WORKING WORLD: Workplace Discrimination

By Tamar Asedo Sherman

It isn’t easy for us out there. One in 5 workers with disabilities, or 22%, reported in a nationwide survey that their employers do not provide accommodations to enable them to access facilities at the work place. Even more, 29%, said their employers do not provide accommodations that are needed for them to perform their job responsibilities successfully.

These findings were revealed in a study on “Diversity in the Workplace,” conducted by Harris Interactive for CareerBuilder.com and Kelly Services in 2007 among 953 workers age 18+, employed full-time or part-time. It was designed to gauge the frequency, severity and occasion for perceptions of discrimination or unfair treatment among seven diverse segments of society and how diversity impacts hiring, compensation, and career advancement.

The survey did not indicate whether the workers were denied accommodations they had requested, or whether the workers lacked these accommodations because they had not told anyone they needed them. Employers are not mind-readers.

Workers with disabilities reported the highest incidence of discrimination or unfair treatment in the workplace and the highest incidence of being fired based on their diverse background. The other groups were African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, women, mature workers age 50 or older, and gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender workers.

“Forty-four percent of workers with disabilities said they have felt discriminated against or treated unfairly by management or co-workers, significantly higher than the 23% average for the other diverse segments in this study,” said Nina Ramsey, senior vice president of Human Resources at Kelly Services.

“While the Americans with Disabilities Act has helped to safeguard employees with disabilities and enable them to enjoy the same workplace privileges as others, employers need to take a closer look at how effectively policies have been implemented throughout the company culture.”

When asked to judge the severity of the discrimination or unfair treatment at work, 63% of workers with disabilities who had experienced this treatment categorized it as moderate, while 11% described it as severe.

In terms of frequency, 38% said it happens at least once a week, another 17% said it happens at least once a month, while 5% said they experience discrimination or unfair treatment on a daily basis at work.

The most common incidents of discrimination involved:

• Co-workers talking behind the worker’s back (46%)

• Not being assigned projects that provide greater company visibility (41%)

• Not being given the same training as other workers (39%)

• Not receiving credit for one’s work (36%)

• Not having concerns addressed or taken seriously (33%)

• Being overlooked for a promotion (31%)

• Being excluded from office activities or work events outside the office (31%)

• Having one’s ideas or input ignored (21%)

Most of the discrimination goes unaddressed. Half of workers with disabilities who experienced discrimination said they did not report the incident. Of these workers, 82% said they didn’t think reporting the incident would make a difference, 53% feared being labeled as a trouble-maker, and 43% were afraid of losing their jobs.

Of those who did report it, 35% felt it was taken seriously, but in 61% of the cases, the offender was not held accountable. Only 7% took legal action against their employer. Thirty-six percent of workers with disabilities said they have witnessed discrimination against a co-worker and 69% reported it, the highest of all diverse segments surveyed.

Twenty-nine percent of workers with disabilities feel members of senior management primarily instigate the perceived discrimination, while 29% said co-workers are the primary instigators, and 24% pointed to their direct supervisor. These workers have the highest incidence of feeling their diverse status works against them as job candidates at 59%. Five percent said their disability works in their favor.

Other findings include:

• Involuntary termination: 27% of workers with disabilities, twice the rate of other groups, felt they had been fired at some point based on their disability.

• Compensation: 20% of workers with disabilities feel they are paid less than co-workers without disabilities who have the same skills and experience; 2% feel they are paid more; and 51% feel it’s equal.

• Career advancement: 52% of workers with disabilities feel they have fewer opportunities than co-workers without disabilities who have the same skills and experience; 2% feel they have more; 20% feel it’s the same.

So, things might be getting better for us as a result of the Americans with Disabilities Act, but we still have a long way to go in obtaining equal treatment in the workplace.

Tamar Asedo Sherman works as an employment specialist at UCP-Suffolk in Hauppauge, NY. She can be reached at action@unitedspinal.org.