Paper Example on Discrimination in the Workplace Policy

The concept of discrimination raises controversies when aired at the workplace, yet it has an intense effect on the operations of an organization. There are various types of discrimination which include gender, race, ethnicity and many others that compromise the efficiency of employees at the workplace. Therefore, the anti-discrimination policy is vital to ensure that all employees are treated with the fairness they deserve. Findings from surveys have reported that employees who have never been victims of workplace discrimination, exhibit more satisfaction with the job. Hence, it is a responsibility of the human resource department and the organization at large to ensure that all employees are treated with utmost fairness. People who are discriminated due to their age or body shape develop low self-esteem that limits their performance in the workplace. This situation consequentially affects their productivity. This situation subsequently affects the competitiveness of the organization as some of its talents are suppressed by the bullies who perpetrate discrimination within the organization.

Training on workplace policies

Woodlake law firm needs to initiate monthly training and assessment programs for staff at the company to enlighten the staff on the dangers of discrimination. Studies have revealed that training on discrimination at the workplace limits the occurrence of such cases within organizations. The training will be done monthly through various channels which include seminars, bulleting briefing, pamphlets, and many other accompanied by assessments.

By addressing the discrimination issues through various channels, the organization will provide staff with equal opportunity and safe working environment. It will encourage employees to share ideas and respect each other which will also increase cohesiveness at the workplace among employees at all levels. This situation will improve productivity and competitiveness of Woodlake law firm.

The paper shall entail a proposed policy for Woodlake law firm to curb discrimination among employee at the workplace. Discrimination has affected relationships at the workplace and has compromised the cooperation among employees when dealing with work issues. This culture has led to the deterioration of service delivery, and the management has been alerted to the issues, and diligently through investigation, it has discovered how deeply it has eaten into the fabric of the firm.

Therefore, both the senior and junior staff will have a role in promoting and upholding the provision of the policy. For instance, all employees will be required to report immediately any form of discrimination to their immediate supervisor or the human resource office. The national laws discourage discrimination of any kind, and for those cases, we cannot handle locally the government shall be requested to support in dealing with perpetrators of this unethical and criminal act. It is a responsibility for everyone working at Woodlake to promote a discrimination-free environment for maximum productivity.

Summary

Last year on June one of our senior attorneys lost in a court case to a competitor firm to Woodlake. Our lawyer had never lost in litigation and was probably not going to lose in that case. However, due to some technicalities of the case, it was within her rights to request any support from the organization. She requested some help from the team of paralegals to assist in obtaining key elements that will pull-off the case, but the request was given contemptuous attention. When we did some investigation on the reason for this loss, we realized some paralegals thought a lady attorney who was also a Latino by ethnicity was not worth any support. This baseless and unethical discriminatory behavior impacted negatively on the firms reputation that we had to dismiss some paralegals.

However, we noticed that this was not a permanent solution for issues of discrimination within the organization. Therefore, the Woodlake senior management decided to introduce an anti-discrimination policy to streamline relationships in the workplace. All employee from junior to senior staff will be expected to comply. The policy would specify all acts that are considered discriminatory, and the punishment for each will be stipulated in line with the national policy for workplace discrimination and our local terms of employment. Our zero tolerance for acts of discrimination is geared towards a discrimination-free workplace, which will allow all employees to exploit their full potential and improve productivity and service delivery of the firm.

The Actual Policy

Introduction

Woodlake is an American law firm, which was founded in California seven year ago. It is among the fast growing and competitive law firms in the city with more than 200 attorneys. Some of the lawyers have been awarded for diligent performance of their duties, while other firms have been looking to us to provide the guidance in handling various court matters. The annual revenue is around one billion dollars per year. The organization targets the large corporate clients with trials at the court which have primarily been the reason for the fame of Woodlake law firm. The organization takes associates from all universities as long as they have good credentials. The law firm was a result of a partnership between two young lawyers who had worked in the office of district attorney for five years after graduating Harvard law school. The Anti-discriminatory Act of 1991 of USA prohibits any form of discrimination and sexual harassment towards anybody. Last year Woodlake had a huge scandal when a reputable attorney at the firm lost in a court case that should have been won with maximum internal support as shown above. This situation made Woodlake realize that the national policy regarding discrimination at the workplace was not adequate and hence designing a policy to strengthen its stipulations was required. The resultant policy will have six parts which will be placed under different headings. The first segment is the introduction to the policy. The second will show how the policy will be applied, third, discrimination and equal opportunity for employment. The fourth will be outlining the roles of the staff in the policy implementation, fifth will be consequences for the breach, and finally, enlightening people on the national act against discrimination.

