Criminal Justice
You have been provided the opportunity to reflect on the reciprocal impact of self in relation to diversity in the workplace. Your tasks for this paper are to select one article of interest from our Canvas course that discusses an issue related to diversity in the workplace and to provide some analysis on the issue and article in question in regard to specific prompts.
**** Please choose an article from the “Diversity Articles for Paper 4” section of this week’s content for review and analysis.
CHOOSE ONE OF THE ATTACHMENTS DOWN BELOW THANK YOU
Download the attached document to access the guidelines and rubric for this assignment. APA format is required for all papers in this course. Use the Sample APA Paper document attached below to help with formatting and/or consult with your instructor for questions about formatting.
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ANSWER
Diversity in the Workplace
Organizations have changed in the last few decades and have become more tolerant and inclusive of diversity. The tolerance levels in the workplace have gone up because policies have been enacted against discrimination. There is, however, evidence of the same policies not being followed as there have been several cases of discrimination that have been reported. Discrimination can sometimes be subtle, making it look like it is not discrimination, but it is still some form of discrimination. Covert forms of discrimination have allowed discriminatory behavior to remain in the workplace and while maintaining an unbiased façade (Zurbrügg & Miner, 2016). An example of workplace discrimination that is subtle and creates an unbiased image is workplace incivility. Workplace incivility involves rudely talking to a person, interrupting a person during a meeting, and professional discrimination (Tarraf, 2017). According to many employees, workplace incivility is a common issue in the workplace.
The main problem facing the workplace incivility topic is that there are gaps in the research on the topic which means that there is little information on who is most affected by the uncivil behavior. According to the article, women are likely to experience workplace incivility than men, and sexual minorities experience more workplace incivility than heterosexuals (Zurbrügg & Miner, 2016). The research also shows that sexual orientation and gender interact together such that women who belong to the sexual minorities are likely to experience the highest form of workplace incivility. It is therefore clear from this article that sexual minorities and women mostly experience subtle discrimination in the form of workplace incivility. It is more rapid among women who belong to sexual minorities group. From the hypothesis above, one can conclude that men who are heterosexuals are likely to experience low incidents of workplace incivility. Workplace incivility is therefore likely to increase the chances of the sexual minorities and women to be dissatisfied with their jobs and also experience high levels of stress.
The new policies in place to address discrimination have not clearly addressed some subtle types of discrimination, which leaves many of the discriminated groups not aware of what discrimination is and what is not. I, therefore, agree that workplace incivility is a problem, especially among women and sexual minorities (Di Marco et al, 2018). Workplace incivility experienced by women is mostly found in tech companies or organizations that are not recognized as common ventures for women. The incivilities experienced in these areas include women not being given credit for their ideas, women not being allowed to talk during meetings, and being left out from professional tasks because of their gender. Most women working in tech companies have reported having to be tough for them to survive the masculine environment because they are viewed as weak or incapable of delivering as efficiently as the men in the same career.
When a colleague or a manager treats a member of the organization with disrespect, it takes a toll on the person. They are likely to feel unsatisfied with their current position, and there are chances of getting depressed (Jones et al, 2017). The mental health of a person is an essential factor in any organization. A new employee has not been invited to the company’s happy hour. He sits wondering whether the reason behind not being invited is because he revealed his sexual orientation as bisexual. A qualified woman does not get the promotion, and she is wondering if it is because her baby bump has started showing. These are the many types of subtle discriminations that are experienced in the places of work. These cannot be reported because there is nothing to tell. The place is an image of equality, but in reality, many biases lie within the organization. These issues are problematic and are among the many issues that are pushing employees to depression.
The issue of incivility is essential to career development because, as a career person, one needs to understand what passes as discrimination and what does not. It is also crucial that one understands some of the challenges they might experience in the workplace due to their differences. It is also essential to understand the types of workplace incivility to ensure that as a career person, one does not participate in making another person feel uncomfortable or in making the other person stressed (Patterson et al, 2017). The types of workplace incivility discussed in the article mainly involve gender and sexual orientation, which are the basis of discrimination for a long time. Workplace incivility can also spiral out of control, whereas and as a leader, one is supposed to notice any incivilities before they spiral out of control.
