I believe one of the most important things I learned in this class was on the topic of discrimination. While I knew there were several measures in place to protect against discrimination in the workplace, I was not knowledgeable on exactly what all these were and how many there were. That being said, it is evident to me that there is still room for improvement in the current workforce, as we are still hearing about discriminatory mishaps that should be protected by these regulations and measures. Additionally, there are arguably even more things that should be protected, such as sexual orientation, that are not currently protected in current regulations.
This topic was particularly interesting to me because it helps pave the way for me to be able to make a difference in the workplace I end up in. While everybody has subconscious biases, I believe I have a duty (whether I am working in HR or not) to contribute to an inclusive workspace. It was also interesting to learn about the different types of discrimination, especially adverse impact, which is done unintentionally. Not all forms of discrimination are blatant and intentional, but these events can still cause harm to people, thus they still need to be monitored.
Lastly, I felt as though it was important to learn about defenses against discrimination, as well as how to report it. Discrimination is something that I may witness in my life, thus I am glad I am more knowledgeable about the legal process of reporting it. On the other side of things, I am also glad I understand how a firm can defend itself against accusations of discriminatory practices, as being wrongfully accused can be harmful to those within the organization as well. Overall, I believe discrimination in the workplace is something everyone should be educated about, as you never know when you may be facing it yourself or observing it happening to someone else.
