Business Perspective: Discrimination at workplace should be discouraged

I was listening to a story of a young and talented woman who was discriminated against at her place of work because she was found to be HIV positive. This lady despite her position in that company was immediately replaced with an amateur just because of her health status. This is not the first story I have heard of people who have been discriminated against at their places of work for one reason or another. I remember the first time I went looking for employment I was told point blank that I was not going to be given a chance because I barely knew kinyarwanda; no matter how hard I tried to argue my case no one was ready to listen- this prompted me to pack my bags and leave the country. The famous discrimination of all is the age factor. It is usually considered that a person tends to get weak and frail along with the passage of time. Therefore, old people are not recruited for new job openings, for the reason that they are not energetic, take time to understand their task and are most resistant to change. In spite of this perception, certain studies have proven that most old people are more energetic than their younger counterparts and tend to have a better understanding of the situation than the younger people. This case happened to my very own uncle who was replaced at his work place by a much younger person because of his age, even though he had experience of over thirty five years. Another most important factor is sex. It is thought that women are considered to be inferior to their male counterparts and thus are not promoted beyond a certain point, which is known as the glass ceiling effect. This demonstrates that no matter the sacrifices the woman has made and the efforts put in her work, she will still be passed by for a promotion just because of her gender. Or much worse be expected to offer her body so that she can be favoured for promotions, this has got to stop. Many countries are taking action against workplace discrimination and encouraging diversity and equal opportunity. The main theme behind workplace discrimination is the fact that the human race tends to create stereotypes and then group people according to those types. This is usually the result of the perception of those whose have risen to power and are in control of the situation. Well it is now a known factor that any employer known to discriminate their employees for one reason or the other risks going to court to answer charges. By the way, it is not only employers who discriminate their employees but even colleagues as well. Any person who is known to discriminate another person is answerable to the courts of law. Employers also need to be aware of their responsibilities to ensure that the working environment or workplace culture is not hostile, no matter the status of a person. Every employer should make sure that they have created a discrimination free work place for their employers , because one complaint from an employee could end with a company being sued to face stiff legal and financial penalties, bad publicity, low employee morale and much worse. The government prohibits many types of workplace discrimination-not just discrimination based on race, colour, religion, sex, or national origin but any other discrimination for that matter. It is up to the business owners or employers to put this into action. kayitesius@yahoo.com