Salinguhay, FT

Homework No. 02
In what ways do you think HR managers can help other managers deal with discrimination
complaints so there is less of a chance employees will feel compelled to report them to the
EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)? Cite a situation, and explain.

I do think that HR managers should uphold the company policies and laws especially those
which concern and harm the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO). However, I do also believe
that they still need to help in handling the concerns and complaints regarding the issue of
discrimination to prevent the latter from aggravating. I suggest that as soon as a conflict or a
possible conflict arises, the HR managers must help the other managers to immediately resolve
the dispute. I think that the HR managers may intervene in neutrality and convince the parties in
dispute to amicably settle.

For example, Ms. A who is a probinsyana from Bicol, is working as a paralegal in a law firm in
Makati for three weeks now. In their office setup, she is sitting beside Ms. B, a senior employee,
born and raised in Quezon City and who has been working at the firm for over six years. Ms. A
noticed the unusual treatment of Ms. B to her, she sometimes feel insulted with the remarks
coming from Ms. B that she must be completely naive or clueless of a lot of things because she
is a probinsyana, and that she cannot be trusted to get things done for she is not knowledgeable
enough because she only graduated from a local state college. Ms. A, having enough of all the
unwanted and hurtful remarks from Ms. B, and thinking that this kind of discrimination must
stop, reported it immediately to their head. However, the conflict was not resolved immediately
and the situation just got worse because Ms. B learned that Ms. A reported her. Ms. A then
attempted to file a complaint or report to the EEOC because of the discrimination she faced
from her co-employee.

In this situation, I think that the HR managers may offer to mediate in order to help settle the
dispute. HR managers may convince the parties to settle things through, to make arrangements,
perform agreements that are equally beneficial to each, and not anymore decide to file a
complaint.