ASSIGNMENT

Assignment



Assignment

Introduction

There has been a rapid increase in compensation claims for work-related stress in recent years (Dyer, 2002, article). A Court of Appeal ruling last year (Sutherland v. Hatton, 2002) made it clear that employees who feel under stress at work should inform their employers and give them a chance to do something about it. Any employer who offers a confidential counselling service with access to treatment may have some protection from prosecution. In the face of a possible explosion in the provision of such services we need to ask do they actually work? In 2001 the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy commissioned and published a report, Counselling in the Workplace: The Facts (McLeod, 2001: 59), which described itself as 'the most comprehensive possible review of all English language studies of counselling in the workplace'.



Problem

Discrimination occurs when prohibited grounds are used against selected populations to perpetrate human rights violations. Scenarios for workplace discrimination vary greatly and may include such actions as denying persons of the discriminated group the opportunity for employment, removing standard entitlements such as overtime pay, or harassing persons who belong to the selected population (Elliot, 1984: 14). Offering formal counselling sessions to stressed employees will help them feel valued, and will enable the individual to identify the cause of their problems and issues. Counselling can help increase staff morale, boost confidence and self-esteem, improve productivity and efficiency and create a more relaxed working environment.

Women are by far the largest discriminated group, with the pay gap between the sexes still significant in most countries, the report states. Racial discrimination also persists, though older theories of the purported superiority of one racial or ethnic group over another have been replaced by allegations that foreign and "incompatible" cultures may have disruptive effects on the integrity of national identities. Over the past decade, discrimination based on religion appears to have increased. The current global political climate has helped fuel sentiments of mutual fear and discrimination between religious groups, threatening to destabilize societies and generate violence. Religious discrimination can include offensive behaviour at work by co-workers or managers towards members of religious minorities; lack of respect and ignorance of religious customs; the obligation to work on religious days or holidays; bias in recruitment or promotion; denial of a business licence; and lack of respect for dress customs.

Concerns over discrimination based on age are also growing. By 2050, 33 per cent of people in developed countries and 19 per cent in developing countries will be 60 or older, most of them women. Discrimination can be overt, such as age limits for hiring, or take more subtle forms, such as allegations that people lack career potential, or have too much experience. Other forms of discrimination include limited access to training and conditions that virtually compel early retirement. Age discrimination is not limited to workers nearing retirement.

In addition, the report says, new forms of discrimination based on disability, HIV/AIDS, age or sexual orientation have become cause for growing ...