Diversity and Rights in the Workplace

Terms to Know

• Ethnic Group• Assimilation• Workplace Diversity• Discrimination• Criminal Penalties• Stereotype• Racism

• Sexual Orientation• Sexual Harassment• Quid pro quo

harassment • Hostile Environment

harassment• Body Language• Reprisal

What is Diversity?

• Diversity: refers to the many factors that make people different

• The United States is the most diverse country in the world because its population comes from every other nation

Diversity Trends in the United States

• Age• Cultural heritage• Disabilites/abilities• Gender• Language• National origin• Race• Religion• Sexual orientation• Traditions

Major Racial and Ethnic Groups in the United States

• Native Americans• European Americans• Asian Americans• African Americans• Hispanic Americans

Diversity Activity

• You will pair up with one other student.

• You will list 5 things about this student that makes him/her diverse.

• You will introduce your peer partner to the class and tell us why your peer partner is diverse.

Why is Ms. Williams diverse

• Freckles

• Hair texture

• Keen facial features

• Come from Creole (French, European & Spanish) background

• Eat cajun style food (Creole) such as: Gumbo, Crawfish, Fried Green Tomatoes, etc.

The Benefits of Diversity in the Workplace

• Workplace diversity: means respecting the contributions of coworkers who are unlike you.

When employers value their employees

• Fewer lawsuits• Morale is high• Creativity increases• Productivity increases• Quality workers are

attracted to the organization

• Decision-making process

• Decision-making speed improves

• More customers are reached

• Goodwill and positive ties are formed businesses and government groups

Diversity, Rights, and Discrimination

• Discrimination: Treating people on a basis other than individual merit.

• Discrimination may also refer to excluding some people from a special treatment offered to others.

Law & Discrimination • The major laws preserving workers rights

in the workplace are:

• The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

• The Equal Pay Act of 1963

• The 1964 Civil Rights Act

• The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967

• The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986

Laws & Discrimination

• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990

• The 1991 Civil Rights Act

• The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP)

• The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

Law & Discrimination

• Fair Labor Standards Act: forbids unfair treatment of employees by employers, it was established in 1938.

• It established minimum wage

• It established hours worked for overtime

Law & Discrimination

• The Equal Pay Act of 1963: A man and a woman will be paid the same amount of $ for the same job.

• It was established in 1963

Law & Discrimination

• The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967: banned unfair treatment of workers age 40 and older.

• It was established in 1967

Law & Discrimination

• The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986: allowed the awarding of criminal penalties to employers who discriminated against US citizens born outside the country

• It was established in 1986

Law & Discrimination

• The 1964 Civil Rights Act: banned employment discrimination on the basis of face, color, religion, sex, or national origin

• It was established in 1964

Law & Discrimination

• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990: law prohibiting discrimination of individuals with disabilities involving employment, government services, and transportation.

• It was established in 1990

Law & Discrimination

• The 1991 Civil Rights Act: strengthened the ban against discrimination of races and sexes

• Law was established in 1991

Law & Discrimination

• There are 2 federal offices that do most of the work are:

The office of Federal Contract Compliance Program (OFCCP)

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

Law & Discrimination

• OFCCP – actively seeks out cases of discrimination by monitoring contractors who hold federal contracts

• EEOC- investigates charges of discrimination brought to it by individual workers and groups of employees

• http://www.eeoc.gov

Types of Discrimination

• Sex Discrimination

• Racial Discrimination

• Color Discrimination

• National Origin Discrimination

• Language Discrimination

• Religious Discrimination

• Discriminating against people w/ disabilities

Types of Discrimination

• Age Discrimination

• Height & Weight Discrimination

• Discrimination based on sexual orientation

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

• Sexual Harassment generally means unwelcome or unwanted advances, requests for favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.

Sexual Harassment

• There are 2 basic types of sexual harassment defined by EEOC:

• Quid pro quo harassment: occurs when one person makes unwelcome sexual advances toward another while promising certain benefits if the person complies.

• Such as: promise of promotion or pay raise, etc.

Sexual Harassment

• Hostile environment harassment: is behavior that makes an atmosphere uncomfortable enough to interfere with a person’s performance

• Inappropriate remarks, unwanted staring or touching

Sexual Harassment

• Not Until 1986 was sexual harassment considered unlawful.

• Civil Rights Act of 1991 further strengthened victim’s rights by allowing victims a trial by jury

Identifying Sexual Harassment

• Is it sexual in nature?

• Does it violate my employer’s written sexual harassment policy?

• Is it offensive to me? Unwelcomed?

• Does it interfere with my work performance?

• Does the harasser know that I want it stopped?

Facing Sexual Harassment or Discrimination

Discouraging the Behavior:

• Become familiar with your rights to a workplace free of illegal behavior.

• Know your company’s policy and reporting procedure

• Be businesslike at all times

• Make your intentions clear and correct any misinterpretations

Facing Sexual Harassment or Discrimination

Taking Action:

• Tell the aggressor to STOP

• Keep detailed records

• Report the offense