Workplace Discrimination

Dealing with Workplace Discrimination

Have you ever experienced the "sting" of discrimination? This might have occurred in a job interview, when someone asked personal questions about your health, marital status, or beliefs. Or you might suspect that you have been passed over for a promotion because of your cultural background or your age.
In this blog, we'll look at the different types of workplace discrimination and about my personal experience in the workplace and how to deal with it.

Types of Discrimination at work

1. Sexual Discrimination
2. Age Discrimination
3. Disability Discrimination
4. Racial Discrimination
5. Retaliation Discrimination

My Personal Experience in the Workplace

During my Masters I worked part-time at Coles as Customer Service Supervisor to manage my daily expenses. It is lovely to work at Coles and interact with customers but the job gets a bit rusty when dealing with racist customers. One day we were under staffed because of a cancellation at the last minute by one of my team member due to medical emergency. During the peak lunch hours the coward was unmanageable and led to a long queue formation at the service desk. A guy who just walked into the store to purchase tobacco saw the long queue and walked straight to me. He ordered to service him but I respond politely by requesting him to wait for his turn. He immediately started to verbally abuse and harshly said "Return to India if you can't handle this coward, you f**king C*nt!!" and walked out of the store. The other customer who waiting in line spoke to me and comforted met and asked not mind his words. I wasn't worried about the statement he made in front of a large coward. I was greatly for the large crowd and management that gave me support after the incident.

Despite it being 2020, race-based discrimination is one of the most common forms of bias. It may make itself known even before you get a job. In the hiring process, some unscrupulous decision makers will reject applicants based strictly on race.On the job, racial discrimination in the office can take many forms, both subtle and not. Sometimes the prejudice is very obvious. If only the white employees are getting raises and all the employees that are people of color are not, a simple explanation of “None of you deserve it” is statistically unlikely. On the other hand, the discrimination may be more subtle. Such as special employee treatment or events only for employees of a particular ethnicity.

"Scanlon Foundation’s 2017 Mapping Social Cohesion report found 39 per cent of respondents born in India reported having experienced discrimination in Australia."

Ways to manage workplace discrimination

1. Communicate the awareness of workplace discrimination

2. Contact legal bodies about the discrimination

3. Keep a record of any incident of discrimination

4. Be aware of the company's discrimination policy

5. Review laws to see what your rights are