Stereotypes that affect Hiring in Workplace
Everyone start a career in an organization thinking that it will make a positive impact to the life, thus there are factor that directly creates negativity in the working environment such as LGBTQ, Gender, race, culture is few of them. A group of stereotypes are the reason that makes the inequality in the workplace.
Recruiting or Hiring decisions takes a vital part in every organization, as it will affect the growth and the identity of the organization in the industry. Most of the wrong hiring decisions that are taken by the employer is due to the limited time and lack of information (Birkelund 2016). Apart from information that is provided on the individual applicants through an CV , the hiring decisions also defines two additional source of information that employers rely on such as statistical information and cultural stereotypes. Discussing on the first source of information, statistical information has been initially originated from a literature that is done by Phelps (1972) and Arrow (1973) on statistical discrimination. This theory believes that employer is having the intention of hiring the applicants with highest productivity. Due to the lack of adequate facts to create the potential productivity, employers categorize the applicants onto groups based on the gender and ethnicity (Lang and Lehmann 2011; Fang and Moro 2011). The group averages are gained from the statistical data and hiring based on estimates of group efficiency are expected to be rational, even though a clear discrimination happens due to the lack of information given on individual applicants.
The cultural stereotypes which are the second source of information. The stereotypes in workplace have directly made an impact to the economics statistical models. Based on a study from Chicago and Los Angeles , they have shown that the employers views toward an job applicant will affect the objective facts that is produced by the stereotypes in the workplace (e.g. Neckerman and Kirschenman 1991; Waldinger and Lichter 2003). Employer reliance on stereotypes is interconnected to social psychology and cognitive (Adler 2020), where all the individual are predicted to be categorize automatically to strangers as member for our in-group or out-group. According to Fiske (2000: 303), ‘People normally prejudge, form ingroups, and reject outgroups’.
The Figure 1 shows the views of the ‘out groups’ based on the warmth and competence. Stereotype based perceptive is more common as the society is clearly rooted with stereotype against groups. This scenarios has created stereotype taken-for-granted which will be unlikely to update them, even in the ray of of conflicting experiences (Fiske 2000; Pager and Karafin 2009).
To create a relationship between experience, stereotypes and ‘embeddedness’ in the deciosn of hiring, the most importance fact will depend on a heuristic of substitution: the substitution of a complicated question with a simpler one (Kahneman 2011). As an examples; On the ocaasion of employer assessing an applicant – assuming the applicant is Charles- the employer will ask the question will Charles will be a good fit for our organization? Since Charles has not worked under the employer it will be hard to assess his performance. This will be a clear solution of substituting the difficult question with an easier one which will be hiring process easier and effective.
References
Adler, R.M., 2020. Bending the Law of Unintended Consequences. Springer Books
Birkelund, G.E., 2016. Rational laziness-when time is limited, supply abundant, and decisions have to be made. Analyse & Kritik, 38(1), pp.203-226.
Fang, H. and Moro, A., 2011. Theories of statistical discrimination and affirmative action: A survey. Handbook of social economics, 1, pp.133-200
Fiske, S.T., 2000. Stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination at the seam between the centuries: Evolution, culture, mind, and brain. European Journal of Social Psychology, 30(3), pp.299-322.
Kahneman, D., 2011. Thinking, fast and slow. Macmillan.
Lang, K. and Lehmann, J.Y.K., 2012. Racial discrimination in the labor market: Theory and empirics. Journal of Economic Literature, 50(4), pp.959-1006
Neckerman, K.M. and Kirschenman, J., 1991. Hiring strategies, racial bias, and inner-city workers. Social problems, 38(4), pp.433-447.
Pascal, A.H., 1972. Racial discrimination in economic life.
Phelps, E.S., 1972. The statistical theory of racism and sexism. The american economic review, 62(4), pp.659-661.
Waldinger, R. and Lichter, M.I., 2003. How the other half works. In How the Other Half Works. University of California Press.
