I'd like you to analyze this situation from the perspective of workplace culture and natural supports and post your observations. Jamie, 40 year old black male gets a job at a hydraulics plant. His family, though not highly educated, is smart and values self-improvement, work and contribution. He likes basketball and talking to his girlfriend on the phone. His job is on his father's way to work, so transportation isn't a problem. His job responsibilities, which he enjoys and is good at, is oiling parts, delivering supplies around the plant, cleaning up oil spills and maintaining areas around the equipment, cleaning the front offices and break areas, assisting with stocking supplies, laundering rags and towels, etc. It is a full-time job, pays quite well, and has full benefits (health insurance, life insurance, vacation, and more). Everybody who works in the back floor is white and most are in their late-20s to mid-30s. They are a pretty rough bunch of guys. Most are high school grads, some did not finish high school. The front office is all middle-aged white women. The employment specialist is brand new on the job, a 22 year old female, and about to finish college. Once Jamie starts the job, the social rituals emerge. Because their work is so interdependent, the entire plant stops for breaks and lunch. During break time, the guys hang out, smoke lots of Marlboro "reds", and talk about NASCAR (car racing here in the U.S. just in case our international students aren't familiar with it), their trucks or cars, and how they plan to spend their weekends or what they did last night. They tend to have pretty lewd conversations and jokes...and sometimes jokes tend have some minority group taking the brunt of the joke. The women from the front end stay out of the break room, one even commented "if it weren't for the fact that there's no Budweiser in there, you think it was a dive bar at break time!" Think about this situation considering what you are learning about workplace culture and natural supports. What's good about it? What's wrong with it? Have at it!!
Stated: They tend to have pretty lewd conversations and jokes...and sometimes jokes tend to have some minority group taking the brunt of the joke. These behaviors can lead to precise legal ramifications regardless of who is present. Therefore these types of discussions within the workplace should be halted. Set up a better culture at work by having each attend sensitivity training.
The good parts are the benefits, pay, and tasks the worker can do. The bad part could be if the group in the breakroom make racist or remarts about those with disabilities. If the worker is not included in the beakroom, it could interfere with his sense of inclusion in the social group.
Hi, my name is Valerie and I just enrolled in this course. Looking at the scenario about Jamie, I agree with what many others said in the comments. I do think management should have the employees trained or enrolled in a course about workplace edicate and what is/isn't appropriate to talk about at work. I would definitely make sure the ES checks in with Jamie regularly to make sure he is comfortable in his setting and is not feeling overwhelmed or insulted by the jokes/comments made. Since Jamie enjoys his job and is good at it, I think he is in the correct job place but am concerned with the age gap and lack of diversity throughout the company. It does seem that there is a divide amongst employees based on sex and since there are no other black employees within the company it may be hard for Jamie to find someone he could feel comfortable around. I do feel that if he was able to find someone he could confide in, it may allow him to feel more comfortable in the work place. The job seems to be a good fit for what Jamie is looking for and meets all other criteria in the sense of benefits, transportation, and skills.
The good thing is Jamie is completing tasks he is comfortable with and the benefits are great. I would talk with Jamie and ensure he has an understanding of appropriate and non-appropriate workplace conversations and have him complete a workplace discrimination training. I would also speak with HR to ensure there is come kind of promotion of diversity. The bad thing is Jamie being new and the other workers already having social relationships. I would find a co-worker that would relate to Jamie about sports and possibly his girlfriend to be a natural support.
I would have a conversation with Jamie about how he feels about the work culture. It is obvious that the jokes the men make in the break room aren't professional and doesn't create a positive work environment. I would have a meeting with the whole staff and have a conversation about appropriate work behavior and converations. If Jamie is not bothered by the relationships that the other male co-workers have then I do not see the harm in him continuing to work at the company. However, I do feel like this is an issue that should be addressed.
