Racial conflict, a special kind of actual or perceived opposition of values, interest, thoughts and need at place where one works as noted by Singley and Bell (2002). Racial conflicts can either be internal or external and at the same time categorized as substantive conflict or personalized conflict. Generally, racial conflicts in the workplace are triggered by a myriad of factors for instance fueled by ignorance and hatred over promotion, hard work or just racism. The easiest detonator of racism is difference individual voices concerning political stand concerning particular minority community in the society. This has given the civil society and most of the voluntary organization whom are whistle blowers to this menace a head ache on the fact that after all the diversity training and the destruction that this atrocity brings still workers deploy it in the working place (Budd & Bhave, 2010).

1. Goal Seek and Solver
Conflict Management in Workplace
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(11, August, 2010)

2. Conflict Management in Workplace
Conflict Management
Racism conflict at the workplace
Racial conflict, a special kind of actual or perceived opposition of values, interest,
thoughts and need at place where one works as noted by Singley and Bell (2002). Racial
conflicts can either be internal or external and at the same time categorized as substantive
conflict or personalized conflict. Generally, racial conflicts in the workplace are triggered by
a myriad of factors for instance fueled by ignorance and hatred over promotion, hard work or
just racism. The easiest detonator of racism is difference individual voices concerning
political stand concerning particular minority community in the society. This has given the
civil society and most of the voluntary organization whom are whistle blowers to this menace
a head ache on the fact that after all the diversity training and the destruction that this atrocity
brings still workers deploy it in the working place (Budd & Bhave, 2010).
It has been noted that when racial conflicts if they are not constructively and timely
addressed, the consequences are far beyond our imagination as it can lead to low
productivity, increase psychological stress, distrust, high rates of employees turnover, low
quality, reduced creative collaboration and team problem solving, poor customer satisfaction,
gossip as well as delayed or missed deadlines (Stanovich & West, 2000). Broadly, the
organization will not attain its predetermined desired goals and objectives. Further more the
organization is slapped with litigation concerning racial discrimination.
According to Kahneman (2003) mostly the management is the ones whom are the
culprits of this offence, this they indulge through name calling depending on the victim racial
background. The most affected are the African and Latino American, who mainly fall in the
minority in most of the workplaces. From the observation surveys it is still sickly viewed that
racial harassment is still rampant and it is escalating. Some of the factors which have fueled
this are political, economy and social activities like violent video games and movies. In the

3. Conflict Management in Workplace
internet when censoring of information flow is not regulated this has triggered hatred which
crawls through discussion in the working place offering people immunity to practice this
devilish behavior which fosters racial hostile work place (Lindley, 2002).
Real Life Racial Conflict Experience
Sometime back will Smith a native African American was in a conflict with his
branch manager over the hours he should work, that include the reporting time and time of
departure. The reason that Will thought of starting work at a different time rather than that
put down by the management was a difference in thoughts between him and his branch
manager and it thus caused the conflict. The manager of the branch Will worked for always
expected all employees to work standard hours. Will was a student in the local university
taking evening classes which started at four thirty and his standard working hours were to end
at five. The HRM had approved that Will be allowed to be departing earlier so that he would
have time to facilitate for his studies (Stanovich & West, 2000).
However, the branch manager knowingly aware that Will had authority to leave early
would still gorge him for leaving early. This continued until one evening when Will was
about to leave the branch manager together with another two white male assistance roughed
Will up and locked him in the locked till six in the evening making him miss his final
assessment examinations. The branch manager had been calling him racial names like black
boy, which because he needed the wage to facilitate for his tuition fees just brushed off. The
names later turn to shoves whenever they met in the corridors accompanied with rude
remarks like “just enjoy our priorities soon will make you all leave to the jungle in Africa you
monkey.” Will attempted to take the matters to higher authority but was advised by other
staff members that the company belonged to one of the branch manager relative and that such
incident usually result to the victim being dismissed.

4. Conflict Management in Workplace
Will later in the campus confronted the faculty committee and aired his reason for not
being able to take his examination. Will was reinstated and allowed to take the examination
and the faculty helped him file a lawsuit against the branch manager. Will was compensated
for the emotional distress and the branch manger was jailed for ten month from charges
ranging from racial and gender discrimination as other employees also come forward and
filled litigations (Singley & Bell, 2002).
Ageism Conflict in the Work Place
The term ageism is one ugly which is mainly defined as discrimination or prejudice
which favors or discriminate certain age group in the work place. According to Ballagh
(2009) this is usually viewed to be a prejudice strategy which is devised to discriminate
against certain targeted group in the work place. This negative attitude or stereotype is
projected toward certain people marginalized because of their age group. Usually in the most
common setup in major institution the most discriminated group is the elderly. Prejudice is
mostly triggered against elderly employees whom have reached nearly the retirement age
which is standard in majority of the nation is 65 years. This discrimination ranges from
differential issuance of life insurance premiums, training, promotions, hiring and violation of
the rights of the elderly worker (Mille, 2005).
Usually also affected are the youth this usually happens when recruiting, the age
bracket that is usually affected by this factor includes age bracket from 19-25 year of age.
Majority of the nation due to the carrying of foul over ageism conflict in the corporate arena
have adapted the Discrimination in Employment Act (McEvoy & Cascio, 2008). This act
usually protects the rights of all applicants who have qualified in the vacancy that the
organizations have advertised that is vacant. Usually because of the experience that majority
of the organization usually advertises as requirement many of the youth are sidelined because
of this fact. However, this act attempt to elaborate that it’s not the experience that would