Recruiting or Hiring decisions takes a vital part in every organization, as it will affect the growth and the identity of the organization in the industry. Most of the wrong hiring decisions that are taken by the employer is due to the limited time and lack of information (Birkelund 2016). Apart from information that is provided on the individual applicants through an CV , the hiring decisions also defines two additional source of information that employers rely on such as statistical information and cultural stereotypes. Discussing on the first source of information, statistical information has been initially originated from a literature that is done by Phelps (1972) and Arrow (1973) on statistical discrimination. This theory believes that employer is having the intention of hiring the applicants with highest productivity. Due to the lack of adequate facts to create the potential productivity, employers categorize the applicants onto groups based on the gender and ethnicity (Lang and Lehmann 2011; Fang and Moro 2011). The group averages are gained from the statistical data and hiring based on estimates of group efficiency are expected to be rational, even though a clear discrimination happens due to the lack of information given on individual applicants.
The cultural stereotypes which are the second source of information. The stereotypes in workplace have directly made an impact to the economics statistical models. Based on a study from Chicago and Los Angeles , they have shown that the employers views toward an job applicant will affect the objective facts that is produced by the stereotypes in the workplace (e.g. Neckerman and Kirschenman 1991; Waldinger and Lichter 2003). Employer reliance on stereotypes is interconnected to social psychology and cognitive (Adler 2020), where all the individual are predicted to be categorize automatically to strangers as member for our in-group or out-group. According to Fiske (2000: 303), ‘People normally prejudge, form ingroups, and reject outgroups’.
Figure 1 – (Fiske et al, 2002: p892)
The Figure 1 shows the views of the ‘out groups’ based on the warmth and competence. Stereotype based perceptive is more common as the society is clearly rooted with stereotype against groups. This scenarios has created stereotype taken-for-granted which will be unlikely to update them, even in the ray of of conflicting experiences (Fiske 2000; Pager and Karafin 2009).
To create a relationship between experience, stereotypes and ‘embeddedness’ in the deciosn of hiring, the most importance fact will depend on a heuristic of substitution: the substitution of a complicated question with a simpler one (Kahneman 2011). As an examples; On the ocaasion of employer assessing an applicant – assuming the applicant is Charles- the employer will ask the question will Charles will be a good fit for our organization? Since Charles has not worked under the employer it will be hard to assess his performance. This will be a clear solution of substituting the difficult question with an easier one which will be hiring process easier and effective.
References
Adler, R.M., 2020. Bending the Law of Unintended Consequences. Springer Books
Birkelund, G.E., 2016. Rational laziness-when time is limited, supply abundant, and decisions have to be made. Analyse & Kritik, 38(1), pp.203-226.
Fang, H. and Moro, A., 2011. Theories of statistical discrimination and affirmative action: A survey. Handbook of social economics, 1, pp.133-200
Fiske, S.T., 2000. Stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination at the seam between the centuries: Evolution, culture, mind, and brain. European Journal of Social Psychology, 30(3), pp.299-322.
Kahneman, D., 2011. Thinking, fast and slow. Macmillan.
Lang, K. and Lehmann, J.Y.K., 2012. Racial discrimination in the labor market: Theory and empirics. Journal of Economic Literature, 50(4), pp.959-1006
Neckerman, K.M. and Kirschenman, J., 1991. Hiring strategies, racial bias, and inner-city workers. Social problems, 38(4), pp.433-447.
Pascal, A.H., 1972. Racial discrimination in economic life.
Phelps, E.S., 1972. The statistical theory of racism and sexism. The american economic review, 62(4), pp.659-661.
Waldinger, R. and Lichter, M.I., 2003. How the other half works. In How the Other Half Works. University of California Press.
Employees who act based on stereotypes rather than putting faith in the abilities and effort of co-workers impede progress. Stereotyping can cause low morale for the individual or group impacted and could potentially make for a toxic work environment. Employees who face constant comments, criticisms or other negative results from stereotyping can lose motivation and interest in performing their jobs. Production and retention are likely to be lower if morale is low and individuals are not in a supportive, inclusive environment. The work environment should not accept discrimination or mistreatment based on personal qualities. The Human Resources department is responsible for investigating violations and enforcing fair policies in the
ReplyDeleteworkplace. There is always the potential that someone affected by discriminatory behaviors in the workplace will sue. This can be financially damaging for the business as well as the business’ reputation.