Stereotyping In The Workplace

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manager perceiving an employee as being better than others because they both support the same football team or because they grew up in the same neighborhood. The tendency to draw a picture or judge another individual based on one or few characteristics is called the halo effect. For example, management might be laying employees off and decide to let go of one individual not based on actual performance, but because there were other employees that stood out or had a halo effect such as being friends with the manager. The halo effect can distort an individual's decision as certain characteristics might stand out and take away from the whole picture. The tendency to evaluate a certain individual based on comparisons of other individuals recently …show more content…

The contrast effect can distort the image of an employee that the interviewer is meeting for the first time. If the interviewer has just interviewed someone that they think would be particularly good for the job, the next person in line for the interview might have the qualifications for the job but seem less capable than actuality. Stereotyping is the act of judging others based on what group they belong too. As organizations become more diverse so too does the possibility for stereotyping. These general assumptions are harmful in the workplace as general assumptions can be made about individuals without a trace of truth. For example, some individuals assume that men are more intelligent than women and that is why on average they get paid more than women. But according to Bidwell, 21% of women are more likely to be college graduates and 48% are more likely to have completed graduate school than men. This stereotype is not only incorrect but it damages the future careers of many women around the world that are associated to it. While stereotypes can be negative it is very difficult to change or observe them as they can be deeply engrained in one’s