Discrimination on the American Job New study focuses on seven diverse groups By Rosemary Haefner for CareerBuilder.

com and Nina Ramsey for elly !ervices "n the heels of a recent landmar# !upreme Court ruling on discriminatory pay practices$ CareerBuilder.com and elly !ervices have released a survey that found one%in%five wor#ing Americans feel they have faced discrimination on the &ob. 'ven though there are federal laws which prohibit discrimination on the basis of race$ se($ age$ religion$ national origin$ disability and other characteristics$ bias and pay ine)uities in the wor#place remain a persistent problem. *n fact$ last year$ the +.!. ')ual 'mployment "pportunity Commission ,''"C- received ./$.01 discrimination charges against private sector employers. 2he most fre)uent charges were race ,3.$341-$ followed by se( ,34$35.- and retaliation against reporting discrimination ,33$///-. "ther fre)uently cited charge bases were age ,60$/51-$ disability ,6/$/./-$ national origin ,1$43.- and religion ,3$/56-. 2he &oint study$ conducted by Harris *nteractive$ surveyed diverse and non%diverse wor#ers across the country and segmented them into seven ma&or groups$ including African American$ Hispanic$ Asian$ 7emale$ 8ay9:esbian9Bise(ual92ransgender ,8:B2-$ *ndividuals with Disabilities and ;ature <or#ers age /= or older. 2he study>s goals were to? 6. 8auge the fre)uency$ severity and occasion for the perception of discrimination or unfair treatment in the wor#place$ 3. :earn whether employee diversity is valued$ and 4. ;easure how diversity affects hiring decisions$ compensation and career advancement. Discrimination or +nfair 2reatment in the <or#place 2wenty%three percent of diverse wor#ers said they had been discriminated against or treated unfairly in the wor#place based on their bac#ground. 2hirty percent said it happens at least once a wee#. How are wor#ers e(periencing discrimination@ ;ost fre)uently feelings of discrimination or unfair treatment involved? A Not receiving credit for one>s wor# ,51 percentA Not having concerns addressed or ta#en seriously ,53 percentA Having co%wor#ers tal#ing behind one>s bac# ,44 percentA Being overloo#ed for a promotion ,43 percentA Not being assigned to pro&ects that will help wor#er gain more visibility in the company ,43 percentA Having co%wor#ers ma#e derogatory comments to or in front of another wor#er ,46 percentA 7eeling ideas or input are generally ignored ,4= percent+nfortunately$ most of the allegations of discrimination or unfair treatment go unaddressed. Half ,/=

percent- of diverse wor#ers who e(perienced discrimination or unfair treatment said they did not report the incident. "f those who did report$ in .4 percent of the cases the offender was not held accountable. <hen as#ed why those being discriminated against stay with their current employer$ more than half ,05 percent- said they could not afford to )uit. Diversity %% Hiring and 7iring <hen applying for a new &ob$ 43 percent of diverse wor#ers said their diverse bac#grounds wor# against them$ 66 percent said it wor#s in their favor. *n terms of involuntary termination$ one%in%ten diverse wor#ers ,66 percent- said they believed they had been fired at some point in their career based on their diverse bac#ground. 2he good news is more and more employers are recogniBing the positive impact diversity has on the wor# culture and overall business performance. Diverse perspectives fuel rich idea generation$ creativity and strong problem%solving and companies are ta#ing measures to embrace and cultivate a diverse environment. <hen see#ing employment$ &ob see#ers should loo# for a healthy$ balanced and diverse wor# culture. As# these )uestions? A Does the company have formal policies against discrimination and prescribed reporting processes to address concerns@ A Does the company foster a wor# environment that embraces and cultivates diversity and open communications@ A Does the company routinely evaluate hiring practices$ leadership development and succession practices@ <here to 8et Help *f you feel li#e you have been the victim of discrimination$ the first place you should go to is your Human Resources department. <or#ing with your internal representatives to address your issues is e(tremely important. 'mployers have a vested interest to ensure all employees feel valued. *n many cases$ line managers or supervisors engaging in improper behavior continue the behavior because the proper channels within the organiBation are not tapped until the situation is irreparable. Rosemary Haefner is vice president of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.com and Nina Ramsey is senior vice president of Human Resources at elly !ervices.