Hi, this is Jude Lisneuf, I am a social psychologist and I am here today to explain how discrimination at work can affect employees’s health. After a quick view of discrimination at work, I will try to show what consequences can appear in terms of workers’s health. At last, I am going to talk about the possible solutions.
Discrimination at work exists, and unfortunately even in some countries ruled by a strict labor law. There is always this problem of the proof that needs to be found and shown, and in consequence the culprits often avoid sanctions. This discrimination involves classic differences and so it targets women for example, with lower wages on average than men. Discrimination at work also targets LGBT people, or black people… But it also involves other groups of people, specific to the workplace, like the union members, who can be stopped in their career or threatened, even in France. I can also mention the inequality that can exist at work for the people with disabilities, or even for seniors who can suffer from hiring discrimination. All of these minorities also undergo inappropriate comments, harassment, verbal abuses in the workplace. Obviously, that is extremely hard to prove.
In 2008, the World Health Organization’s commission on social determinants of health ( CSDH ) mentions discrimination as a factor of someone’s health.
A survey from Zotova and al. ( 2021 ) highlights causes of psychological distress among central asian immigrant women in Russia. Within the different causes mentioned, we notice in particular the discrimination that these women undergo, like hostility, racial slurs… these insults are sometimes heard in work situations, like one of these women testifies. Moreover, they are accused of taking away jobs from Russians. The authors also consider the exploitive relationships between these women and their colleagues or employers, as determinants of their psychological distress. Furthermore, the authors notice the discrimination they face at work specifically due to their gender, like unwanted advances and harassment.
Another study from Agudelo-Suarez and al. in 2009 considers directly discrimination at work as a health risk factor. It was conducted among Spain’s immigrant population. These immigrants came from Latin America, Africa or even East Europe. They were interviewed about their work situation and the discrimination they may have faced. Indeed, the immigrants often expressed feelings of xenophobia or racism. Again, they felt like they were accused of stealing Spaniard’s jobs. Also, this discrimination affects the immigrant employment. The offers are limited for immigrants who wish to apply for a job; they are mainly hired in construction or hostelry, and they often suffer harder work conditions than the Spaniards do. All of this discrimination, or perceived discrimination, has a negative outcome on the immigrant mental health. It is indeed a source of stress and anxiety for them, and it affects their quality of life. It can also lead to nervousness and emotional instability. But there is protective factors, and for example social support. New immigrants in Spain are supported by non governmental organisations, or immigrant groups.
A study from Li and al. ( 2021 ) explores racial minority employees, and their coping with discrimination in the workplace. The authors mention two strategies a worker can develop to deal with discrimination : the emotion-focused strategies which are passive, avoiding the situation, and the problem-focused strategies which are active, directly dealing with the problem. The second one is better as it results in a positive relational outcome between employees and the organization. The study also underlines the role of transparent communication, between employees and the organization. The organization should provide truthful and complete informations to its employees, among other things. Indeed, transparent communication was found to reduce the negative effects of discrimination experience, and to increase the adoption of problem-focused strategies.
That’s all for today, thank you for listening.
Sources :
Agudelo-Suárez, A., Gil-González, D., Ronda-Pérez, E., Porthé, V., Paramio-Pérez, G., García, A. M., & Garí, A. (2009). Discrimination, work and health in immigrant populations in Spain. Social Science & Medicine, 68(10), 1866‑1874. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.02.046
Brasseur, M., & Becuwe, A. (2009). La discrimination au travail. Humanisme et Entreprise, 295(5), I‑IV.
Li, J.-Y., Lee, Y., Tian, S., & Tsai, W. (2021). Coping with workplace racial discrimination : The role of internal communication. Public Relations Review, 47(4), 102089. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2021.102089
Who, W. H. O.-. (2008). Commission on Social Determinants of Health—CSDH. http://www.who.int/social_determinants/en/
Zotova, N., Agadjanian, V., Isaeva, J., & Kalandarov, T. (2021). Worry, work, discrimination : Socioecological model of psychological distress among Central Asian immigrant women in Russia. SSM – Mental Health, 1, 100011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2021.100011