Universal Human Dignity: Some Reflections in the Asian Context

2017

Can J Adm Sci

Despite increased efforts by more organizations to be seen as "gay-friendly," workplaces remain challenging sites for LGBTQ employees to navigate. We examine the ways in which LGBTQ employees experience dignity threats in the workplace and the protection strategies they use to deflect those threats. Interviews with 36 LGBTQ working adults revealed that their dignity is threatened by a range of identitysensitive inequalities that undermine their safety and security when they claim authentic gendered/sexual identities. Specific safety and security threats to dignity include social harm, autonomy violations, career harm, and physical harm. To (re)claim their dignity, they engage in four primary dignity protection strategies: avoiding harm by seeking safe spaces, deflecting harm with sexual identity management, offsetting identity devaluations by emphasizing instrumental value, and creating safe spaces for authenticity and dignity.

Section: Workplace Dignitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Is it safe to bring myself to work? Understanding LGBTQ experiences of workplace dignity

Baker

2017

Can J Adm Sci

“…tion (1974) positions dignity as a fundamental human right, asserting in its constitution that "all human beings, irrespective of race, creed or sex, have the right to pursue both their material well-being and their spiritual development in conditions of freedom and dignity, of economic security and equal opportunity." However, it has proved difficult to judge how dignity is being practiced, as it is a concept that lacks a precise definition (Lee 2008;Sayer 2007). To complicate matters further, understandings and enactment of human dignity vary dramatically across cultures.…”

Section: Workplace Dignitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hodson (2001) defines dignity as "the ability to establish a sense of self-worth and self-respect and to appreciate the respect of others" (p. 3). Lee (2008) offers a similar definition: "the state of being treated with respect or honor, with a sense of self-worthiness and selfesteem resulting therefrom" (p. 5). Because work consumes such a large proportion of people's lives, the achievement of dignity at work becomes essential for overall self-worth (see also Bolton 2007).…”

Section: Workplace Dignitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1 Clearly workplace dignity is a central concern-for workers, scholars and activists, global business partners, and Foxconn leaders. But a chief problem in assessing workplace dignity is that it is an elusive and ambiguous term that, while appealed to as an ultimate value, rarely is defined with precision (Lee 2008;Sayer 2007). Furthermore, evaluating dignity becomes vastly more complex in cross-cultural contexts (Lee 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…But a chief problem in assessing workplace dignity is that it is an elusive and ambiguous term that, while appealed to as an ultimate value, rarely is defined with precision (Lee 2008;Sayer 2007). Furthermore, evaluating dignity becomes vastly more complex in cross-cultural contexts (Lee 2008). Perhaps this complexity is one reason why in Apple's public account of its independent audit of Foxconn facilities, the word dignity was conspicuously absent save for the opening statement that reasserted the company's commitment to worker dignity (Apple 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Workplace Dignity in a Total Institution: Examining the Experiences of Foxconn’s Migrant Workforce

Kang

2012

J Bus Ethics

In 2010, a cluster of suicides at the electronics manufacturing giant Foxconn Technology Group sparked worldwide outcry about working conditions at its factories in China. Within a few short months, 14 young migrant workers jumped to their deaths from buildings on the Foxconn campus, an all-encompassing compound where they had worked, eaten, and slept. Even though the language of workplace dignity was invoked in official responses from Foxconn and its business partner Apple, neither of these parties directly examined workers' dignity in their ensuing audits. Based on our analysis of media accounts of life at Foxconn, we argue that its total institution structure imposed unique indignities on its workers that both raised questions of their self-respect and selfworth, as well as gave rise to multiple episodes of disrespectful communication. We interpret our findings in light of the larger cultural context and meanings of work in China to understand more fully the experience of dignity of Foxconn's migrant workforce.

Workplace Dignity

The International Encyclopedia of Organizational Communication

2017

Workplace dignity is the self‐recognized and other‐recognized worth acquired from engaging in work activity. Grounded in philosophy and sociology, workplace dignity is a multifaceted phenomenon that reflects multiple and overlapping meanings: dignity as recognition of inherent human value, respect, autonomy, contribution, and status. These different meanings are called upon in current research that addresses problematic workplaces, responses to dignity threats, and vulnerable populations. Organizational communication researchers are uniquely poised to contribute to this growing body of knowledge because of the central role micro‐, meso‐, and macrolevel messages play in affirming and denying workplace dignity.