Management
If you are a regional sales manager for a big pharmaceutical company, you should expect to deal occasionally with some sticky situations. Three candidates have been submitted to you for consideration for the position of district sales manager at your company. The hiring manager’s discrimination against two applicants based on age and looks drew ethical and legal concerns. I designed a worker training and development program to address these concerns and keep hiring parity. I will compare two employee development program proposals using an ethical decision-making model and strategies to mitigate legal and ethical issues like workplace discrimination, disability accommodations, and alternative work schedules.
I will research and use logic and evidence to prove my point. Establishing a road map for ethical action is essential to attracting workers. It simplifies ethical and legal issues. The recruitment process raises workplace discrimination issues, the ADA, flexible work plans, and other legal and moral issues (Rebbis et al., 2019). This piece suggests two ethical decision-making training programs to help employees deal with these issues. These ideas are built on teaching employees how to make moral decisions.
Make Hiring More Diverse and Inclusive
Ethical and regulatory considerations should be made in advance of any hiring decisions. When ensuring a transparent recruiting process, it is important to consider various factors and offer a wide range of solutions (Pekdemir &Arikan, 2021). However, to retain a diverse workforce, the method must create appealing work environments for all types of employees. The following steps may be taken to help achieve the desired employment outcome:
First and foremost, ensure the hiring procedure is objective and fair. Discrimination at the workplace may result from discriminatory character, which may have been influenced by unconscious bias during the hiring process. Educating recruiters to recognize and steer clear of perpetuating discriminatory practices in the recruiting process can be done (Robbins et al., 2019). One approach that can be taken to achieve this goal is to educate individuals on the part that their prejudices and preconceptions play in decision-making.
Secondly, creating advertisements and job postings that are accessible to people with disabilities. Inclusion and variety can be actively fostered by crafting job postings and descriptions. All people should feel welcome, so any words used must not perpetuate negative stereotypes about certain groups. For instance, “fully mobile” can be used instead of “able-bodied” to describe someone who can walk, run, and otherwise get around without assistance (Lauring et al., 2019, pp. 523-543). Equally as essential as the third point is encouraging diverse people to submit job applications. Businesses interested in increasing the diversity of their employee populations can use alternative sourcing techniques to contact individuals and members of underrepresented groups.
Third, encouraging diverse applicant pools when selecting candidates for open positions. When looking to increase diversity in the workplace, businesses can use alternative sourcing methods to reach out to underrepresented groups and individuals. Last but not least, you can avoid potential legal and ethical issues resulting from discrimination in the workplace by strictly adhering to job laws. The company must guarantee that all applicable employment laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, are followed. (ADA) (Lai & Lam, 2019). All qualified alternative applicants should be considered equally, regardless of age, ethnicity, sexuality, or disability.
Adopt Alternative Work Schedules
Companies can adopt flexible work arrangements for employees and employers to manage legal and ethical issues related to employment-related Federal Acts and arrangements. In this section, the process to a flexible working environment is discussed here with examples:
Make the necessary adjustments and redesign the existing work as a first step. Assistive technologies, practical tools, and flexible scheduling are just some of the accommodations that businesses can make available to workers with disabilities so that they can do their jobs successfully (Chun & Rainey, 2019). The work itself may need to be redesigned to match the employee’s abilities to the assignment given to each one.
Secondly, we must improve our assistance for activities that can occur anywhere. It would be done by making work remote and embracing technology. To improve employee encouragement and productivity, the organization might adopt policies such as enabling telecommuting, alternative work hours, or job sharing among employees (Robbins et al., 2019). Disabled individuals who require additional accommodations and flexibility at work can also profit from this.
Thirdly, by creating an accessible work environment. Businesses can conduct accessibility audits and implement the required changes to their workrooms to make them more welcoming to employees with disabilities. Creating accessibility would be made by making accessible parking at work, entrances, and restrooms should be provided (Solis-Rodriguez et al., 2021). Any obstacles to movement in the workplace should be removed, and a comfortable environment should be made for all types of individuals. Accept every skill by making all the required tools available.
