Stephen Hammond - Top Ten Human Rights Challenges Faced at Work or On The Job

Stephen Hammond-Motivational Keynote Speaker,Business Keynote Speaker,Convention Keynote Speaker

Today is: Thu, 11 - Mar, 2010:

This day in 1948...
African American Dr. Reginald Weir competes in U.S. Indoor Lawn Tennis Championship Read More...

When a New Yorker named Dr. Reginald Weir signed up to play indoor lawn tennis at a national tournament scheduled for March 11, 1948, it raised no eyebrows. The organizers failed to block him for the simple reason that it never occurred to them that a black man might have the title of a physician.

Thus, red-faced officials ended up letting him play, even though blacks at the time were banned from U.S. Indoor Lawn Tennis Association events. Unfortunately for Weir, however, he lost in the second round to the fellow who won the championship, Bill Talbert. Having broken the race barrier, Weir continued to compete, and in 1952, he and a fellow black player, George Stewart, became the first black men to play in the USLTA national championship. Although both men lost in their first round, they inspired other black pioneers of tennis, perhaps including Arthur Ashe. It was Ashe who won the U.S. Open in 1968, throwing open the gates for black men and women to excel in the sport.

There are many workplace challenges facing Canadians. From observations while working in the field of workplace and community human rights over many years, Stephen Hammond has chosen what he considers the top 10. These video transcripts are intended to start a dialogue. If you find one that can help your workplace or your association, please use it. Print out the text, have a discussion, and try to come to resolutions that can be helpful to your group. The best way to deal with workplace challenges is to talk about them in a respectful way.

These are also available as Videos on the Human Rights Training Store for $14.95 each or all 10 for $97. They will be invaluable to you in your workplace.

Fearful of changing values
Many Canadians think their fundamental values are under pressure because of some people coming to Canada. How do you address concerns, without being seen as being intolerant of others? This challenge encourages Canadians to look at values and changes from a different perspective

People speaking different languages at work
People speaking different languages at work can be one of the most contentious issues to address. If you want to avoid insult, indignation (even banner headlines) consider simple and common sense approaches to handle this sometimes, delicate issue.

Concern of actually speaking about culture, race, religion, etc. for fear this will be seen as bigoted
Canada is home to people from all over the world. We come from different cultures, and religions (or none at all) and we have various colours of skin. Instead of being afraid to discuss these differences, find sensible ways when and how these differences can be addressed.

Hiring a “different” person and if things go wrong, they can’t correct, discipline, or fire them, for fear of the employee going to the human rights commission
So many Canadians are “different” that it shouldn’t matter. Unfortunately, discrimination still exists for persons who are different from the grandparents of many Canadians. Find ways to ensure your workplace isn’t adding to that discrimination and instead is addressing it.

Not hiring women for fear they will go on parental leave.
One of the biggest areas of discrimination against women in the workplace relates to women having children, or the mere chance a woman may have children. You can find ways to address this issue and to ensure women and men are given the same opportunities, regardless of parental status.

Fear of not knowing how to respond to an insensitive comment or conduct at work (supervisors and managers won’t know what to do because they aren’t experts in human rights)
Workplace human rights issues pop up everywhere. Sometimes they’re subtle. Other times not so subtle. Supervisors and others in the workplace don’t have to be experts in human rights to address these issues. In fact, relying on common sense will go a long way.

When an employee meets with some discrimination, this employee wants someone fired (for example) and the employer doesn’t think firing is a reasonable response
Many employers face the dilemma of protecting an employee who is discriminated or harassed while ensuring any “punishment” is done within reason and the law. Sometimes it’s a balancing act and not an easy one. If an employee thinks there should be more severe discipline, consider some common sense approaches that might help.

Getting leaders and employees throughout the organization to effectively and simply, deal with inappropriate comments as they arise. i.e. getting people to stick their necks out.
If you have a workplace where employees feel comfortable to speak up and resolve issues on their own, then you’re ahead of most places where people fear sticking their necks out. Consider some approaches that can help to get everyone to address conflict and speak their mind…respectfully.

Understanding the need to “accommodate” employees when the law requires an employer to do so
The “duty to accommodate” is one of the most difficult areas of human rights and employment law, not just because it can be complex, but because it grates against many people’s ideals of “one rule for all”. Yet most circumstances won’t be complex at all and a bit of understanding and education goes a long way.

Knowing that similar words or actions can have a different impact on people at work
If you like the idea of acknowledging and at times, celebrating our differences, then why do some differences get us into trouble? Often people will look at things in different ways at work and that can cause problems. Do you have to avoid “sex, politics and religion”? Find out how differences can be resolved.

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