Interpersonal Relationships: Addressing Bias and Discrimination in the Workplace Whenever large numbers of people are forced to work together under stressful circumstances, interpersonal conflicts occur. There's just no way around it. Furthermore, there is no way to avoid non-work-related conflicts in the workplace. Where there are people there will be conflicts related to gender, race, socioeconomic status and fundamental differences of opinion. If unresolved, these conflicts can reduce productivity and create a stressful work environment that is not conducive to resolving the issue at hand. The way to deal with these conflicts is to address them directly in an appropriate manner. Deciding what is appropriate and what is inappropriate can be difficult, but the task becomes easier by understanding how prejudicial attitudes and stereotypes are formed. Once you have this understanding, you can begin to develop an appropriate solution to the problem. Defining prejudice, discrimination and stereotypes Before delving into these issues, it is very important to clearly understand what they are. Prejudice is defined as experiencing a negative emotional reaction or dislike toward someone else based on group membership (Baron & Branscombe, 2012). This can often occur in the workplace between people of different races and/or cultures. For example, conflicts may arise because one coworker dislikes or dislikes another coworker based on the other person's group membership (e.g., race, gender, religion, culture, etc.). In many circumstances these emotional responses are not reasonable, but they are powerful nonetheless (Baron & Branscombe, 2012). Prejudice and discrimination often appear together and are generally c...... to different groups and recognize similarities between cultures and people. This type of activity has been associated with divergent thinking, and divergent thinkers are much better at solving problems. They also tend to be more creative and innovative. These characteristics represent an important resource for our company. Conclusion Bias, discrimination and stereotypes are problems that have plagued the workplace since the beginning of time. This struggle is not new and will most likely never fully subside. Our goal should be to reduce instances of these problems. The only way to do this is through education, tolerance, and a commitment to serving ourselves and others. It is up to individual companies to set the pace and as long as they provide support to their employees they will continue to see improvements regarding this issue.