Shame: One in two employees face discrimination at work

Corporate India is yet to adopt the concept of equal opportunity in its true sense, as 1 in every 2 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 5 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,” TeamLease 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/she is likely to face, as 54 per cent of employees in the age group of 21 to 35 years were reported to have experienced discrimination as compared to those above 50 years.

The TeamLease study further said that pregnant women or women with young children are at a relative disadvantage, both during the recruitment process as well as vying for opportunities at the workplace.

“While the percentage for this is not high, it is only desirable that the discrimination is completely eradicated from the system,” the report added.

Interestingly, although not significantly, good looks are considered an added advantage in some metros like Pune and Mumbai, the survey said.

From a geographical perspective, Delhi seems to be practicing discrimination rampantly, it said.

The other two cities where discrimination is perceived to be practiced are Pune and Chennai at 85 per cent and 78 per cent, respectively, the report added.

PTI