I Say Tomato, You Say Domate:Differential Reactions to English-only Workplace Policies by Persons from Immigrant and Non-immigrantFamilies

Abstract

Immigrants now compose approximately 12% of the population of the United States and a sizable proportion of the workforce. Yet in contrast to research on other traditionally under-represented groups (e.g., women, African Americans), there are relatively few studies on issues related to being an immigrant in the U.S. workforce. This study examined English-only workplace policies, focusing on reactions to business justificationsexplanations that justify managerial decisions as business necessities -for these policies. We contrasted the reactions of individuals coming from immigrant families, where at least one parent was an immigrant to the U.S., with those of persons from non-immigrant families. Results of an experiment indicated that business justifications were successful in influencing the attitudes of non-immigrants toward the English-only policies, but did not influence the attitudes of individuals from immigrant families. Probing the reasons for this effect, a thoughtlisting protocol suggested that non-immigrants mentioned more of the business benefits of the English-only policy than did individuals from immigrant families. Further, business justifications for the English-only policy led individuals from immigrant families, but not those from non-immigrant families, to view the organization as being less ethical and less concerned with the welfare of its workers. The implications of messages from management being understood differently by different demographic groups are discussed.

Wage Cuts and Managers’ Empathy: How a Positive Emotion Can Contribute to Positive Organizational Ethics in Difficult Times

“…In this process, the assumed legitimacy of organizational authorities obligates managers to follow authorities' preferences (Brief, Buttram, & Dukerich, 2001). Dietz and Pugh (2004) further suggested that compliance with unethical instructions is particularly likely when these instructions and the resulting behaviors are justified as business necessities. In this case, these instructions become "ideological accounts" (Schlenker, 1980) that link behavior to super-ordinate organizational goals, such as profitability.…”

“…Demanding a wage cut due to economic conditions should be viewed as a "business justification" (Brief et al, 2000;Dietz & Pugh, 2004) that facilitates unethical behavior.…”

At the doorstep to employment: Discrimination against immigrants as a function of applicant ethnicity, job type, and raters' prejudice

“…We compared immigrant applicants belonging to a well‐accepted ethnic group with applicants belonging to a less well‐accepted ethnic group. We focused on young second‐generation immigrants, i.e., a group that is rarely studied in work discrimination research (see Dietz & Pugh, 2004, for an exception). On the local labour market, second‐generation immigrants are comparable to members of the indigenous population in many respects (e.g., language, schooling).…”

The influence of cross-cultural differences on job interview selection decisions

“…Third, Dietz and Pugh (2004) note that migrant professionals are rarely studied in work discrimination research. Yet, unemployment rates are higher in this group than among nationals, suggesting that this group faces some sort of discrimination (Beck, Reitz and Weiner 2002).…”