Case Study 1
BUSI642: Case Study 1
Religious Discrimination and Racial Harassment: What Ever Happened to MarShawn DeMur?
January 17, 2015
Case Discussion Questions
1. Identify and describe the specific issues Maalick encountered in the workplace. Do the actions of other workers at Treton represent discrimination and harassment? What elements of law are important for Treton to consider? Maalick encountered religious discrimination on several occasions while at work. The first instance was when he requested vacation for a religious event and his manager was reluctant to grant the request because of his religious beliefs. According to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 employers are required to “reasonably accommodate the religious practices of an employee or prospective employee, unless to do so would create an undue hardship upon the employer” (Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2015 para 1). Reasonable accommodations may include flexibility in scheduling, job reassignments, or voluntary substitutions. (EEOC, 2015) Although the manager eventually granted the vacation request because he questioned Maalick about it when it would not cause the company undue hardship would be considered religious discrimination.
After Maalick changed his name he experienced teasing about his religious choices from his co-workers and his manager. This created a very hostile work environment for Maalick. The abuse that Maalick endured is considered religious discrimination and harassment. It is illegal to harass someone because of their religious beliefs. According to the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2015), “harassment includes offensive remarks to a person about their religious beliefs” (EEOC, 2015 para 5). The law does not prohibit simple teasing or mocking however when it becomes so severe that it creates a hostile work environment for the employee it is considered religious discrimination and harassment. (EEOC, 2015)
Religious Discrimination and Racial Harassment: What Ever Happened to MarShawn DeMur?
January 17, 2015
Case Discussion Questions
1. Identify and describe the specific issues Maalick encountered in the workplace. Do the actions of other workers at Treton represent discrimination and harassment? What elements of law are important for Treton to consider? Maalick encountered religious discrimination on several occasions while at work. The first instance was when he requested vacation for a religious event and his manager was reluctant to grant the request because of his religious beliefs. According to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 employers are required to “reasonably accommodate the religious practices of an employee or prospective employee, unless to do so would create an undue hardship upon the employer” (Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2015 para 1). Reasonable accommodations may include flexibility in scheduling, job reassignments, or voluntary substitutions. (EEOC, 2015) Although the manager eventually granted the vacation request because he questioned Maalick about it when it would not cause the company undue hardship would be considered religious discrimination.
After Maalick changed his name he experienced teasing about his religious choices from his co-workers and his manager. This created a very hostile work environment for Maalick. The abuse that Maalick endured is considered religious discrimination and harassment. It is illegal to harass someone because of their religious beliefs. According to the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2015), “harassment includes offensive remarks to a person about their religious beliefs” (EEOC, 2015 para 5). The law does not prohibit simple teasing or mocking however when it becomes so severe that it creates a hostile work environment for the employee it is considered religious discrimination and harassment. (EEOC, 2015)
References: Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2015). Religious Discrimination. EEOC. Retrieved from http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/religion.cfm Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2015). Facts about Religious Discrimination. EEOC. Retrieved from http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/publications/fs-religion. Gomez-Mejia, L., Balkin, D., & Cardy, R. (2012). Managing Human Resources (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall. Deadrick, D., McAfee, B. & Champagne, P. (1996). Preventing Workplace Harassment: An Organizational Change Perspective. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 9(2), 66 – 75. Salin, D. (2009). Organizational responses to workplace harassment. Personnel Review, 38(1), 26-44. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/00483480910920697