Equal?
“One of my coworkers was buying a new house so we went to Google maps to look it up. It’s a satellite image so you can zoom in and see an image of the actual house. Another co-worker walked by and said, “What, are you selecting a target?” — An Arab male finance professional
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A new study reveals that workplace unfairness costs U.S. employers an estimated $64 billion per year in turnover of managers and professionals, in addition to costs from decreased sales of products and services and damaged employer reputation.
“The Corporate Leavers Survey,” conducted by the Level Playing Field Institute and sponsored by Korn/Ferry International, finds that each year more than two million professionals and managers leave their corporate employers due solely to workplace unfairness. According to the survey, people of color are three times more likely and gays and lesbians are twice as likely as heterosexual Caucasian males to have left their jobs due solely to workplace unfairness.
“The study highlights that unfairness in the form of everyday inappropriate behaviors is a very real, prevalent and damaging part of today’s work environment,” said Freada Kapor Klein, Ph.D., founder and board chair of the Level Playing Field Institute. “The cumulative impact of stereotyping, subtle slights and being excluded is extraordinarily costly for individuals, employers and the society as a whole. It is sadly ironic that so much money is spent on recruiting and so little attention is devoted to creating a fair and welcoming work environment. Many companies become revolving doors for people of color, gays and lesbians and women.”
Among the specific types of unfairness inquired about, the behaviors which were most likely to prompt someone to quit were: “being asked to attend more recruiting or community events” based on their race, gender, religion or sexual orientation (16 percent), “being passed over for a promotion” (15 percent) and “being compared to a terrorist” (19 percent). Although the actual incidence rate of being compared to a terrorist was small (2 percent), when it did occur, it had a profound effect and was one of the behaviors most frequently associated with an employee’s decision to leave solely due to unfairness.
Has this happened to you? Specifically, have you been treated unfairly due to your religion?
Sadly, I can say that I have. Christians usually get a bad rap because the white, male, Christian majority in the United States accounts for much of the unfairness that occurs every day. However, what about the people who want to stereotype me as a member of that Christian group? Christians can’t all be lumped together either! I’m not close-minded and I don’t have a soap box. At least, not one that I stand on to preach to you about the need for Jesus in your life. I want to help you find religion, yes…but on your own terms.
I saw this a lot in college as well. I wear a cross necklace or attend religious function and I’m not a fun person. It’s sad, because I think that the inequality scares a lot of people away from any kind of religion. We’re worried about our images, so it’s just easier to not associate ourselves with a Bible…or the Star of David…or a Qu’ran…or anything that remotely suggests that we follow any sort of faith.
And yet, that faith is what we call on in our own hearts to get through the day.
Before you accuse me of accusing you, be aware of WHO I AM, not who my religion says I’m likely to be. If you’re not Christian, you don’t have to play defense with me. Really. But don’t tell me that my religion is wrong or corrupt or whatever. My religion is my own, just as yours is your own. If you want people to stop persecuting you, the first step is to stop persecuting them.
After all, you know what they say about assuming. It only makes an ASS out of U and ME.
Click here to read the best of Find Religion.
Leave a Reply