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Perceived discrimination against immigrants in the workplace: Influence of personal values and organizational justice

Elisabeth Enoksen (Department of Media, Culture and Social Sciences, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway AND Health and Welfare Studies, Telemark Research Institute, Bø in Telemark, Norway)

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

ISSN: 2040-7149

Article publication date: 14 March 2016

3172

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how perceptions of organizational justice and social-focussed personal values influence perceived discrimination against immigrants in the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 224 employees of a mental health clinic in Norway completed Schwartz’s Portrait Values Questionnaire that measures personal values, Colquitt’s Organizational Justice Scale, and scale measuring perceived discrimination against immigrant in the workplace.

Findings

Perceived organizational justice and the social-focussed value universalism contributed significantly in explaining variance in perceived discrimination against immigrants in the workplace. Employees who scored low on perceived organizational justice scored high on perceived discrimination against immigrants, and employees who scored high on the value universalism scored high on perceived discrimination against immigrants in the workplace.

Research limitations/implications

The cross-sectional design cannot determine causality. The direction of the relationship between the variables is founded on prevailing empirical and theoretical contributions in the field.

Practical implications

Cultural diversity training programs should make employees aware of how their personal values and personal justice experiences influence their perceptions of discrimination against immigrants. Culturally diverse workplaces could benefit from recruiting employees who emphasize universalism.

Originality/value

Co-workers’ perception of exclusion and discriminating behavior against immigrants in the workplace is critical in order to reduce such unjust treatment. There is limited research on factors that influence perceptions of discrimination against others.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The author thanks Professor Oluf Langhelle and Professor Knud Knudsen at the University of Stavanger for valuable guidance.

Citation

Enoksen, E. (2016), "Perceived discrimination against immigrants in the workplace: Influence of personal values and organizational justice", Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Vol. 35 No. 2, pp. 66-80. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-07-2015-0058

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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