Stereotypes In The Workplace

In the business world of today, there are many employers that claim to be "Equal Opportunity Employers". This means that the company pledges to its applicants that their employees are treated without regard to race, religion, sex, color, age, national origin, physical or mental disability. This pledge encompasses employment, promotions, transfers, recruitment, compensation, and ensuring a work environment that is free of harassment. In order to maintain such an environment, employers must provide training and resources to enhance diversity awareness of these issues in the workplace.

In the scenario with the hiring of a new marketing manager the employee has interviewed a candidate that he believes has the necessary skills and background for the position. But for some reason or other, his coworker feels that the person may not be a good fit for the position. Due to the fact that the candidate has the necessary experience and education for the position, it leads me to believe that the coworker's decision stems from some sort of social bias or stereotype.

A stereotype is an overgeneralization that will attribute identical characteristics to everyone in a group. A stereotype is a fixed impression which may have little facts to back up beliefs that can be based on hearsay, rumors, or anecdotal evidence (Stereotyping, 2005). The coworker's decision could also stem from of avoidance, where he is avoiding members of a group. Stereotypes are forms of the availability heuristic, which allows people to estimate the likelihood of an outcome based on how easy it is to imagine. This coworker's stereotype of Hispanic Woman has led him to decide that the candidate would not be suitable, without even considering her qualifications. The stereotype could be of racial, sexist and/or discriminatory in nature, which are leading him to these biases.

According to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it prohibits discrimination in hiring, promotion, discharge, pay, fringe benefits, and other aspects of employment, on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. From that standpoint, it is not only unethical, but illegal for the employee to make a hiring decision based solely on his coworker's opinion. If this candidate not only has the necessary experience and education, but has better references

...