Workplace

Discrimination

SUMAIYYAH ROSHIDI
2015405632
AA700 1BF

Definition of
Discrimination
Discrimination occurs when one person or a

group of people are treated differently

because of a particular trait or characteristics
The practice of unfairly treating a person
differently or group of people differently from
other people or groups of people (Merriam
Webster Dictionary)

4 Types of Discrimination
1.
2.
3.
4.

Direct discrimination
Indirect discrimination
Harassment
Victimization

Direct Discrimination
Employer treats the employee less favourably

than he treats or would treat others.Because?

they possess a protected characteristic
Ex:
-dismissing someone
-deciding not to employ them
-refusing them training
-denying them a promotion

A and B apply for a job. Both are Malaysian,

but A is Malay and B is Chinese. The employer

decides to give the job to B because Malays
can never speak English properly

Indirect Discrimination
Occurs where an employers policies or work

practices are the same for everyone but place a

particular employee or group of employees at a
disadvantage
Eg: A company policy requiring all employees to
read and write English fluently when this is not
needed for all job within the company
-An employers requirement for a particular level
of education before employing someone ( older
people who do not have the level of education
but have significant life experience and skills

Harassment
When an employee is exposed to offensive or

intimidating behavior
Eg: -giving someone an undesirable nickname
-making inappropriate jokes

Victimization
When you are treated unfairly or put at a

disadvantage because you have tried or taken

action against discrimination
Youre treated unfairly because youve
supported someone else taking action.(for
example: you act as a witness in someone
elses discrimination case.
Eg: you were ignored by your work colleagues
or given a poor reference because youve
made a complaint about discrimination.

Protected Characteristics
Race
Gender
Age
Religion
Disability

Racism
Poor treatment of or violence

against people because of their

race
Or the belief that some races of
people are better than others
Eg : not allowed to wear a
headscarf
Chinese language proficiency
matters more than English

Issue on racism

http://

www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article
/utusan-claims-malay-grads-face-discriminati
on-cites-unnamed-study
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/n
ation/2012/11/02/malay-grads-losing-out-in-

Gender discrimination
Unfair treatment of a person based on his or her gender
Direct-Treating someone (an applicant or employee)

unfavorably because of that persons gender.

Indirect- occur if employers/managers hold assumptions about
what sort of work women & men are capable, or not capable
of doing
http://
www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/discrimination-keeps-most-malaysian-women-out-o
f-formal-job-market-says-rep
http://www.thestar.com.my/Lifestyle/People/2015/01/02/More-commitment-needed-to-end-discrim
ination-against-women
/
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/03/21/eight-women-lose-genderdiscrimination-suit/

http://poskod.my/cheat-sheets/8-things-know-gender-wage-gap/

Sex discrimination could include :

Not hiring a woman because the boss thinks
she wont fit into a traditionally male
workplace
Offering women and men different rates of
pay or benefits for the same job
Not considering women for a particular role
Dividing up work tasks based on whether staff
are male or female.
Some employers fired female employees as
soon as the employees become pregnant

Causes of Gender discrimination

Certain occupations are a mans job or a

womans job.
Physical factor(women are physically weaker
than men, easily abused &discriminated
against men)
Stereotype Feminine & Masculine
characteristics

Age Discrimination
When a person is treated less favorably than another

person in a similar situation because of their age.

Stereotypes and assumptions about young people and
mature workers can have a big influence on decisions
in the workplace.
Direct- older applicant is not considered for a job
because it is assumed that they are not as up to date
with technology as a younger person
Indirect- an employer requires an older person to meet
a physical fitness test which more younger people are
able to meet even though the fitness standard is not
an inherent requirement of the job

Age discrimination in employment can include:

Not providing training opportunities for young
or mature workers because its not worth it
Not employing mature workers its assumed
that they will soon retire
Advertising for someone to join a dynamic,
young team
not interviewing someone because they are
too young or too old to fit in with other staff

http://www.worklifecareers.com/age-

discrimination-get-over-it/

Religious Discrimination
Valuing or treating a person or group

differently because of what they do or do not

believe.
Direct- refusing to allow you into a restaurant
because youre Muslim
Indirect- refusing to allow you into a
restaurant if youre wearing a hijab or turban

Religion discrimination may include:

Advertising for job applicants of one religion
only
Requiring you to dress in a certain way
(example: all women need to wear a short
skirt)
Making you work at times that you cannot
work because of your religion

Issues on Religion Discrimination

A Facebook user, who only wanted to be known as Aleen, said
that it was not only in the retail industry does such discrimination
exists.
I studied a media-related course and have been looking for a job
related to what I studied for.
Unfortunately, I was rejected by many companies because I
wear a hijab, which they said will not look good when you have to
dress in corporate clothing, she said, adding that she was even
told by some companies that she might get a job if she was
willing to get rid of the hijab.
Sources :
http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2013/09/18/Discriminati
on-when-hiring-is-rife-say-job-seekers/

http://
www.sinarharian.com.my/nasional/pekerja-bank-tak-dibenarkan-solat-1.238126
http://rakyatnews.my/index.php/headlines/isu-isu-semasa/item/126502-nafihak-pekerja-bank-

Disability Discrimination
Definition : Treating individuals differently in

employment because of their disability,

perceived disability, or association with an
individual with a disability.
Negative pre-conceptions and misperceptions
were formed about PWDs claiming that they
were lazy, dependent on others and a burden
to society

When Ann Khoo worked at her previous company, her

former boss said he hired her out of pity due to a

handicap. Her boss even told her that shehad to work
thrice as hard for people to believe in her. Also, while
others were invited to attend functions, I was warned
not to attend it because they did not want guests to shy
away.
Sources :
Tay, D. (2014, July 28). How one woman's battle with Tourette's
and discrimination turned her into an advocate for fairness in the
workplace. Retrieved September 27, 2015.

https

://www.techinasia.com/discrimination-asias-startups-wo
man-battle-tourettes-turned-advocate-fairness-workplac
e
/

Whenever that he cannot do, he will pass it over to

me. When deadline is over and the job is not

completed, I will get scolded for not doing the job
well. Initially, I do not know how to go about doing job
at all, but I am learning slowly. ( Malay male,
respondent with hard of hearing)
My salary is a problem because what I receive is not
the same as what normal employees receive even
though we do the same work. (Malay male,
respondent with hearing loss)
Source : (Khoo. Workplace discrimination against
Malaysians with disablities.pg1-16)

Effects of workplace discrimination

High Turnover
Low Morale
Employee Conflict) http://

woman.thenest.com/effects-discrimination-workpla
ce-2514.html
)
Decreased Employee Productivity
Disgruntled Employees
Financial
Physical effect on
Employees(http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/effec
ts-discrimination-workplace-2727.html)

How to prevent?
Documentation and Treating all employees the

same
Management Training
Company policies
When hiring, stick to Job requirements
(
http://www.justifacts.com/5-ways-to-reduce-workpla
ce-discrimination
/)
(http://
woman.thenest.com/strategy-stop-discriminationworkplace-15606.html
)