Hi, my name is Sarah. I just enrolled and wanted to introduce myself. As for my opinion on what Jamie and his ES, I agree that managment should be informed about the jokes being made, because that is discrimination and many workplaces do not tolerate such behavior. If management does not resolve the issue then his ES should discuss other options such as looking at other job opportunities. Jamie deserves to be treated with respect just like the group of younger men that are making the jokes.
Observations: Seems the majority of the employees working there are not very diverse. There is one black man, one white female, and the rest are young dudes between 20-30 years old with a lack of education. Maybe you could talk to the employer about diversity and the importance it brings to the workplace. Maybe provide education to the fellows who aren't as educated and how it can come off as offessenvie and hurtful and that your goal is to make the work environment feel comforting and safe, and satisifying for everyone. Lead by good examples. You could also encourge that indiivual to talk to manager about this problem if it is bothering them to promote independence and advocacy. I think he could definetly get support from the women, she is not really in those coversations and she needs the support as well. Promote social interactions with closer to age folks for more connectivity. And then re-assess and go from there.
Hello! I'm Micah, I just recently enrolled in the course and was just introducing myself!In terms of the response to the pros/cons of this job for Jamie, I'd say the benefits and pay sound like they're profitable enough to not immediately pass up without first finding coping strategies for Jamie if he feels bothered or uncomfortable, and then progressing onto conversations with management about some of the lewd comments from coworkers. The cons of this though would be Jamie internalizing negativity which could lead to poor performance.Since he is good at the job, it would be a shame for him to leave or pass up the opportunity solely based on the individuals of the workplace, as this is something that could potentially be adressed.
ES should focus on Jamie whether he is comfortable working there. Since he is doing well at this job with good earnings and job benefits, Jamie should learn to build good relationships with co-workers and employer. ES should discuss with Jamie about different workplace culture and people at work. He should be educated about appropriate social interaction, his rights as a minority in a workplace, and effective communication skills at work. Teaching and coaching him his rights and good communication would enhance his successful employment and independence.
First I would address all these concerns with management and see if the enviroment can possibly be improved and be more professsional. If the approach of going to management doesnt improve the work enviroment then I will change my approach with finding a better work enviroment. Next I will consider all these aspects of Jaimie's work enviroment , I might consider changing his current workplace. The culture of his current workplace is probably not for him and not a professional or appropriate for this individuals culture. I would take into consideration he enjoys his job and he is also good at it and take this information to help with a new potential job outlook. I would like to think outside of the box and reach out to the local community to see if his love for basketbal can be incooperated into a new career such local highschool athletic departments or college athletic departments. Maybe even reach out to athletic stores or related merchants. Hopefully the new job search and new field will provide a better work enviroment for Jaimie's culture and skills. Jaimie's natural supports have some disadvantages due to the intellectual limitations and his Dad also provides a dependable ride , so when we start to look into new job opportunities we can try to look in the same area as well. If the same are doesnt have job opprtunities then we can work on other natural sports for the commute or start the process on transportaion services. The option to learn new skills and be open to other opportunities are always a option in life.
If Jamie feel as if this is what he wants to do and there is no real issues with any of his coworkers I feel as if Jamie should keep working there considering he enjoys the work, pay, and benifits are all really good. On the other hand, I would not want Jamie to pick up behavior or bad habits from the other individuals either. Talking with Jamie and seeing if any of the women or even guys interact with him on a regualr bases would also be helpful. Jamie should feel comfortable and heard in the work place and as long as these needs are being met Jamie could very well be happy and strive in the work place.
Examining the workplace culture as part of the early process of searching for a good job match would have been very helpful. It's not clear if this is a job customized for Jamie, but it appears to be, so observing the work/workplace behaviors and culture would have been very helpful to start. This is particularly difficult, because the job pay, hours, location, duties, and benefits all seem optimum for Jamie.It wasn't mentioned, but the issue of everyone taking a smoking break is also significant, as there have been studies to show that people sometimes take up the smoking habits from staff or co-workers in order to fit in. Would hate to see Jamie in this position. The best I can say at this point is for the coach to observe workers who could become allies for Jamie, including the women in the office, possibly. Everyone--no matter whether they have a disability--needs to have a friend or ally at work (studies show this is one reason people stay at or leave their jobs) so helping to bridge that and create relationships is so important. I guess I would support the person to develop any healthy relationship possible, monitor the interactions, and would want to know how Jamie feels about the situation on an on-going basis (as well as his family) in order to make an informed choice about what he would like to do if the culture proves unhealthy for him.
