Basics of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)

On returning from Australia the immediate question that was asked by my brother was that “I heard Aussies are very racist; did you experience any such thing?” My immediate reply was that Pakistanis are one of the most racist people on this planet. So this debate led to an argument. I simply took out my mobile and showed him the folder of Jokes which has nearly 3000 jokes out of which more than 2500 are making fun of Pathaans. Isn’t it racism? As an HR person I feel sorry when I see unabated discrimination against individuals purely on the basis of race, religion, gender or ethnicity. Now a days advertisements with “females only”, “Graduates from LUMS or IBA only” etc. is so common that one finds it hard to pursue honestly for career without using unfair means. So how do we get it started and implement EEO in its true spirit. Let me explain it as follows:

If we simply understand the meaning of Hadith “Action depends on intentions” (Sahih Bukhari) our many problems can be resolved. First of all companies must NOT advertise EEO below the position of “Females only” or the other way round. Secondly, it is the responsibility of government to provide equal opportunities of education and employment to all its people instead of focusing on one province. In long run that will help in removing the stereotypes of “only Punjabis can handle it best”. Lastly, it is the responsibility of every parent to teach their children not to be biased to others. Our parents (mostly mothers) are the first institution of learning which makes (or destroys) the mindset of an individual. Nepolean famously said “Give me good mothers and I shall give you a good nation”.

From the above it can be assumed that in order to adapt EEO one must learn to be a good human first. We must come out of nutshell of “Dumb Pathaan, Miser Sheikh, unreliable Punjabis, Cunning Sindhis, untouchable minorities”. In any debate one will find arguments for and against a specific ethnicity. The only common ground left is to treat and respect others as HUMANS. Western world had learned it the hard way by going through dark ages & apartheid regimes. Can we learn it by changing/correcting our mindset by stop calling a pathaan friend with a sheepish smile of “Khan Gee”? Discrimination is NOT bad; only if it is done on the basis of performance and skills.