Discrimination in the Workplace
Dealing with discrimination in the workplace is a sensitive subject. It’s the subject few want to discuss, discrimination. Discrimination is an enormously complex topic made all the more so as its study is based on one’s suspect ability to discern the motivations and intentions of other people. So stated, we’ll try to keep this simple, practical.
Does it exist? I believe it does. However, in my 25+ years of staffing, I have rarely seen it overtly expressed. Further, the majority of the few examples I have witnessed are by companies wishing to diversify their workforce and thus have discriminated against the majority demographic of their organization.
In other words, in my experience, discrimination exists, but certainly not anywhere close to the degree it may have 50 years ago when it first emerged as an issue. In today’s world, dealing with discrimination cuts both ways and can be a help or a hindrance to the same person at different times, in different instances during the course of a career.
Dealing with Discrimination
As a result, my simple advice regarding this issue is this: ignore it. If you are a job seeker, give it no thought, time or precious energy. Focus instead on things you can control, like putting together a great resume or marketing campaign, adding to your skill sets, practice interviewing or developing your network. These are positive areas you can affect and where your limited time and energy can be best employed.
