Regrettably, stereotyping still occurs in our workplaces and is, in general, because of outdated and inaccurate views of certain groups in society. A stereotype can be said to be a commonly held but oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or social group.
Some stereotypes are regarding a different culture such as the concept of the Frenchman always wearing a black beret with a string of onions around his neck. Whereas, other stereotypes are about individuals or social groups such the stereotype that woman are carers, or men are strong and do all the work, or all Arabs and Muslims are terrorists, Irish people are drunks and eat potatoes, or that any feminine man is gay and any masculine woman is a lesbian. Stereotypes can sometimes be misinterpreted by others as just prejudice because they too are based upon a prior assumption about people from different cultures and races. However, where prejudice is a deliberate act stereotyping can come from ignorance of the facts or a lack of education around the subject.
Most cultures have some form of negative stereotype associated with them including black people, the Irish, those from the Middle East, the Polish, the Travelling community and Jewish people. However, gender stereotyping occurs where, for example, if you say that all women like to cook, you are stereotyping women. Similarly, stereotypes regarding a person’s sexual orientation are common and these stereotypes occur when someone has negative views on gays, lesbians, and transgender individuals.
Combating Negative Stereotypes in the Workplace
Stereotyping can lead people to hide some aspects of their lives from society, for example members of the gay or lesbian community may be afraid to admit their sexuality for fear of being judged. This can lead to the victims of stereotyping to have their lives led by fear.
As such, stereotypes have no place in the modern workplace and it is important that an organisation is seen as inclusive where a woman can work in construction, a man can work as a nurse, a man can work part-time, or be a caregiver and a wheelchair is no barrier to opportunity. A strong message from senior leaders is needed to demonstrate this vision and reinforce that negative stereotyping will not be tolerated.
Training can help where negative stereotypes are prevalent and certain industry sectors are more likely to attract a workforce with negative stereotypes than others. However, it is wrong to assume a more educated workforce means a more inclusive one, the well-educated can be as equally likely to hold some negative stereotypes of others as low skilled or poorly educated members of the workforce.
To this end, if you need to identify where negative stereotypes are prevalent in your organisation then a staff survey can help point you in the right direction. Certainly, it will help you identify, albeit anonymously, areas of the organisation who feel they are victims of stereotyping which is a start in being able to educate a workforce and remove negative and damaging stereotypes from the workplace.
JD
The Equality Blog 