A slang term for the degree of risk
white employers take when hiring black employees. It was coined in
honor of a black
female contestant on a reality show called "The Apprentice" who had very little value as an employee and an infamous ability to irritate all those around her. She wore her
race and
gender on her sleeve, using them to
bait or bash other contestants on the show. When "fired" from the show, she immediately accused the cast members of calling her a "nigger" and of racial antagonism during the show. She received a lot of media attention, as those who play the race card usually do, and despite her lack of credibility (e.g. she *forgot* who it was that called her a "nigger", whether or not anyone else was around, when it happened, and why the cameras didn't catch it), she was invited back to the show. Thus demonstrating that there is a penalty for those called a
racist, but not for those who call others a
racist and are proven to be liars.
Companies fear hiring
people like Omorosa.
People who sell themselves very strongly, display up-front confidence and have a suitable resume, yet in the end offer no value to the company as an employee, create an environment of conflict and hatred among other employees, and is a walking time bomb waiting to scream "
racism" or "sexism" the moment something doesn't go their way (e.g. denied a raise, promotion, or is fired).
The Omorosa factor is a value that ranges from zero (no risk) to one (the employee is actually Omorosa herself). It is used to multiply another value called the O-cost, which is typically a fixed percentage of the company's value. This is amount that will normally be sued for. Multiplying the two gives a company an idea of how much risk they are taking on by hiring the employee.
Subordinate: "Sir, management wants to increase diversity in our department. Perhaps we should give extra weight to minority applicants."
Manager: "Agreed. We can kill two birds with one stone by hiring a black woman, that way we get
gender and
race at the same
time. Do we have any that are handicapped or veterans as well? That would be the best!"
Subordinate: "No, sir, just this one black woman is on the list: Jawanda. She seems fairly qualified."
Manager: "Invite her in."
Jawanda: "I am a strong, black woman from the Bronx and I will kick
ass in this white male-dominated field."
Manager: "Sorry, your Omorosa factor is too
high. Next..."
