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Workplace Discrimination Starts at the Top; Found to be Commonplace in American Business
According to a Survey by Executive Jobs Website, TheLadders.com, 81% of Execs Say They Have Witnessed Discrimination within Their Companies <BackNEW YORK (February 28, 2007) - The notion of an equal employment opportunity is not consistent with the real world of American business, according to a survey of executives by TheLadders.com, the world's leading $100k+ jobs website. A majority of the executives surveyed by TheLadders.com - 81% - said they have witnessed discrimination within their companies. Moreover, 54% said that discrimination in the workplace is no less prevalent now than it was 10 years ago.
Race was the most commonly cited basis of discrimination among 42% of respondents. It was followed closely by discrimination on the basis of gender (38%) and age (31%). Just 9% of respondents cited sexual orientation as a common basis for workplace prejudice.
When asked about their personal encounters with discrimination, 56 % of execs said they were discriminated against in the interview process and 56% felt they had been the victim of workplace discrimination at some point in their careers. When corporate policies were brought into question, less than 43 % said their companies offer educational classes on discrimination. Thirty-five percent of execs characterized these classes as "unfortunately necessary" and 33% said they were useful.
As for the source of the discrimination, it is often emanating from the corner office. Seventy seven percent of execs said that workplace discrimination comes from the top-down. That may help explain why 58% of those surveyed said that they have not taken any actions against discrimination in the workplace.
"Workplace discrimination manifests itself in many subtle and some not-so-subtle ways; it's critical that employers are sensitive to these issues before they become big problems," said Marc Cenedella, CEO and president of TheLadders.com. "The best companies to work for are those that regularly reexamine their practices to make sure that they are promoting diversity and fostering a productive culture."
TheLadders.com's discrimination survey was conducted in February 2007. The results of this survey are statistically accurate to within +/-5.39 percentage points.
About TheLadders.comTheLadders.com is the world's largest online service catering exclusively to the $100k+ job market. Our job is to make the search for senior talent and senior positions quick and effective. With access to the most $100k+ job leads in one place, senior level professionals can get to the next step in their careers faster. Top recruiters value the ability to quickly and easily connect with so much qualified talent in the sales, marketing, finance, HR, legal, tech and operations industries. Founded in 2003 by Marc Cenedella, TheLadders.com has grown into the largest specialty employment website with over 1,100,000 members and 25,000 recruiters. We're based in New York, but you can reach us anywhere, anytime at www.theladders.com.
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Maria Schiller
TheLadders.com
646-453-1913
maria.schiller@theladders.com