“Beautyism” in the Workplace

Alicia Mikell

Human Resource Management Capstone HRM 599

Dr. Mary Ann Wangemann

August 12, 2012

Abstract

Beautyism in the workplace is discrimination in one of its most disguised forms. Employers get away with this form of discrimination everyday. Because someone is categorized as beautiful it doesn’t mean that they have all the knowledge they need to succeed on a job or neither does it validate that they are a better selection than the next person. An idea can be developed or an assumption made from the treatment that is given to the person who was hired because of beautyism. What will be noticed in most cases it the special treatment that is given that is
Human resource managers are avengers against discrimination in the workplace. They are the gate keepers of all knowledge of what constitutes discrimination in the workplace. This incident could be looked as a type of discrimination. There are many types of discrimination that exist in the workplace. Discrimination can be further distinguished into four “types” or legal theories: disparate treatment, adverse impact (also known as disparate impact), failure to reasonably accommodate, and retaliation (Walsh, 2010). The type of discrimination that has been portrayed in this scenario clearly is an adverse impact. Walsh (2010) states: [An] Adverse impact is the disproportionate limitation or denial of employment opportunity for some protected class group that results from the use of a “neutral” requirement or practice that is not “job-related and consistent with business necessity.” In adverse impact cases, the focus is on discriminatory effects rather than discriminatory intent. (p.65)
One difference between discriminatory intent and discriminatory effects is the intentional motive to discriminate. A discriminatory intent is the intentional motive to discriminate and discriminatory affects occur because of the unsound judgments that were made that may not have been made with intent to outright discriminate. The Chair which is the hiring committee should choose the best candidate for