Today's workforce benefits from diversity, and most businesses have embraced explicit nondiscrimination policies. The federal government and many state governments have passed legislation that makes it illegal to discriminate based on race, color, creed, ethnicity, national origin, disability, sex, age, and other factors such as sexual orientation and gender identity. Some public institutions have the most far-reaching nondiscrimination policies on their books-for example, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): "The Institute does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin."
Your Task. Consider how such differences could affect the communication, for instance, between an interviewer and a job candidate. If negatively, how could the differences and barriers be overcome? Role-play or discuss a potential job interview conversation between the following individuals. After a while summarize your findings, either orally or in writing:
a. A female top executive is interviewing a prospective future assistant, who is male.
b. A candidate with a strong but not disruptive foreign accent is being interviewed by a native-born human resources manager.
c. A manager dressed in a conventional business suit is interviewing a person wearing a turban.
d. A person over fifty is being interviewed by a hiring manager in his early thirties.
e. A recruiter who can walk is interviewing a job seeker who uses a wheelchair.