Introduction
Natural law protects individuals against discrimination in the workplace, enhancing their social well-being and interactions. In the U.S., there have been an increasing number of people who are discriminated against for their age, gender, race, and sexual orientation. Discrimination can have far-reaching impacts on the victims, their work, and those around them. An interview with David Smith, James Williamson, Catherine Campbell, Charles Robinson, and Elizabeth Hayes Omari, showed how discrimination is ingrained in the employment sector in the U.S. The interviewees were asked a set of common questions to assert the major causes of discrimination and its impacts on their lives. Private and public organizations should enhance equality for uniform social and economic growth at workplaces.
Questions Asked
The interviewees were subjected to a set of questions to understand their discriminating experiences. The questions were designed in such a manner that the interviewees could narrate their stories without limitations. The following are the questions that the interviewees were asked:
- How can you describe discrimination in the workplace?
- Which two instances have you ever experienced that you felt that you were being discriminated against at your workplace?
- How did you react and respond to the people that discriminated against you?
- How did the experience affect your life and that of the people around you?
- Did your working organization respond to your situation in a manner that made you satisfied?
- What recommendations would you propose to your organization to help reduce discrimination in the workplace?
Interviewees’ Profiles
David Smith
Bio
David Smith is a 34 years old man, living with his family in New York City. He has three daughters and a son, both of which attend a senior school in the city. David and his wife, Sonia Durant, divorced in 2020 for personal reasons. He works in one of the most reputable law firms in New York which he wished not to be disclosed to any person. Before joining the firm, he was an assistant lecturer of humanitarian and constitutional laws at a U.S. college. David describes himself as a hardworking African American man.
Response Summary
An interview with David Smith was conducted online due to his tight schedule and geographical limitations. He made precise and captivating responses to the questions asked. In responding to the first question, David Smith believed that discrimination in the workplace involves the denial of equal chances. According to him, private and public organizations should treat their employees fairly regardless of their cultural and personal differences. The two instances where David ever experienced discrimination were when he was being interviewed for work and when he failed to satisfy one of his clients. During the job interview, he was asked questions that intended to demean his capacity and capability to effectively perform simply because he was a Black person. Similarly, one of his clients told him that he does not trust Black lawyers since they have historically failed.
According to David Smith, responding to his oppressors could have worsened the situation. Therefore, he remained silent and let them realize that discriminating against him against his race could not stop him achieve his personal goals. However, the experiences affect his life, especially the social interactions with White people. David Smith has developed some hatred against the Whites, making it difficult for him to interact with them. For instance, at his workplace, he only associates with African American lawyers. Although there was no satisfying action taken by his organization, he recommended a tough discrimination policy to help avoid similar cases.
James Williamson
Bio
James Williamson lives in Austin, Texas with his wife and two sons. The 52-years old man is a businessperson who owns a small restaurant in Austin. He is an African American whose father is Swedish and his mother an African. Before venturing into the food business, he worked as a software engineer at the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM). Working at IBM offered him a wide range of experiences and interactions since he was able to visit different countries. James Williamson quit work in 2022 due to family pressure and his worsening health condition.
Response Summary
James Williamson’s interview was conducted online on the Zoom Meeting platform. According to him discrimination in the workplace involves favoritism and unfair policies that benefit a specific group of individuals. James Williamson stated that discrimination in the workplace is something that is encouraged by the management and perpetuated by the employees at lower levels. His two experiences of discrimination were when he was designated to work with a company in the UK and when he decided to challenge his manager over unfair work practices. In 2017 he was sent to work in the UK but his new teammates refused to work with him because he was a Black man. Meanwhile, when James challenged his manager, he told him that all Black men deserve hard labor.
James Williamson decided not to react or respond to his discriminators since it was something he was used to. Reacting against his manager would have led to contract termination or job designation that did not fit his health status. The experiences did not affect his life due to his positive belief that his skin color should not define him. Although he did not report the cases, his colleagues complained, and the racist man was fired. The organization’s action satisfied James Williamson since he felt that justice was done to him and other people like him. According to him, organizations should encourage interactive social activities that bring people from diverse cultures together to reduce racial discrimination in the workplace.
Catherine Campbell
Bio
Catherine Campbell is a 26-years old transgender man who works as a nurse in one of the hospitals in New York City. She is a recent graduate from a U.S. nursing whose identity she wished not to be publicized. Catherine Campbell is not married but lives with her fiancée who is a nurse as well. Before working in the current hospital, she used to intern at John Hopkins hospital before graduating. Her mother is Swiss while her father is American. Catherine Campbell recognizes herself as an American citizen by birth.
Response Summary
An interview with Catherine Campbell was conducted face-to-face since she was willing to do anything to express her agitations on gender discrimination. In answering the first question, Catherine believed that discrimination in the workplace is the denial of natural human rights to individuals based on their physical appearances and beliefs. She gave an example of herself being denied the opportunity to participate in women’s activities despite her physical looks and transgender characteristics. Some of the instances when she was discriminated against were when she was being interviewed for her current work and when attending to one of her patients. One of her interviewers told her that her sexual orientation is immoral. Meanwhile, one of the patients told her that she cannot be attended to by a woman with a male voice.
