"Colorblind" workplace a minus for minorities.

• Position: YOUR LIFE

Minority employees feel less committed to their work when white employees promote "colorblindness." Yet, when white workers champion multiculturalism, their minority peers feel more connected to their jobs, according to a study by psychologists at the University of Georgia, Athens.

"Contrary to popular beliefs, workplaces that downplay racial and ethnic differences actually make minority employees feel less engaged with their work," claims Victoria Plaut, assistant professor of psychology. "Minority employees sense more bias against them in these allegedly colorblind settings."

Whether to embrace colorblindness or multiculturalism has confounded companies, universities, and courts for decades. Proponents of colorblindness contend that assimilating minorities into the dominant group is best for everyone. This research, though, suggests that such an approach hurts minority employees and the organizations for which they work.

"Previous research has documented the differences between...