Ways to avoid workplace discrimination

The identification and prevention of workplace discrimination are major concerns for any organisation, whether non-profit or for-profit. Businesses of all sizes, including small ones, have a stake in this issue. Preventing workplace discrimination not only prevents you from breaking the law but also has direct consequences on your employees’ wellbeing and hence your company.

This article will delve into workplace discrimination and show you how to stop it in your company.

What is Workplace Discrimination?

Workplace discrimination occurs when an employee or a group of employees is treated unfairly or disparately based on their membership within one or more protected class. Protected classes in your area may include:

• Age
• Sex
• Race
• Ethnicity
• Color
• National origin
• Religion affiliations
• Mental/physical disability
• Genetic information
• Pregnancy/paternity
• Association with someone who falls under one of these groups listed above

It’s important to differentiate between employment discrimination and workplace discrimination. These practices take different forms during an individual’s career although they share similar origins.

Workplace discrimination implies unfair treatment or differentiation against employees–that is if they are part of the daily activities as well as long term growth of individuals working for you.

On the other hand, employment discrimination describes inequitable treatment given to applicants throughout the hiring process. This could involve purposefully or accidentally excluding or including candidates based on membership in a protected class.

There is no need to be prejudiced against others because of their nationality, religion or place of birth- it is called any form of this kind of behavior as “discrimination”. In numerous countries worldwide, such kind of action is forbidden by law and can entail severe consequences for entrepreneur if he/she turns out to be guilty before court.

Examples of Workplace Discrimination

As mentioned earlier there can be various types of cases concerning work-place discriminations. Therefore the problem companies encounter is detecting as well as addressing overt/covert ways discrimination enters either their structure or workforce.

Below are various instances of workplace discrimination you should consider:

1. Leaving out–or prioritising–some particular worker(s) in terms of promotions or pay hikes, whether intentional or not.
2. Discretionary denial of some advantages to employees belonging to particular protected classes
3. Paying different salaries to equally qualified workers in the same position
4. Deciding against giving a disabled employee opportunities for growth and development because of his/her employers’ bias
5. Allowing some employees but not others the use of company facilities
6. More people from certain protected groups being laid off during downsising than from other categories
7. While hiring, favoring/avoiding certain groups covered by law
8. Openly hostile treatment towards an employee due to membership in one of these groups protected under the law

It is clear that there is more obviousness in relation to some illustrations. Open discrimination can be easier to recognise, confront and deal with if well set mechanisms are put in place unlike more subtle forms that are systemic in nature.

When considering what areas and moments might result into workplace discriminations as well as how they can be prevented. Remember everything ranging from daily custom as well as team dynamics towards its systems/workflows.

How to Prevent Workplace Discrimination

Prevention of workplace discrimination requires a concerted drive from above, based on guidelines along with training and enforcement mechanisms. Here are five best ways to stop workplace discrimination.

Get to Know the Anti-Discrimination Laws

When handling your company’s anti-discrimination measures, you should first get a legal and practical understanding of what it means in your field. Before implementing any such policies, ensure that you are familiar with all local requirements and legislations on this because where the company is situated discrimination may mean something else entirely.

It’s important also to note that within different localities, there could be different legislations at the national levels, county level or even the state level. In this regard therefore it might be necessary for you to understand several layers of legal analysis.

We recommend working with an employment attorney who knows the region’s legislation better to help make this process easier. Request them to take you through the jargon & every other real life issue that pertains.

You should also collect and study all relevant legal documents for your company records as well. Have a review of them with your HR department plus leadership team so everyone knows where we stand right now as well as these standards.

Thus having gone through this exercise already, one would be ready to commence revising their existing anti-discrimination policy or develop new one from scratch.

Develop and Put in Place an Unambiguous Policy Against Discrimination

The most critical stage in this procedure is putting up an anti-discrimination policy. You must clearly express your firm’s position on discrimination herein and provide a workable plan for dealing with it amongst all staff members.

