Workplace bias affects Indians
New Delhi: Corporate India is yet to adopt the concept of equal opportunity in its true sense, as one in every two employees said they experienced one or the other kind of discrimination during the process of recruitment and at work, says a survey.
According to a study by TeamLease Services, the Indian workplace is largely accommodating but discrimination still exists on various grounds, especially while hiring.
The survey was conducted in the top eight cities of India — New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune and Ahmedabad, and found that five out of 10 employees have experienced one or the other kind of discrimination.
The situation, however, is not all gloomy because the discrimination on the basis of caste and religion has declined substantially. However, prejudices based on qualification, gender and age seem to be the most commonly practiced biases, it added.
“While community and caste have ceased to be common occurrences, India Inc still has a long way to go before the work environment becomes truly bias free,” Team-Lease services senior vice-president Surabhi Mathur Gandhi said.
He further added, “The underlying preferential treatment is still witnessed in varying circumstances, debilitating the growth of the work force, especially women. It is very important for companies to have a clear policy on discrimination with proper enforcement; else productivity will be adversely affected.”
An interesting revelation was that as one grows older, the less discrimination he or she is likely to face, as 54 per cent of employees between 21 to 35 years are reported to have experienced biases.
Post new comment