Week 12: Organizational Diversity Processes

In this chapter, I have learned that organizations are made up from different backgrounds. Whether in small company or big multinational company, individuals working in it most of the time will be diverse in different categories, for instance the ethnicity, gender, race, sexual preferences and physical and mental ability. Hence, discrimination occurs due to diversity in organization.

For a long time, women have been experienced stereotyping that they are less or not competent in some jobs. In recent time, pregnant women in workplace are being discriminated as well.

(Virgin Blue HQ)

According to the Marx (2011), an employee who is pregnant claim alleges that she received discrimination in Virgin Blue Company. Managers think that she is unable to handle many jobs. The employee said that the company given her junior tasks, limited working hours, excluded from her usual management meetings and removed her from the company website as a media contact, even suggest her to take another maternity leave.

In this case, it is obvious that Virgin Blue management discriminate pregnant employee in the workplace. Virgin Blue Company did not share the same core value of productivity and performances, and lack of communication to avoid negative effects of diversity management. As Miller (2012) suggested, in organization diversity theory, civil workplace is to ensure equal opportunity in to workplace and ‘aim to remedy discrimination and increase the representation of designated disadvantaged groups, namely, women and ethnic minorities.’

If Virgin Blue concerned about the heavy work task for the pregnant women condition, the manager should have communicate before the made decision to reduce her tasks. For example, talk to the employees to ensure that if they can handle or need helps from other co-workers. Furthermore, responsibility such as meetings and website media contact are not heavy tasks for pregnant women, however, the manager reduce such tasks for her.

I believe it is a prejudice and stereotypical behavior against pregnant women in organization today.

References:

Marx, A 2011, ‘Lawyers says Virgin Blue displayed ‘unhealthy work culture’ in city office,’ Courier Mail 14 March, viewed 26 October 2013, <http://www.couriermail.com.au/business/lawyer-says-virgin-blue-displayed-unhealthy-work-culture-in-city-office/story-e6freqmx-1226020707484>.

Miller, K 2012, Organization Communication, 6^th edn, Wadsworth Cengage Learning, Boston.