It is also essential to be prepared for what one might meet in the course of career advancements. For example, a woman might feel like she will need to forego family life to build her career. With the knowledge of what to expect, especially when it comes to subtle discrimination, she can prepare herself and plan her life such that she is not caught in the middle of family and work. It is also important because, with the knowledge of these types of biases, a woman can create a conducive workplace for her fellow women if she is in the place of leadership (Wells et al, 2020). Understanding diversity and the types of discrimination that go on in the place of work is important because it prepares a person on what to expect and how to address the issues related to the same.
The issue of workplace incivility and discrimination in the workplace applies to me trying to build a career in law enforcement. This is one of the areas where subtle discrimination is experienced, especially among women and sexual minorities. There are chances of a woman being put up for a desk job because somebody does not think they are capable of being in the field. There are also higher chances of a heterosexual person getting a promotion over a gay person even though they have the same qualifications. It is, therefore, important to understand all these types of subtle discriminations in my line of work so that I can be prepared to deal with them and, if possible, try to start a campaign against workplace incivilities. It is unfair to cut somebody out of workplace activities because of their sexual orientation or their gender. Office happy hour does not have to belong to heterosexual males. It is office happy hour and, therefore, an all-inclusive event.
Subtle discrimination exists in all aspects of a person’s career. Therefore, workplace incivility is relevant to my career in that I could help my colleagues who are discriminated against. This could range from ensuring that my team members are all being treated equally. There are cases where team members carry out meetings without one team member because of their sexual orientation or gender (Miner & Cortina, 2016). This is wrong and some of the things I would like to address while building my career. The disrespectful comments about a woman needing to go home to their family and not being capable of holding leadership positions are all wrong. Therefore, these are some of the issues that I will most probably face and have to handle.
As a leader with the power to set the rules in an organization, I would create a list of the types of micro-aggressions and subtle discrimination in the workplace. I would then create training and workshops and set policies on addressing the issues and the punishments for anyone who breaks any of the guidelines (Tarraf, 2017). A leader should be diversity conscious, which is the kind of policymaker I aspire to become. I would ensure that the workplace is created such that it accommodates all people. That is all genders, races, and sexual orientations. The incivility of women, especially pregnant women, would be an offense that could lead to a person losing their job. Any subtle discrimination would be addressed such that every member of the organization is heard and appreciated for their effort (Schneider et al, 2017).
As a leader, I could create break rooms for women who have newborns to nurse their babies. They will be given extra time to nurse their babies, which will not hinder them from getting promoted as long as they qualify for the promotion. I will also create a conducive environment for people of all sexual orientations y building gender-neutral bathrooms. The hiring policy will be all-inclusive such that the workplace will have people of all races, genders, and sexual orientations. There will also be frequent emails on the types of workplace incivilities and discrimination being circulated to remind the employees and leaders to be kind to each other.
References
Di Marco, D., Hoel, H., Arenas, A., & Munduate, L. (2018). Workplace incivility as modern sexual prejudice. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 33(12), 1978-2004.
Jones, K. P., Arena, D. F., Nittrouer, C. L., Alonso, N. M., & Lindsey, A. P. (2017). Subtle discrimination in the workplace: A vicious cycle. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 10(1), 51-76.
Miner, K. N., & Cortina, L. M. (2016). Observed workplace incivility toward women, perceptions of interpersonal injustice, and observer occupational wellbeing: Differential effects for gender of the observer. Frontiers in psychology, 7, 482.
Patterson, A. M., Chris, A. C., & González-Morales, M. G. (2017). Workplace incivility: A critical review and agenda for research and practice. The Routledge companion to wellbeing at work, 150-168.
Schneider, K. T., Wesselmann, E. D., & DeSouza, E. R. (2017). Confronting subtle workplace mistreatment: The importance of leaders as allies. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1051.
Tarraf, R. C. (2017). Understanding workplace incivility experiences and the moderating role of mindfulness.
Wells, J. E., Sartore-Baldwin, M., Walker, N. A., & Gray, C. E. (2020). Stigma Consciousness and Work Outcomes of Senior Woman Administrators: The Role of Workplace Incivility. Journal of Sport Management, 35(1), 69-80.
Zurbrügg, L., & Miner, K. N. (2016). Gender, sexual orientation, and workplace incivility: Who is most targeted and who is most harmed?. Frontiers in psychology, 7, 565.
