TRADING PLACES

Discrimination in the Workplace Activity

Overview of Activity: Government protection against discrimination in the workplace

Suggested Time Allowance: 5-10 minutes

Outcomes: The students will know that their rights are protected in the workplace by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Watching and Listening: After the teacher and students watch the video, a lesson will follow about discrimination in the workplace. The students will be informed that when applying for a job or while on the job, no one can be discriminated against because of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, or disability. All complaints should be directed to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Local offices are available, or the EEOC can be accessed at www.EEOC.gov.

Procedure: Students will write examples of discrimination in the workplace. The examples should include discrimination in the United States, as well as their native countries.

Activity: The teacher will bring several pages of want ads from the local newspapers. In small groups, the students will look for ads that say “EEOC.” Together, the students will write a script for calling the employer they found. Then, they can either role play an interview or actually call the employer. Questions can be asked of the employer to detect any discrimination.