Anti-discrimination laws offer employees the protection they need while working in a diversified environment by promoting fair treatment (Pager & Western, 2012). The policy allows people of different religion, race, and gender among other differences to work together towards a common goal. For this reason, plaintiffs need to be aware of their rights and channels for reporting discrimination to ensure workplaces are safe environments and promote productivity and ethical conduct. The human resource department has to handle issues regarding discrimination which is one of the topics that appear controversial (Tesfaye, 2011). Some employers fail to hire an employee based on their age or health status with disregard to their qualification to the job (Mishra & Mishra, 2015). This is why Woodlake first section of the policy provides for equal opportunity for employment to encourage talented people to join the firm. Some studies have shown that gender discrimination denies some employees the chance to grow their career as they are blocked from promotions and other incentives at the workplace (Abbas, Hameed, & Waheed, 2010). This situation is linked to work-related stress and job dissatisfaction hence poor productivity and high cases of turnover. Considering those research findings, it is clear that the management will have ample time dealing with employees who respect each other. It will ultimately boost the firms productivity and subsequent financial returns, better reputation, and competitiveness in the industry. The policy will also promote order as people will be courteous towards each other, which will enhance collaboration between various departments of the firm. The management will have few work-related conflicts since the employees will be equipped to work towards a resolution. Turnover cases will decline, and Woodlake will retain its talented attorneys and glory in the industry.

Discussion and analysis

Workplace discrimination is a controversial issue which organization face nowadays. Employee performs critical tasks for the benefit of the organization, and when their efforts are unrecognized, it affects their productivity (Abbas, Hameed, & Waheed, 2010). The outcome of this situation will adversely affect the business as shown above in the case of Woodlake law firm. For this reason, introducing, implementing, and enforcing the antidiscrimination rules within the organization is mandatory. In the contemporary workplaces sometimes it is difficult to identify acts of discrimination when they occur (Pager & Western, 2012). For this reason, policies that define discrimination and identifies the channels for reporting and punishment for such unethical and criminal conduct is needed. Other people engage in discrimination unconsciously, but with policies in place, employees will gauge their statements and actions which will encourage them to act with caution. The findings indicated that job satisfaction is directly proportional to the productivity of an organization (Tesfaye, 2011). Hence, the organization needs to focus on eliminating all obstacles to job satisfaction, and one of the major ones is discrimination in the workplace. The supportive working environment allows people of all races, gender, ethnicity, and other different backgrounds to interact and share ideas leading to creative solutions. Unfortunately, discrimination may not only be promoted among employees but by organizations, especially the body that is required to stop the act, human resource. Some employers act with discrimination towards potential employee based on their age, health status or other things which may deny the organization a chance to hire a talented person (Mishra & Mishra, 2015). For these reasons, the following anti-discrimination policy was designed by Woodlake law firm to promote harmony among employee and integrity of the firm.

Introduction

Woodlake law firm is dedicated to providing a working environment free from any form of discrimination, where all staff member will be treated with courtesy, dignity, and respect. The anti-discrimination policy will facilitate monthly training and assessment and provide avenues for dealing with cases of discrimination.

Application of the anti-discrimination policy

The policy applies to all staff which includes full time and part-time, permanent and temporary, and casual workers. Woodlake contractual employees, volunteers, and commission workers will be bound by the terms of the policy. The employee should extend the same when dealing with clients both at the workplace and offsite.

Discrimination and equal opportunity

Woodlake law firm is an equal opportunity employer, and any discrimination should be reported immediately. This applies to all phases of employment relation such as hiring, promotion, and dismissal of employees among other factors. Woodlake believes that all employee deserve to work an environment free from any form of discrimination or victimization due to their uniqueness. We cherish uniqueness as a strength in pursuit of Woodlake law firm agendas. Hence b...