Page 99 - Fundamentals of Management Myths Debunked (2017)_Flat

98 Part 1 • Introduction
race GeNDer. Women (49.8 percent) and men (50.2 percent) now each make up almost half
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The biological heritage (including physical charac- of the workforce. However, gender diversity issues are still quite prevalent in organiza-
teristics, such as one’s skin color and associated tions. These issues include the gender pay gap, career start and progress, and miscon-
traits) that people use to identify themselves
ceptions about whether women perform their jobs as well as men do. It’s important for
ethnicity managers and organizations to explore the strengths that both women and men bring to an
Social traits, such as one’s cultural background or organization and the barriers they face in contributing fully to organizational efforts.
allegiance, that are shared by a human population
rACe AND etHNICIty. There’s a long and controversial history in the United States and
in other parts of the world over race and, as recent events have shown, how people react
to and treat others of a different race. Race and ethnicity are important types of diversity
in organizations. We’re going to define race as the biological heritage (including physical
characteristics such as one’s skin color and associated traits) that people use to identify
themselves. Most people identify themselves as part of a racial group, and such racial
classifications are an integral part of a country’s cultural, social, and legal environments.
Ethnicity is related to race, but it refers to social traits—such as one’s cultural background
or allegiance—that are shared by a human population.
The racial and ethnic diversity of the U.S. population is increasing and at an exponential
rate. We’re also seeing this same effect in the composition of the workforce. Most of the
research on race and ethnicity as they relate to the workplace has looked at hiring decisions,
performance evaluations, pay, and workplace discrimination. Managers and organizations
need to make race and ethnicity issues a key focus in effectively managing workforce
diversity.

DIsABILIty/ABILItIes. For persons with disabilities, 1990 was a watershed year—the
year the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law. ADA prohibits discrimination
against persons with disabilities and also requires employers to make reasonable accom-
modations so their workplaces are accessible to people with physical or mental disabilities
and enable them to effectively perform their jobs. With the law’s enactment,
individuals with disabilities became a more representative and integral part of
A Question of Ethics the U.S. workforce.
In effectively managing a workforce with disabled employees, managers
Smokers. Overweight individuals. Two groups need to create and maintain an environment in which employees feel comfort-
about whom much has been written and much able disclosing their need for accommodation. Those accommodations, by law,
has been discussed, especially when it comes enable individuals with disabilities to perform their jobs, but they also need
to be perceived as equitable by those not disabled. It’s the balancing act that
to workplaces. A Gallup poll found that most managers face.
Americans said that if they were in a position
to hire someone, it would make no differ-
ence to them if that person were overweight reLIGIoN. Hani Khan, a college sophomore, had worked for three months as
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a stock clerk at a Hollister clothing store in San Francisco. One day, she was
(79 percent) or smoked (74 percent). However, told by her supervisors to remove the head scarf that she wears in observance of
the majority of Americans (60 percent) said it is Islam (known as a hijab) because it violated the company’s “look policy” (which
justified to set higher health insurance rates for instructs employees on clothing, hair styles, makeup, and accessories they may
smokers. A majority (57 percent) said it is un- wear to work). She refused on religious grounds and was fired one week later.
justified to set higher insurance rates because Like a number of other Muslim women, she filed a federal job discrimination
someone is very overweight. complaint. A spokesperson for Abercrombie & Fitch (Hollister’s parent com-
pany) said that, “If any Abercrombie associate identifies a religious conflict
If your professor has assigned this, go to the with an Abercrombie policy . . . the company will work with the associate in an
Assignments section of mymanagementlab attempt to find an accommodation.”
.com to complete these discussion questions. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of reli-
Talk About It 5: What ethical issues gion (as well as race/ethnicity, country of origin, and sex). However, you’d proba-
might arise in workplaces with employees who bly not be surprised to find out that the number of religious discrimination claims
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fit into these two groups? has been growing in the United States. In accommodating religious diversity,
managers need to recognize and be aware of different religions and their beliefs,
Talk About It 6: As a manager, how paying special attention to when certain religious holidays fall. Businesses benefit
would you handle such issues? when they can accommodate, if possible, employees who have special needs or
requests in a way that other employees don’t view it as “special treatment.”