Reference no: EM133211479

Discussion Case

Her resume was as good as it could be. Prestigious university, good grades, and community service. She had everything she needed to get hired as a summer intern. However, there was still one thing left to decide. It seemed silly when she thought about it. What name should she use on her résumé and cover letter?

Xiuying Zhang was used to having her name mispronounced since kindergarten. One of the things she most dreaded about the first day of school was the roll call, when her teacher would inevitably stumble over her name. Xiuying (pronounced shyo-ying)-could feel the blood rush to her cheeks as her classmates snickered at the teacher's attempt to say her name. Often her teachers would ask if she had an "American" name or nickname. Other times, teachers and classmates would create one. "Why don't I call you Sherri? That's a nice name, isn't it?" She didn't think so, but the teachers were in charge, and she was a kid, so what could she do? This had been her experience at every grade level, every school year, and now that she was in college, every semester. Xiuying was growing increasingly tired of being denied the courtesy of being called by her given name, a courtesy that many of her classmates took for granted.

Xiuying knew that she was not the only one to go through this. Her friends had similar experiences. Junghua Li had been "Jenny" since the first grade. Francisco Gonzales, went by "Frank" and Dhiriti Singh, Rita. This awkward situation had even made it to mainstream television. An ad for the online shopping platform Etsy featured a Japanese teenager, Shiori, struggling with people's inability to get her name right. Her mother gave Shiori a necklace that spelled out her name. If only a necklace could be so effective, Xiuying mused.

Even though she had been accommodating in the past, as an adult, Xiuying wanted to use her name. She wanted her accomplishments to be attributed to Xiuying Zhang, not Sherri Zhang. Xiuying wondered if she were blowing things out of proportion. Perhaps she was making a big deal out of nothing. So, she did what any curious person would do-she googled it. Her google search was not encouraging.

First, she read a blog on the Asian American News site. In 2016, Tiffany Trieu applied for a design job with an architectural firm. The CEO of the firm communicated that her application was rejected because the firm had "hired so many foreign nationals that it seems time for us to hire an American or be unfair." Trieu responded that she was in fact an American and asked how with only a picture and a name, the CEO could draw a conclusion about her nationality. Digging further, Xiuying read about a 2017 study that found that job applicants in Canada with names of Indian, Pakistani, or Chinese origin were 28 percent less likely to get called for an interview compared to applicants with Anglo names. Even when all the qualifications were the same! The same study found that people with Anglo first names and Asian last names were not treated much better.

Another study found that Asian and African American candidates were twice as likely to get an interview if they "whitened" their résumés by changing their names and excluding race-based honors and organizations. When the researchers asked employers to explain why fewer Asian applicants received invitations to interview, a typical response was, "Well you see an Asian name and you know that language problems are going to be there."

In 2018, 20 Black applicants for a position in a healthcare clinic received the following rejection message: Thank you for your interest in careers at Mantality Health. Unfortunately, we do not consider candidates that have suggestive "ghetto" names. We wish you the best in your career search." Hermeisha Robinson was one of the applicants who received the message. Initially, Robinson felt hurt, and the experience had her "second guessing my name trying to figure out if my name is really that 'ghetto.'" Another applicant, Dorneshia Zachery, sued Mantality for racial discrimination, asserting "The company looked at my name and said we don't care about what you've done in life. No, your name is going to dismiss you completely." Xiuying read further and learned that the rejection messages to the Black applicants were fraudulent and had been sent by a disgruntled former employee trying to harm Mantality. Even though the message was fake, Xiuying could relate to Robinson's and Zachery's hurt feelings and self-doubt.

The stuff she was reading on the Internet was really upsetting. Xiuying decided to get her friends' input. Jinghua shared that she used "Jenny" on her job application materials. "Yes, you're right, things shouldn't be this way," Jinghua admitted, "but I'm not going to let a little thing like a name get in the way of a great job. If they want to call me 'Jenny' then OK. It's not like I'm not used to it."

Xiuying dismissed these thoughts and brought her full attention back to the computer screen. The cursor blinked persistently on the screen in the space on her résumé for her name. Reflecting on her experience and what she had learned, Xiuying began to type.

Note: Xiuying Zhang, Jinghua Li, Francisco Gonzales, and Dhriti Singh are fictional. The other individuals appearing in the case are real.

Questions

1. What dimensions of diversity are represented in a name?

2. Do you think that Jinghua's, Francisco's, and Dhiriti's nicknames promote or hamper workplace inclusion? Explain your answer.

3. Even though it was discovered that a disgruntled employee fraudulently sent posts to Black applicants rejecting their applications based on their names, should Mantality be held responsible?

4. If you were an HR manager for one of the companies described in the case, what changes would you make to ensure that the hiring process was fair and inclusive? What changes would you make to promote an inclusive and equitable corporate culture?

5. If an employer's request to change someone's name is intended to make it easier for others to pronounce, is this a violation of Title VII? Why or why not?

6. What do you think Xiuying will do? What do you think she should do? Why?