5. Conflict Management in Workplace
work but the desire and the edification that the candidate possesses. This is so because many
of the youthful applicants usually are fresh from school and have no experience however they
are equipped with new and advance knowledge which would be helpful in the changing time
and technology as echoed by Bramlett and Wilson (2001).
Real Life Ageism Conflict Experience
Jacky a prudent smart graduate after finishing her business administration course at
the University of Miami, thought that this would be an opportunity to go and harvest million
of dollars from the corporate industry. However, what lay ahead of her would forever remain
in her mind for the rest of her years. The daily post advertisement which Jacky applied the
job vacancy did not articulate that she needed ten years experience which she did not have or
qualify to posses as she was green from campus. The interview was filled with lot of question
of where else she had worked before despite her resume portraying that she was straight from
college. However, due to her qualification and compared to the other candidate she was the
most qualified one, however another senior lady was employed on the vacancy and Jacky was
told that she would be hired as an assistant. Having little money left and the will to be free
from depending on the parent funding she took the job.
The senior administration manager who was hired to man over Jacky as she gets the
ropes of the job was not polite. She would gang with the other members of the organization
whom were well over their menopause age project abusive recommendation on the chores
which Jacky has accomplished feigning that she had done a shoddy job. This continued
month after month and when she went to the higher authority she was told to take the matter
to the HR whom was among those discriminating her and making abusive remark concerning
her work. When this torment continued and she could not take it any longer she met with the
CEO one day in the corridor and aired her grievances. However, this only made matters
worse as the other executive now poured all their anger on her, the working hours were

6. Conflict Management in Workplace
escalated posing that the office was in peak period. The work load was enormous and when
she complained they articulated that they were only training her so she should not bother
them as she was not even qualified. The senior lady did not attend to any office chore as all
were diverted to Jacky (McEvoy & Cascio, 2008).
One of the junior intern sympathized with Jacky and helped her report the matter to
the board of directors and later failed a litigation on ageism discrimination which had caused
her emotional distressed. Jacky applied for another job in another place and was offered a
position and administration manager. Here she was treated with respect regardless of her age
and she produced success that saw the organization move from lower to upper scale in the
market standing.
Conclusion
Racial or ageism conflict at the working places affects both the workers and the
productivity of the corporation, thus this longevity is escalated even to the customers. When
work related conflicts are not constructively and timely addressed, the consequences are far
beyond our imagination and blow beyond proportion adding to vices like increase
psychological stress, distrust, high rates of employee’s turnover, low quality, reduced creative
collaboration and team problem solving and poor customer satisfaction. However, if
addressed the work place is a place where productivity accumulate and the organization
flourish.

7. Conflict Management in Workplace
References
Ballagh, E. (2009). Ageism: Negative and Positive. New York: Penguin.
Bramlett, S., & Wilson, V. (2001). Images of the Elderly in Life and Ebony. Journalism
Quarterly. 66. 185–188.
Budd, J., & Bhave, D., (2010). The Employment Relationship: Sage Handbook of Handbook
of Human Resource Management. Los Angeles: Sage Publishers.
Kahneman, D. (2003). A perspective on judgment and choice: Mapping bounded rationality.
American Psychologist Journal. 58, 697-720.
Lindley, K. (2002). Economic Assimilation and the Labor Market Performance of British
Refugees and Economic Migrants. Nottingham: University of Nottingham.
McEvoy, G., & Cascio, W. (2008). Cumulative Evidence of the Relationship Between
Employee Age and Job Performance. Journal of Applied Psychology. 74, 1. 11–17.
Mille, E. (2005). Ageism in the workplace. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Singley, B., & Bell, D. (2002). When Race Becomes Real: Black and White Writers Confront
Their Personal Histories. Chicago: Chicago Review Press.
Stanovich, E., & West, R. (2000). Individual differences in reasoning: Implications for the
rationality debate. Journals of Behavior and Brain Sciences. 23, 645-665