As an employee or an employer, discrimination in the workplace is a difficult issue to deal with, it can be complicated and misunderstood. The legal and ethical issues involved can be arduous, and extensive but is imperative to the work force. For many years I worked as a the only female in a construction supply company, but it was only recently did I personally experience the ethical and legal issue of discrimination.
For 13 years I worked for a small privately owned construction supply company, in July of 2012 the owner of the company decided to retire and sell the company to a large corporation based out of North Carolina. The sale included the employment of the three salaried salespeople, two salesmen and me, the lone saleswoman. We were …show more content…
On many occasions, especially team meetings or corporate meetings, I was told to fetch water and take notes, which I did as they were part of my new job description and I needed this job. However, the way the branch manager talked to me was very degrading, and condescending. I quickly noticed his attitude toward me was different than the other employees and I started to record and take notes on the incidences that appeared to be discriminatory. For example, he would look at me inappropriately and he had trouble finding and focusing on my face during a discussion. He commented on my dress and at one point made comments on what my food choices for …show more content…
I was not taken seriously and the incident passed without discussion or reprimand, and I was not surprised in the least. I then reached out to corporate verbally and was told that I did not have anything to worry about, that they would investigate the situation.
Two weeks after my conversation with corporate I was fired. The branch manager gave everyone in the office a paid day off except me and the warehouse guy. He called me into his office on a Friday at 3pm and told me that because of this incident I was losing my position with the company and that I should not file for unemployment as he would fight me on it.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964, title VII states that any act of discrimination on the bases of race, color, religion, sex or national origin is illegal. Title VII also prohibits acts of retaliation. Another type of sexual harassment is know as a hostile work environment. In 1986 the Supreme Court recognized that a hostile work environment is one where hostile conditions in the workplace are severe and pervasive, unwelcome, and based on the victim’s gender (Lau, T. & Johnson, L. 2015). The Equal Employment Opportunity Commision oversees the enforcement of rules and regulations that govern this act. Furthermore, this stipulates that an employer should award equal opportunities to all employees regardless of race or
For 13 years I worked for a small privately owned construction supply company, in July of 2012 the owner of the company decided to retire and sell the company to a large corporation based out of North Carolina. The sale included the employment of the three salaried salespeople, two salesmen and me, the lone saleswoman. We were …show more content…
On many occasions, especially team meetings or corporate meetings, I was told to fetch water and take notes, which I did as they were part of my new job description and I needed this job. However, the way the branch manager talked to me was very degrading, and condescending. I quickly noticed his attitude toward me was different than the other employees and I started to record and take notes on the incidences that appeared to be discriminatory. For example, he would look at me inappropriately and he had trouble finding and focusing on my face during a discussion. He commented on my dress and at one point made comments on what my food choices for …show more content…
I was not taken seriously and the incident passed without discussion or reprimand, and I was not surprised in the least. I then reached out to corporate verbally and was told that I did not have anything to worry about, that they would investigate the situation.
Two weeks after my conversation with corporate I was fired. The branch manager gave everyone in the office a paid day off except me and the warehouse guy. He called me into his office on a Friday at 3pm and told me that because of this incident I was losing my position with the company and that I should not file for unemployment as he would fight me on it.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964, title VII states that any act of discrimination on the bases of race, color, religion, sex or national origin is illegal. Title VII also prohibits acts of retaliation. Another type of sexual harassment is know as a hostile work environment. In 1986 the Supreme Court recognized that a hostile work environment is one where hostile conditions in the workplace are severe and pervasive, unwelcome, and based on the victim’s gender (Lau, T. & Johnson, L. 2015). The Equal Employment Opportunity Commision oversees the enforcement of rules and regulations that govern this act. Furthermore, this stipulates that an employer should award equal opportunities to all employees regardless of race or