While this part can be very time consuming, it is fundamental for future success.

Do away with your current discrimination policy after reviewing it according to these new legislations which apply in relations to victimisation claims–if there was none before, then come up with another one too.

In every case however, stipulate each kind of behavior which cannot be tolerated at work specifically describing what it involves. Then describe who they are relevant towards, why they are applicable, where they may be enforced, what are they for, and how will they be applied as a result.

This must include:

• A clear statement of intent that explicitly prohibits discrimination in the workplace
• Definitions and examples of what constitutes discrimination
• An extensive list of all protected classes in all areas of operation
• Instructions on how to report workplace discrimination
• A detailed explanation of the process once a discrimination claim has been made
• Any and all disciplinary actions that may occur should employees be found guilty of discriminatory behavior

Use plain English throughout this anti-discrimination policy so that it is easily understood by all staff. If necessary, you could translate this policy into each major language used by your company.

Once finalised, circulate the new policy to both present and future personnel through internal HR channels. Email, HRIS or an intranet at work can assist with this.

Make signing off on such a policy mandatory for every employee to ensure those who don’t agree are given a chance to comment.

The moment formalised, this policy should be communicated promptly via your company’s internal communication channels as well as HR department in order to reach all existing & incoming workforce.

Provide Mandatory Anti-Discrimination Training

After you have made these changes known to employees, set up trainings designed to help them understand:

• What the new policies are in terms that are both legally and practically acceptable regarding workplace discrimination
• The reasons why employers want to eliminate discrimination
• The ways in which diversity and inclusivity can be beneficial to a business as well as individual staff members
• Unconscious bias or neutral decision making behind unintentional discrimination needs to be identified and addressed.

Consequently, you should schedule required sessions for all employees through which they will undergo modules like these. These might incorporate the following:

Micro-learning: it is a focused method of training with learning units so that they remain fresh in the minds of workers.

Peer-to-peer learning: this involves discussion groups among staffs where they get an opportunity of sharing their experiences as well as instances of discrimination.

This training makes people realise that they are being treated unfair at work and provides them with necessary tools to overcome it.

Analyse Business Processes for Unintentional Discrimination

Like I mentioned earlier, not all forms of discrimination are intentional. Some arise from unconscious biases or impartial judgments. In other words, people may make decisions based on preconceived ideas or stereotypes about a particular situation or person.

This could take the form of:

• Words used in recruitment ads and job description
• Recruitment tests and screening
• Team structures and chains of command
• Promotions and pay raises

In any such cases, there is likelihood that current procedures favor one group while inadvertently discriminating against another group. We recommend reviewing demographic information within your company to identify areas where underrepresentation exists or any indications of possible unintentional bias may appear.

For instance, if women occupy very few mid- to senior-level leadership positions relative men then it is likely that there may be system or procedural problems benefiting males against females. To detect potential problems and occurrences related with unconscious bias, examine your recruitment, promotion, team building and leadership selection processes. If necessary, bring in external support to get objective assessment of your policies and procedures and identify those areas that may require improvement.

Stay Proactive and React Quickly

Discrimination management is not a set it and forget it strategy. It calls for you to carefully pay attention to any potential red flags of employment discrimination, review them, and take appropriate action. Moreover, this means that the management team should actively work towards creating an inclusive workplace. This can be achieved by:

• Acting promptly on any complaints about discrimination
• Promoting open talk on any kind of discrimination from all employees regardless of their status
• Integrating diversity and inclusion into company culture
• Hiring people who share your values

Creating a diverse workforce necessitates more than just implementing anti-discrimination policy. This means that these principles need to be shared and exercised at various levels within the organisation on routine basis.

Ensure that these subjects are covered during team meetings or town hall gatherings. State your values in your internal as well as external company communications. Put this in the messages you use for recruitment or employer branding. To reflect a diverse work environment as well as overall community image, It is important to develop human resource policies based on diversity and inclusion.