Outstanding Claims of Discrimination: Company Feelings, Support, and Potential Employment
Outstanding claims of discrimination would definitely change the way I felt about a company, particularly one that I previously maintained a very positive view of. These claims would cause me to question the company’s overall values. I would be upset that these values may prevent some customers or employees from benefitting from the company’s mission.
Perhaps more importantly, discrimination claims would push me to stop supporting a company. In other words, not only would my view of the company change, but my behavior toward the company would also change. I would want to completely stop giving money to the company if possible to avoid funding a set of values I did not agree with. If I had a habit of purchasing from that company and really liked its products/services, however, I might find it challenging to immediately boycott it entirely.
Finally, if I knew of outstanding discrimination claims against a company, this would also be enough to stop me from applying to work there in the future. First, if I did not support the company’s values and did not want to support the company financially, I certainly would not want to represent the company as an employee or link my identity closely to the organization. Furthermore, I would be afraid that if I did get hired at the company, I would not be treated fairly and could be placed in a hostile working environment. The only exception would be if a significant amount of time had passed since the claims and the company had made a concerted effort to change, had gone through a change in leadership, or there were truthfully no other job opportunities available.
One reply on “Week 2 – Blog Post: Experiences with Discrimination”
Hi Taylor,
I really appreciated how clearly you laid out the emotional and practical sides of this issue. I especially liked your point that it’s not just about changing your opinion of the company, but also changing your behavior — that’s such an important distinction. I also agree that it would be hard to immediately stop purchasing from a company you’re used to, but continuing to support them would feel wrong once trust is broken. Your reflection about fearing a hostile work environment really resonated with me too — no job is worth compromising your values or well-being. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.