Experiences with Discrimination

https://titleix.usc.edu/prohibited-conduct/protected-classes/

Discrimination in the workplace has been a hot topic and it has been a popular source of content for news outlets. While some companies may in fact have discriminatory practices (by disparate impact or disparate treatment) there are times where employees may feel dissatisfied with the company, their decision making, and values and may feel like they are being treated unfairly or discriminated.

Recently, I was in a meeting with a manager and an employee. The employee claimed he was being discriminated since a co-worker made more money than he did and he mentioned that he could produce the same work as his co-worker. Bold statement, especially since he has been in a personal improvement plan due to his low quality of work, inability to read complex schematics and to difficulty communicating and not asking questions when in doubt . These performance issues resulted in several costly mistakes on his part as well as having to re-work projects. After explaining compensable value, ranges of pay and performance pay, he was still dissatisfied with his rate of pay but understood where the differences in pay and was more interested in knowing the path towards advancement rather than just asking for a higher raise. The employee gained pay understanding and this created a shift in his feelings of inequity and discrimination.

Moral of the story is, I do not believe everything I hear on the news because I have seen both sides working in HR. My perceptions of the company would be changed based on the evidence and claims made. My decisions to support or apply to the company would depend on the facts of the claims, if they were corroborated,  as well as how egregious they may have been.

By Nicte Chandler