Persistent Challenges: Racial Discrimination in the Workplace

Rising Concerns of Discrimination

In the year 2016, a total of 91,503 charges were filed by individuals with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claiming to have been discriminated against during work situations. As society changes, the population can notice that some individuals continue to discriminate against others based on their race. Racism in the work world continues to be a problem for minorities.

Legal Protections and Their Limitations

Admittedly, there are federal laws imposed to prevent racial discrimination in the workplace. For example, as stated in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, employers cannot discriminate against anyone concerning rights and benefits as to one’s race. However, the law only works if an individual files a charge, but not all individuals are in a position where they are willing to risk spending excessive money or losing their job because of situations they could be facing in life.

Real-World Instances of Racial Bias

On the contrary, there is still racial bias when hiring, promoting, and firing. For instance, a black novice was constantly put down orally at an auto dealer. The comments continued, although he disapproved of them. He was laid off because of immoderate absences, but the court presumed it was partially racially prompt. As well, a Chicago law firm was discovered to have racially discriminated against an employee. The law firm was pronounced guilty after it was unearthed that the employee was poorly-paid, ruled out for association within the firm as well as not being aided to assemble a bankruptcy proceeding after the firm’s central bankruptcy partner vacated. Besides that, in one situation, one answerer confessed she did not report her experience with discrimination since she was in need of money and had a zero-hour contract.

Staggering Statistics on Workplace Discrimination

Additionally, surveys have statistically shown that racial discrimination in the workplace lingers. This is shown in a study conducted over 14 days which discovered that more than ¾ of the Asian Americans partaking encountered a form of hostile, derogatory, or minor racial insults (Williams 1-5). Also, another study conducted found that since 1990 white candidates with indistinguishable résumés from those of black and Latino candidates received more than 20% more callbacks.

The research group states, “When we controlled for these factors, we found that none accounted for the trend of discrimination. Under these and other adjustments, our results suggest that levels of discrimination against black job applicants have not changed since 1990.” Furthermore, of 24,457 employees surveyed, 30% described observing or encountering racial discrimination from bosses, coworkers, or others. Of the ethnic minority employees, 16% described being the victim of discrimination.

A Call to Action

Ultimately, there is not enough help for minorities whenever they are the victim of racial discrimination at work. It is up to you to create a more welcoming and diverse environment for minorities because you never know what challenges one may face in life. “Discrimination has a lot of layers that make it tough for minorities to get a leg up”- Bill Gates.

References:

1. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2016). Charges filed by individuals with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Retrieved from
2. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000e et seq.
3. Leap, T. L., & Smeltzer, L. R. (n.d.). Racial Discrimination in the Workplace: An Analysis of Legal Cases.
4. Black attorney represents client in racial discrimination suit. (n.d.).
5. Williams, J. (n.d.). Hostile Work Environment and Racial Discrimination: A Study Over 14 Days.