group six

SUBMITTED TO
MRS. SHIRLY CUSAY-YU
 INTRODUCTION

Corporations should improve gender equality in the workplace because it

is for the best, not only for the company itself but, of course, most notably for

the employees it is what makes them more productive in the company. After all,

they know they have a safe and healthier environment.

“It is time that we all see gender as a spectrum instead of two sets of

opposing ideals” as Emma Watson said with this statement regarding women's

rights, it is clear that the moment has come for the rest of the world to unite in

the battle against discrimination. We already have laws to protect ourselves

against discrimination that continues and does not disappear throughout time.

Even though everyone has the right to receive equal treatment, there are still

numerous cases of discrimination among people who suffer unfairness simply

for belonging to a "diverse" group as opposed to others who hold positions of

privilege or power. Discrimination nevertheless exists, perhaps because of the

norms or concepts of identity or roles imprinted in the minds of people with

power or privilege.

In this essay, we will discuss two businesses that have undergone gender

discrimination in the same way. The first company is Morgan Stanley, a

multinational American financial services and investment management

company with headquarters at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York

City. Riot Games Incorporated, an American video game developer, publisher,

and esports competition organizer with offices in Los Angeles, California, stands

in contrast to the first one.

DISCUSSION

What precisely does discrimination at work entail? It treats someone less

favorably at work because of their race, sex, marital status, age, nationality, or

other distinguishing characteristics.

Two cases had a lot of common denominators, which is why they wanted

to settle the cases in legal ways. The company and two senior executives,

including CEO James Gorman, are accused of racial and gender discrimination

by the former director of diversity at Morgan Stanley. The claims state that

Marilyn Booker was fired after advocating for a strategy she believed would aid

in advancing the careers of Black employees at Morgan Stanley. In the case,

Booker's dismissal was part of an ongoing practice of discrimination against

Black and female employees at the investment firm. On the other hand, Riot

Games, a well-known developer of video games, was sued for alleged gender

discrimination, salary disparity, assault, and harassment.

Both corporations have many employees that have sued them with solid

and credible evidence, which can help the employees who have suffered from

gender discrimination to have justice against those who have wronged them. The

complaint alleges several instances in which Booker, who worked at Morgan

Stanley for 26 years and is Black, said she faced discrimination. In two such
examples, it allegedly gave the professional credit and financial reward for

bringing a new client recruited by Booker and a fellow Black employee to a White

colleague and the widespread sex discrimination at the firm, including strip-club

outings with clients and higher pay for men. According to the suit, Booker

identified many Black candidates for positions at the firm who were never hired

without her superiors explaining. Moreover, Booker's budget for encouraging

diversity at the company was frequently reduced. At the same time, Melanie

McCracken, and Jess Negrón initially brought the complaint against Riot Games

after a Kotaku article revealed the company's "men-first" and "bro" culture. In

the story, Kotaku described workers' experiences at the organization, including

"genital grabbing" incidents and senior management sending around lists of

workers they would sleep with. According to a former employee who left the firm

due to discrimination, working for Riot was like "working at a gigantic fraternity."

A Title VII sex discrimination complaint brought by a category of female

officers and women qualified for officer promotion at Morgan Stanley was settled

for $54 million by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

and Morgan Stanley. At least $2 million will be allocated as part of the settlement

for diversity initiatives to improve female employees' pay and advancement

prospects at Morgan Stanley. Even though Morgan Stanley denies the charges

and any responsibility, it has always treated its female employees fairly and

equally. Additionally, they said they were proud of their dedication to diversity

and thanked the EEOC staff for constructively cooperating with them to resolve
those issues. Additionally, they anticipate collaborating with the EEOC to

achieve their shared objectives.

The court approves Riot Games' $100 million gender discrimination

settlement, plus substantial systemic changes that will make the game

developer’s workplace more equitable for all current and future female employees

and applicants. The deal is ten times what the corporation first promised to pay,

indicating that the women who sued the company will receive their

compensation. When the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) and

California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) joined in

disputing the settlement in 2019, Riot was first ordered to pay $10 million to the

thousands of class members. Instead, the two state agencies claimed. Riot

should make up to $400 million in compensation for its employment offenses.

Riot Games Company also denies alleging equal pay and promotions and

subjecting them to sexual harassment.

Morgan Stanley states that they will continue to advance its high-priority

efforts to achieve a more diverse and inclusive firm. And also, Morgan Stanley

mentions several initiatives it has put in place to help Black and Hispanic

employees. These include career development training for promising Black and

Hispanic senior employees, internships for college juniors with a concentration

on Black students that can lead to jobs with the corporation and supporting

women and people of the color program in technological careers. "We fully

acknowledge that we have work to do, and we are working to do better," the
company said. Similarly, to Riot Games' decision, they also agreed to some

changes to workplace policies as part of the settlement. These include creating

a pathway for existing or former job agency contractors to apply to work for Riot

Games, increasing transparency surrounding pay scales for job candidates, and

not basing employee salaries or job titles on prior income histories. They will also

put into practice a rule requiring the inclusion of a woman or a person from an

underrepresented group on boards used to select job candidates. “We had to face

that despite our best intentions, we hadn’t always lived up to our values. As a

company, we stood at a crossroads; we could deny the shortcomings of our

culture, or we could apologize, correct course, and build a better Riot. We chose

the latter.” the company stated.

The two businesses' similarities include those with the same gender

discrimination case. Both companies had a settlement or agreement about the

case, paying money for the damage they had to the victims. But we all know that

money is not enough to pay for the trauma they cause to every female. The worst

is most of them are females, and women must protect and has the rights for

every job or position they have in a company. And based on the process of the

case in both companies, they only paid money, but they didn't admit their

wrongdoing. What we can do in this situation is propagate multiculturalism in

the workplace because it brings together people from various cultures and ethnic

backgrounds. Businesses should consider how diversity and multiculturalism in

their practices and management style may increase. People in work

environments that embrace multicultural ideas feel valued for who they are and

the unique skills they must give.

CONSLUSION

To conclude, Riot Games and Morgan Stanley should be accountable for

their actions, and the claimants may agree with the settlements. It's still very

disappointing that discriminations against women are still rampant in today's

society. Riot Games also consented to some changes to workplace policies as

part of the settlement. These include creating a pipeline for existing or former

temp agency contractors to apply for Riot Games, increasing transparency

surrounding pay scales for job candidates, and not basing employee salaries or

job titles on prior income histories. The publisher will also put into practice a

rule requiring the inclusion of a woman or a person from an underrepresented

group on panels used to select job candidates. While on the other hand, Morgan's

At least $2 million of the settlement will go toward diversity initiatives aimed at

improving female employees' pay and advancement prospects at Morgan Stanley.

The decision for settlements of the claimant was a tough conclusion because the

damage has been done, not only to their career but also to their morale as a part

of a human being and their capabilities. The higher amount is necessary because

it can't return every victim's dignity and trauma during discrimination. That is

why learning diversity and multiculturalism is essential because it recognizes

and comprehends our shared humanity by addressing our commonalities and

respecting and accepting our differences without discrimination, whether it's

about gender or race.