Anytime she was discriminated against, Catherine tried to inform her oppressors that she was just like any other human being. While some listened to her some scolded upon her responses. The instances of discrimination have negatively impacted her psychology since she is always depressed with low self-esteem. Her organization has strict harassment and discrimination policies that led to disciplinary action against the human resource staff who discriminated against her. However, Catherine believed that more can be done to protect other LGBTQ+ individuals who are discriminated against on daily basis. According to his capacity building on sexual issues and socialization activities can help protect transgender people.
Elizabeth Hayes Omari
Bio
Elizabeth Hayes Omari is a 22-years old woman working at the Bank of America. She was one of the youngest graduates from Brown University in the year 2020. She is a Muslim and currently living with her eldest sister. Elizabeth has worked with various U.S. financial institutions such as JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and U.S. Bancorp. Her successful career life is something that surprises many given her age.
Response Summary
An interview with Elizabeth Hayes Omari was done at his place of work upon her request. According to her, she is one of the few young Muslims who are facing continuous discrimination against their age and religion. Miss. Elizabeth described discrimination at the workplace as the denial of equal opportunities based on gender or any other characteristic that distinguishes a person from other people. She had experienced discrimination when working at JP Morgan Chase where one of the clients told her that he cannot be given financial advice by a Muslim child. Additionally, she was discriminated against in one of the company’s team-building activities where a manager rejected her idea citing that she was too young to contribute to the organizational objectives.
Elizabeth Hayes said that her Islamic moral values limit her from arguing with the elderly. Therefore, he did not respond to the people who overtly discriminated against her age and religion. However, oppression negatively affected her self-esteem when serving and interacting with older people. She often joins the youngest staff at her place of work while resisting offers to work with those who are older than her. According to Elizabeth Hayes, her organization has put more emphasis on sexual and racial discrimination than age and religion. Therefore, she recommended that financial institution address all forms of discrimination in equal measure for a friendly working environment. Additionally, hiring a diverse staff can help avoid instances of discrimination among the employees.
Charles Robinson
Bio
Charles Robinson is a 62-years old college professor who has specialized in pure mathematics. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and three children: two girls and a boy. All his children have graduated from universities and working in New York. Charles Robinson has worked with many educational institutions including Vassar, Hamilton, and Barnard colleges. During his early career life, he did not experience any form of discrimination until recently.
Response Summary
An interview with Charles Robinson was conducted online due to time limitations and his tight schedule. According to him discrimination in the workplace is unfair treatment by colleagues and other stakeholders. Charles Robinson has experienced discrimination at his workplace on several occasions. One such occasion was when a group of his students referred him to an old who cannot remember anything. Another event was when he was part of a college board committee and people kept on rejecting his advice because he was old. He said that many people around his workplace believe that old professors have no value to the college. Surprisingly, his classes have always been on top of other mathematic classes for four consecutive years.
Unlike the other four interviewees, Charles Robinson has adopted an effective response mechanism to his discriminators. He said that anytime a student discriminates against him, he organizes a private meeting with them. In some of their meetings, he encourages them to remain morally upright and respect every person regardless of age or gender. Moreover, he has pioneered an equality club that brings together the students and all faculty members to discuss social issues affecting them in the college. Therefore, the discriminating experiences have positively impacted him and those around him. Accordion to Charles Robinson, his organization has effectively responded to discriminative cases by taking disciplinary actions and making it compulsory for victims and oppressors to join the Equality club. Charles Robinson recommends other institutions adopt the approach taken at his college.
Lessons Learned
Interacting with the five interviewees presented me with three major lessons about discrimination. Firstly, I learned that the majority of people who experience discrimination know what it is and how it can affect them. According to (Makers, 2013), discrimination is any form of unjust and prejudicial treatment of individuals based on their cultural, sexual, racial, and gender, among other differences that distinguish a person. The definitions and descriptions of discrimination given by the interviewees somehow fit their general description.
Secondly, I learned that while discrimination can negatively affect others, some are positively influenced to become agents of change in society. The negative impacts of discrimination include increased anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem (Igielnik, 2022). Meanwhile, some of the positive results of discrimination are the establishment of social groups that improve interactions among society members. Additionally, the agents of change provide effective approaches to preventing discrimination in society (Retro Report, 2017). It is important for the people who have experienced discrimination to become part and parcel of social growth and development.
Lastly, I learned that changing the public perception of sexual, gender, age, and racial differences is a communal activity. Consequently, every society member must be involved in pursuit to reduce cases of discrimination in society. While the victims learn how to positively respond to their experiences, the perpetrators recognize the importance of social equality in a community (Igielnik, 2022). The establishment of social groups that encourage human interactions and discourage discrimination can help. Therefore, every member of society should channel their efforts into promoting social equality.
Conclusion
Discrimination in the workplace can be detrimental since it leads to depression and other psychological disorders that affect employees’ productivity. David Smith, James Williamson, Catherine Campbell, Charles Robinson, and Elizabeth Hayes Omari are some of the people who have been discriminated against of their gender, age, race, religion, and sexuality. While the experiences affected some of them, others used them to become agents of change in their organizations. Discrimination in the workplace should be discouraged for success and positive social growth.
References
Igielnik, R. (2022). Most Americans who are familiar with Title IX say it’s had a positive impact on gender equality. Pew Research Center. Web.
Makers (2013). Women who make America, part II. Www.yahoo.com. Web.
Retro Report (2017). Why hasn’t sexual harassment disappeared? [Video]The New York Times. Web.