate Social Responsibility as Risk Management: A Model for Multi Nationals. Corporate Social Responsibility Working Paper No 10. Cambridge, MA: John Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. 2005. Web.
Schifferes, Steve. Discrimination in the Workplace. BBC News. n.d. Web.
Knapp, Karl. Business Ethics Concepts & Cases: Book summary. Karlknapp resources. n. d. Web.