Workplace and Law
Question 1
My ideal workplace is that which acknowledges the existing diversity and appreciates the importance of unique skills and abilities. It is a workplace that understands the differences in each employee and appreciates the contribution that every person makes to the organization’s success. Working in such a place would make me feel comfortable and understand that I am valued. I would feel good knowing that my contributions to the organization are matter.
Question 2
We make assumptions about each other on how we behave and work at the workplace concerning gender, age, minorities, educational levels, and sometimes household income (Heilman 114). For instance, we tend to assume that women are weaker colleagues in the workplace while men are assumed to be mechanical by nature. Such assumptions negatively impact people’s relationships with their colleagues and breed workplace conflicts especially where some people are categorized as inferior to others.
Question 3
Our biases might contribute to workplace culture by influencing how we treat each other at the workplace. We tend to unknowingly form biases in our brains throughout our life some of which may contribute to bad behaviors such as making poor business decisions, having overinflated confidence, unhealthy risk aversion, and exhibiting workplace discrimination. In management classes, I learned that workplace bias is something that becomes part of the organization culture and when it’s not addressed it may cause long-lasting divisions within an organization.
Question 4
I think our biases and assumptions do not affect our legal responsibilities. Everyone has biases that affect how they view the world. Having such biases can potentially cause people to make decisions that are neither fair nor wise. However, as humans, we are influenced by different life experiences and the experiences of those around us. We, therefore, tend to be conditioned by the things that we encounter daily and not our biases and assumptions.
Work Cited
Heilman, Madeline E. “Gender stereotypes and workplace bias.” Research in Organizational Behavior 32 (2012): 113-135.