Common Forms of Discrimination 歧視的常見形式
● Sexual discrimination is probably the most common form of discrimination in the workplace given women’s traditional lack of power and leadership in many organizations. Sexual discrimination can be one person trying to coerce (force) sexual favors, using their power and / or the threat of termination. Or, it can be an organization refusing to hire or promote more women into management because they feel women are not “serious” long-term employees.
性別歧視 大概是職場歧視中最常見的，因為有很多組織的女性在傳統上都缺乏權力與領導權。性別歧視可能是一個人試圖利用權勢和／或解雇的威脅來迫使（強迫發生）性關係，也可能是組織拒絕聘用或晉升更多女性到管理階層，因為他們覺得女性不是「有志於此」的長期員工。
● With the rapidly aging society, age discrimination is becoming a larger issue today. Many companies are restructuring and forcing out older, more expensive workers and replacing them with younger, less-expensive ones. These same older workers may then find it difficult to find new employment because of their age.
隨著社會迅速老化，年齡歧視 如今正成為更大的問題。有很多公司都在進行重組並逼退年紀較大、薪資較高的員工，以年紀較輕又較便宜的員工來取代。這些年紀較大的員工接著就可能會發現，因為年齡的關係，已經很難找到新的工作。
● Racial discrimination is, unfortunately, a common practice in many companies. Certain groups of workers may be targeted with offensive comments or jokes because of their racial background. Or worse, they may be denied job opportunities or promotions because companies feel they don’t project the “right image.”
不幸的是，種族歧視 在許多公司裡都是屢見不鮮的事。特定群體的勞工可能會因為本身的種族背景而遭受侮辱性的言語或玩笑。或者更糟的是，他們可能會因為公司覺得他們不符合「正確的形象」而得不到工作機會或升遷。
● Disability discrimination is a newly recognized form of discrimination, although it has been around for many years. People with physical or mental disabilities are often denied employment opportunities or have to work in environments that are not easily accessible to them.
身障歧視 是新被認定的歧視形式，雖然它存在了許多年。身心障礙人士經常得不到雇用機會，或是必須在進出不方便的環境中工作。
Discrimination Drawbacks 歧視為公司帶來的不利
・Expensive lawsuits (legal actions taken against companies) 訴訟所費不貲（對公司所採取的法律行動）
・Negative publicity (loss of public trust) 負面行銷（失去公眾的信任）
・Potential consumer boycotts (refusal to buy certain products) 潛在顧客杯葛（拒絕購買特定產品）
Discrimination Preventive Measures 歧視的預防措施
・Institute awareness / sensitivity training 進行意識宣導／敏感度訓練
・Formalize clear guidelines in company manual 在公司手冊中訂出明確的規範
・Establish a zero-tolerance policy 訂立零容忍的政策
Word List 重要字彙
make sexual advances 做性挑逗 / subtle (adj.) 隱晦的 / racist (n.) 種族主義者 / coerce (v.) 迫使 / coerce sexual favors 迫使發生性關係 / termination (n.) 解雇 / restructure (v.) 重組 / force out 逼退 / replace (v.) 代替 / offensive (adj.) 侮辱性的 / project (v.) 投射 / be around 存在 / accessible (adj.) 易造成不便的 / drawback (n.) 缺失；不利 / formalize (v.) 使形式化 / zero-tolerance (adj.) 零容忍的（不論是多麼輕微的違規都一律處罰的政策）
Illegal and Expensive
歧視會讓公司在許多方面付出代價。首先最重要的是，它違法而且可能會讓公司在政府的裁罰下付出高額的罰款和罰金，並失去取得政府合約的機會。其次，只要受到影響的員工一提起訴訟，公司可能就要花錢。有很多公司，包括在美國營運的日本公司，必須付出好幾百萬美元來賠償歧視的受害者。集體訴訟的官司代表的是人數眾多的特定群體，使受歧視的受害者比較容易尋求救濟。接下來，公司的信譽也會受到負面的影響，這可能會衝擊到公司的業績。要是不滿的消費者對公司或產品發起杯葛，那就更會雪上加霜。有很多少數族群會定期強力監督有歧視行為的企業。而且在雇用方面，公司會發現某些特定群體的勞工很難請到。這會拉高雇用成本，尤其假如受到影響的群體是女性（半數的勞工）的話。因此，設法消弭組織上下的歧視才是妥善的經營之道。
