Do you consider being an unauthorized immigrant a form of workplace diversity? H

Question

Do you consider being an unauthorized immigrant a form of workplace diversity? How is it similar to and different from other kinds of workplace diversity discussed in this chapter?

Do you agree with Chipotle’s response to the government’s enforcement effort? What else should Chipotle’s managers do now, and why?

Discussion Case: Unauthorized Immigrant Workers at Chipotle Mexican Grill Restaurants In 2015, Chipotle Mexican Grill acknowledged that it was still under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia for possible failure to comply with laws on employee work eligibility. "It is not possible to know at this time," the company stated in its annual report to shareholders, "whether the company will incur, or to reasonably estimate the amount of, any fines, penalties or further liabilities in connection with these matters." Chipotle's troubles with immigration had begun four years earlier, when federal agents had descended on dozens of Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants around the country, from Los Angeles to Atlanta, interviewing employees and managers. Their purpose was to determine whether-and to what extent- the fast-food chain was hiring unauthorized immigrant workers in violation of U.S. law Chipotle was a fast-growing chain of restaurants specializing in burritos, tacos, and salads made on premises from fresh ingredients. Founded in Colorado in 1993 by chef Steve Ells, at the time of the immigration raids the company owned more than 1,200 restaurants in 41 states, Ontario, London, and Paris. Chipotle employed 31,000 people, 92 percent of whom were hourly employees. Operating under the slogan “Food with Integrity," the chain reported $2.27 billion in revenue and 11 percent sales growth in 2011, despite the struggling economy. Some analysts believed that one of the reasons for Chipotle's strong performance was, as the news service Reuters put it, its "uncanny ability to hold down labor costs." Under government rules, foreign-born individuals are permitted to work legally in the United States under some conditions. They can obtain a green card, a work permit issued to permanent residents (most of whom are close relatives of U.S. citizens). Highly skilled workers in short supply can apply for an H-1 visa. Low-skilled workers can apply for an H-2 visa for temporary, seasonal work; however, these are available to only about 1 percent of the unauthorized population. When hiring, employers are required to fill out and keep on file an I-9 form, documenting a person's eligibility to work, and present it to government investigators if asked About half a million undocumented immigrants entered the United States every year during the past decade, two-thirds by crossing the Mexican-U.S. border and the rest by overstaying temporary visas The Pew Research Center estimates there are 8.1 undocumented immigrants in the U.S. workforce, about 5 percent of the total. Three-quarters of them are Hispanic, mostly from Mexico but also from Central and South America. The main reason they immigrate is for economic opportunity; studies show for example, that a Mexican man with a high school education can make two and a half times as much in the United States as in his home country, even after taking into account differences in the cost of living Most take low-skilled jobs in a small number of occupations and industries. Fully a quarter of farmworkers in the United States-and about a fifth of building and grounds maintenance workers-are undocumented immigrants. In the restaurant industry, they make up 12 percent of food-preparation workers and servers nationally-and much more in some regions, such as southern California. A study by the Food Chain Workers' Alliance found that undocumented workers earned a median hourly of $7.60 (compared with about $10 for other workers in the food industry) and were more than twice as likely to experience some kind of wage theft, such as unpaid hours. Forty-four percent of undocumented workers in the food industry were actually earning less than minimum wage

Explanation / Answer

No, I would not consider being an unauthorized immigrant a form of workplace diversity. This is because the unauthorised diversity is against the laws and order of that particular country. The immigrants don’t have the paper and legal authority for the work. It shows that the illegal immigrant works against the rules of the country. The unauthorised itself tells that somethings that harms. They may be helpful in the business and for the worker themselves but actually they violate the country laws.

The term diversity means the difference. The diversity in the work place would come when the different people from various countries work in the same organisation. The diversity leads to new ideas generation and new formation of business which together generates the integrity of the organisation. But the diversity should be ethical.

They are similar to the kinds of workplace diversity as they are the workers with diversity. They belong to different religion, caste, creed culture age group etc. But they are also different from that diversity because remaining comes under laws but it is unethical way of diversity.

I agree with the Chipotle’s response to the government’s enforcement effort because there are people who manages the way to get rid of these verifications. The system is not fool proof.

Although they are also cooperating the government agencies for the verification process of their employees. They took the important procedures. They terminate the worker who are not proper with the documentation. They have ordered its all restaurants to have the federal e-Verification system if not required also. It also adopts an electronic form I-9 to reduce errors.

The chipotle’s managers can inform to the federal agency if they found that any violation or mischievous behaviour found. The manager should know about the employee’s activities as they are fired if they support these illegal activities within the organisation.

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