tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579284890902840419.post7258584139774909946..comments2023-12-13T08:45:02.282-06:00Comments on On the Job by Anita Bruzzese: Tolerance in the WorkplaceAnitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673125042097858304noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579284890902840419.post-59428488715683159092007-08-21T12:43:00.000-05:002007-08-21T12:43:00.000-05:00I read an article called "Minority Workers Still F...I read an article called "Minority Workers Still Fight Misconceptions" that I found very interesting and accurate. <BR/><BR/>The statement that "titans of business really do not care about this issue" is correct.<BR/><BR/>Internal recruiters are not risk takers and always do what they believe to be "safe bets". Internal recruiters also are firm in their belief that if they recruit, hire, and promote "white women" that they are being diverse. <BR/><BR/>Minorities - specifically Hispanics - are rarely considered. It really is no different than it was 30 years ago - a Hispanic person has to do 2 to 3 times as<BR/>much as their peers for half as much recognition. <BR/><BR/>Before you dismiss this as a case of a minority candidate whining about not getting a promotion, please read on.<BR/><BR/>I work for a division of GE - which always promotes themselves and wins awards for their diversity. If you dig deeper, you will again find that this means women. Make no mistake, as long as they are qualified , this is a wonderful thing. However, when you hear direct comments from Senior managers that want to strongly pursue a candidate because she is a women - not even considering the qualifications, I find that to be very unfair.<BR/><BR/>In our particular divsion of GE, there are no black or Hispanic managers in the middle management area. This means that there is no black or Hispanic manager being groomed for Senior Level positions.<BR/><BR/>There are many women in management positions but again, no blacks or<BR/>Hispanics. GE Industrial is run by Mr. Lloyd Trotter (black) and soon by Mrs. Charlene Begley but, in our particular company which falls under the GE industrial umbrella, blacks and Hispanics are not there.<BR/><BR/>There are qualified minority candidates but they are discouraged for applying for promotions due to misconceptions. Managers will actively push<BR/>non-minority applicants to apply for new positions but will not approach minority candidates.<BR/><BR/>White candidates are pursued and encouraged to apply for opportunities. If you take a serious look at our business, you will be shocked at the lack of minorities in management excluding women).<BR/><BR/>At one point in my career, I was told that I would be a long shot for a position I was applying for. I was then contacted a few days later and urged to apply. This was done only to fill the slate - there was never any serious consideration to offering me the position. I wasted a great deal of time preparing for the interviews. At one time, I was not even interviewed by the same people as the other candidates - who were promptly promoted to the two open positions.<BR/><BR/>Again, a Hispanic person has to do 2 to 3 times as much as their peers for half as much recognition.<BR/><BR/>As an example, during a National Meeting, awards were handed out for people that had outstanding years in sales. The person with the highest number and the person with the third highest numbers was recognized in front of their peers. A third person was recognized but he was not one of the top 3 in sales. By the way, they are all white males. The person that was number two was not recognized (Hispanic) and was told that numbers was not the only deciding factor. He was also told that this was agreed to by the Senior Management Staff - which I later found out ws not true. It was very embarassing looking out at my peers and seeing the puzzled looks on their faces when I was not recognized. So, draw your own conclusion on why this happened. <BR/><BR/>Currently, there is an opening for a Mid-level Manager in our business. This was posted a few months ago and I did not apply nor was I recruited by<BR/>current managers. They still have not filled the position and it was<BR/>re-posted on Monday August 6th. Although I am perfectly qualified and my peers have advised that they would enjoy working for me, I will not apply for this position. Subjecting myself to the humiliation of interviews for<BR/>an opportunity that will never be offered to me while filling some interview quota is something I will not subject myself or my family to.<BR/><BR/>Another position just opened up today and again, I do not beleive that I will apply. Again I believe that there will be white candidates that will be encouraged to apply - I do not envision any black or Hispanic candidates being recruited.<BR/><BR/>Hopefully, some day we can get past all the BS and misconceptions and actually get equal opportunities in the business world.<BR/><BR/>This is not about being handed an opportunity because of race or gender, this is about making sure that you are not excluded for the same reasons.<BR/><BR/>It's a shame that such a large global company falsely accepts awards and accolades that are not deserved.<BR/><BR/>One last thing, I will post this anonymously because I am very concerned about making my life miserable.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com