If I was to come across a current event news article that said one of my favorite companies has been found to be a part of ethnic discrimination, my views would most certainly change, however It might not stop me from using their product or services though. It would really depend on how severe the discrimination was and if It was the result of one person, or It appeared more as a hidden company wide culture that suddenly emerged. For example, in 1994, Denny’s restaurants settled for 54.4 million for allegedly discriminating against black diners at its then 1,400 locations across the United States. Black customers said that they were singled out at Denny’s by being asked to prepay for meals or charged a cover before dining. This type of discrimination was most likely performed by a few waitresses and as a result, not the views shared by Denny’s employees around the country or Denny’s as a whole. As I mentioned earlier, this would most likely change my views, but I would still probably eat at Denny’s, due to the fact that the discrimination was only held out by a few employees. I want to make It clear, that I wouldn’t support the actions obviously, but I would still most likely support Denny’s by being a customer. Now If I were to apply for a job at Denny’s I would most certainly bring up the incident and ask what measures are being taken so that It doesn’t happen again. I would also really be interested in learning how they would describe their company culture, and seeing if It matches with the current views that I hold. I would be curious in also learning what steps they have to prevent discrimination from happening again in the future, and if Denny’s presented a solid case, then I would most likely consider taking the job. .
5 replies on “Blog #3- Experiences with Discrimination”
I like that you drew from and included a real world example in your post. I also agree that it would be a good idea to bring up the incident if you were to get an interview with them. You would be able to get an inside perspective in order to learn more about the situation and gauge how important/impactful the behavior was on the company. Great blog post!
Thanks for the great post Brett. I think your example of Dennys is a great connection. It really ties in well with my thoughts as well. It obviously depends on the situation and the severity of the issue. It is important to have all of the facts before making a decision.
I understand what you have mentioned about the case of discrimination. It is right that it needs to depend on what extend the company making the discrimination. However, I will not support the company that has the case of discrimination as it has gone against my beliefs.
Excellent example of how a situation like this might affect your feelings. My thoughts echo yours in that there is a lot more information I need before making a decision on not to support the company. What is the support/don’t support threshold you have? Is it the type of discrimination or the severity?
I liked how you mentioned you would hold the company accountable for these actions in the future during the interview process. I think this is a great way to hold the company responsible for their past actions, while allowing you to continue to use the product as long as the company has made changes to their previous behavior. I am curious do you think a certain amount of time needs to past before you continue to engage with the company or would you say that with a proper response one would be able to overcome the discrimination faster?