The US government has passed legislation to avoid age and disability discrimination and to safeguard the fundamental freedoms of individuals with problems with mobility. Some of the most important federal acts that have added to these efforts are the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADA), and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 1990, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to guarantee that people with disabilities are not discriminated against in jobs, public services, and accommodations (Westeragrd, 2020). It is against the law for a company to treat an applicant or employee differently because of their inability. A 47-year-old paraplegic woman should be given the same consideration as any other applicant.
The employing person’s prejudices against her because of her disability must be the hiring decision’s outcome. The Prevention of Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) provides the same protections to workers aged 40 and up from bias in the workplace. The 62-year-old male applicant is not automatically excluded from consideration. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act guards his ability to be evaluated based on his skills and expertise rather than his age (Robbins et al., 2021). Racial discrimination against color, racial or ethnic background, creed, sex, or national origin is illegal under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The hiring manager may have broken the law by prioritizing the 22-year-old woman because of her looks and years of age.
Each staff member engaged in the recruitment procedure should be educated through a training program for staff members on these the national government acts alongside the significance of avoiding discrimination based on age, disability, or appearance (Chun et al., 2019). The program should also outline standards for fairly assessing someone’s abilities and expertise in the selection procedure.
The ADA, ADEA, and Title VII help avoid age and appearance discrimination. Businesses should be aware of these laws and follow them throughout hiring to avoid legal issues. Employers can help everyone with a training and development program. Government laws protecting workers’ rights and promoting workplace variety, tolerance, and adaptability are essential. Age, disability, or gender-based discrimination during employment is wrong and illegal (Pekdemir & Arikan, 2021). The hiring manager’s decision to disqualify two otherwise eligible applicants because of their age and disability is an obvious violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
It is also discrimination against older people and women for the hiring boss to favor a 22-year-old woman based on her looks and age. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), discrimination in employment based on age or gender is also illegal. Training employees can prevent litigation and foster an open workplace culture. Managers and other workers should be able to attend training on creating a welcoming and equal workplace (Solis-Redriguez et al., 2021). The program should ensure that job candidates are assessed purely on their skills and expertise, regardless of age, disability, or gender.
The Americans with Disabilities Act requires the program to accommodate and modify job requirements for employees with disabilities or other special needs. (ADA). Promoting a remote and inclusive workplace and avoiding disability discrimination. In order to avoid legal issues and support a diverse and inclusive workplace, employee development must emphasize embracing, comprehending, and flexibility (Westergard, 2021). Compliance with federal laws protecting workers’ rights is moral and necessary for a company’s survival.
References
Pekdemir, I., & Arıkan, F. (2021). Effects of Ethical Leadership on Employee Performance: An Empirical Study. European Journal of Management and Business Economics, 30(2), 258-274.
Solís-Rodríguez, V., Gómez-Miranda, M. E., & Sánchez-Gardey, G. (2021). Management Practices and Employee Performance: The Mediating Role of Ethical Climate. Journal of Business Ethics, 169(4), 607-623.
Chun, J. S., & Rainey, H. G. (2019). Public service motivation: A systematic literature review and future research agenda. Public Administration Review, 79(3), 375–387.
Lauring, J., Stensaker, I. G., & Selmer, J. (2019). Culture and informal workplace practices in multinational corporations. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 30(4), 523-543.
Lai, J. Y. M., & Lam, E. T. C. (2019). The effects of corporate social responsibility on employee job satisfaction: Evidence from the Chinese context. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 26(6), 1417-1429.
Robbins, S. P., Coulter, M., & DeCenzo, D. A. (2019). Fundamentals of management. Pearson.
Westergard, C. (2020). Unfit to be seen: customer preferences and the Americans with Disabilities Act. BYU J. Pub. L., 34, 179.