I agree with all your points. I think that the behavior of the white males in the office is clearly offensive. I feel management needs to address this and foster an appropriate work environment that has morals and respect. Racisim, sexisim, and any form of abusive or harassment is not acceptable in any work environment. If management doesn't know already it should be brought to their attention. If management doesn't implement new policies to negate this behavior the EEOC needs to be contacted. Jamie seems to like his job tasks, and is good at them, and the benefits are great, but it's important to be sure he feels comfortable and safe in his work environment. Helping him find an ally/friend (in this case a female would be best) coworker, a natural support, would help so he has someone to help him navigate socially in his work environment.
I don't believe this is a good environment for Jamie. He is an older male. He isalso a minority. I would wonder if he has any natural supports at his job. Does he feel comfortable in this environment? This seems to be the workplace culture. Jamie could stay working at this job, but would he be happy. Talking to the supervisor is an option, but is it going to change the work environment and type of people that work there. Probably not.
I do not think this is a positive culture for Jamie. Jokes about minorities and he is black. I would have a conversation with Jamie to see how he feels about those jokes. Is the love of the job worth having to listen to that? Are there natural supports on the job? It does not appear so. I would talk with the manager and discuss the situation. Sounds like the other coworkers need to understand that is offensive, on company property. The discussion with coworkers could put Jamie in a bad position with coworkers, if they know that complaint is coming from the employment specialist or Jamie. I would handle this situation with caution and maybe start looking for an environment with more natural supports.
Thisi is tough. When someone "different" from the rest of the group of workers, it is usually difficult for him to be accepted. Something must be done to break down that barrier and help him be more part of a group -- really any group. A sense of belonging is important to all workers. Maybe, like some others have said, if we can find one from either group (the men or the women) who will reach out to your client, it might just open a door for others to do the same. But taught prejudices are difficult to break.
I like the idea of natural supports. One women or one man may have an outgoing heart and not strictly fit the mold of the groupthink, and be willing to usher Jamie into either "club." I think Kayla has a good point - a new job with a more comfortable culture might be best for Jamie overall.
A supervisor should be getting involved in this- immediately.If Jamie's family values self improvement, work, and contribution, then the lewd conversations that the younger white males have, will more than likely make Jamie uncomfortable and he could potentially be at the brunt end of their jokes.Jaime should seek (with the help of his exployment specialist) at least one co-worker that he can relate to somehow, and use that to befriend him/her. This will bring some comfort to Jaime, and give him something to look forward to when going to work. Perhaps Jaime's values can influence this younger crew.
The key to Jamie's job is to find a natural support. It may be difficult due to the (male) co workers behavior during break time. Jamie would likely pick up negative behaviors towards women due to the breakroom talk. The job coach may would need to find other supports for Jamie other that co worker to help him maintain his job. If left with male co workers negative behavior it could cause a conflict between him and his female job coach.
This would be a great area for Jamie and the Employment specialist to address by helping him determine which co workers he feels comfortable with, males or the females, some of the commonalities they may share. This would also be great opportunity for him to build those natural supports, is there someone that he can relate to? share interests in hobbies, or how he likes to spend his time? does he realize the social rituals are just that?
though the benifits and pay and jonb is a very important aspect so is the work culture and social interaction. jamie and the consultant should try engaging in conversation with the group of very stereotypical "white" men, maybe through sports or talk about work. if jamie is uncomfortable with that group of people he could always try to engage with the singled out group of women. he might have more in common with them. there is nothing wrong with him engaging with the ladies. they are nicer and more soft hearted any how. if none of these options work he might need to find another job that better fits his social interactions.
